Driving test backlog to continue deep into 2027
The driving test backlog is expected to continue until the autumn of next year.
The government has set a target of reducing the waiting time to seven weeks, but Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said long waits will continue for well more than a year.
Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency reveal that average waiting times are now up to 22 weeks, compared to the five-week average recorded in February 2020, before the pandemic.
A number of measures have been introduced to reduce the backlog, including faster training for driving test examiners, employing military examiners to meet demand, and reforming the booking process to ensure only learners can a slot.
This is intended to prevent tests being booked and then resold at higher prices to learners.
Delays
Heidi Alexander MP said: “Realistically, this is going to take a long time to sort out. My aspiration is to get us back down to a point where, when someone is booking a test, they’re not having to wait months on end to get one, which is the situation for some people in some locations at the moment.
“I think by the autumn of next year we should be back down to the seven-week aspiration that we’ve got.”
