28 July 2025
There has been a 60 per cent increase in the number of driving test centres with average waits of 24 weeks since the start of 2025.
New data, from a Freedom of Information request* to the DVSA by AA Driving School, shows the number of driving test centres with the maximum wait of 24 weeks has risen to an astonishing 80.8% (as of May 5th 2025). Since January the number of test centres with 24 week waits rose from 161 (06/01/25) to 258 (05/05/25).
Overall, average waiting times for a driving test have reached a new high, with learners typically facing waits of 21.9 weeks (05/05/2025).
But new measures brought in at the start of April to tackle wating times may be starting to show green shoots of progress.
There were 122,000 more driving test bookings in the DVSA’s system for June this year than there was in June 2024**. While the amount of bookings in the system doesn’t initially make it quicker for people to secure a test slot, it does signal hope there is an increased capacity in test delivery on the horizon – in turn this should start to bring waiting times down.
“With the vast majority of driving test centres now showing waits at the maximum the system will allow the situation cannot get much worse.”
There were 5,487 more driving tests conducted in June 2025 compared to June 2024. This is the first increase in the number of tests conducted in 2025 when you compare each month to the same month in 2024.
Number of practical driving tests conducted (DVSA DRT121G)
| Month | 2024 | 2025 |
| January | 188,179 | 153,016 |
| February | 187,940 | 151,171 |
| March | 184,317 | 162,259 |
| April | 157,432 | 143,734 |
| May | 159,519 | 147,687 |
| June | 152,926 | 158,413 |
More changes are expected this year following the results of a DVSA consultation into alterations to the driving test booking process.
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said: “With the vast majority of driving test centres now showing waits at the maximum the system will allow the situation cannot get much worse.
“New measures designed to start bringing down waiting times were implemented at the start of April by the DVSA.
“There are signs of recovery though, putting both the industry and learners on tenterhooks for more signs of improvement in the coming months.
“While we would expect these changes to take a few months to show a positive impact, it is still disappointing to see that learners are continuing to face an uphill battle when it comes to booking their driving test.”
*FOI 2504-075210
** Driving test and theory test data: cars - GOV.UK Table DRT121G