DVSA announces major changes coming in January 2025 which impacts millions of drivers

The DVSA has unveiled a major seven-point plan to slash driving test waiting times across the UK after hearing pleas from millions of motorists who complained about the current system.

The plan, announced yesterday, includes recruiting 450 new driving examiners and introducing measures to stop third-party websites from exploiting learners through the resale of test slots at inflated prices.

Under the new measures, stricter terms and conditions for booking tests will come into force from January 6, 2025, preventing resellers from booking tests for learners they don’t teach.

The DVSA will also extend the cancellation period from three to 10 working days to reduce late cancellations and free up more test slots.

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Loveday Ryder, DVSA Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to launch our seven-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times.

“The measures will help make the driving test booking system fairer for learners, better protecting them from exploitation, and continue to provide them with the tools to help them pass their test.”

Meanwhile Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood added that passing a driving test is a “life-changing opportunity” for millions but “sky-high waiting times for tests in recent years have denied that opportunity to too many people”.

“No one should have to wait six months when they’re ready to pass, travel to the other side of the country to take a driving test or be ripped off by unscrupulous websites just because they can’t afford to wait,” she warned.

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Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation, welcomed the measures, stating that learning to drive is a “key milestone in gaining independence, and it’s important that learners have fair access to driving tests when they are ready”.

The National Associations Strategic Partnership also expressed support, urging driving instructors and pupils to provide feedback on the booking system through upcoming consultations.

The plan also forms part of the DVSA’s commitment to providing 1.95 million car driving tests between April 2024 and March 2025 while also reducing waiting times to seven weeks by December 2025.

The plan will also expand the “Ready to Pass” campaign to help learners throughout their learning process, aiming to increase first-time pass rates and reduce overall demand on the system.

However, some driving instructors have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the changes warning that the measures may not be enough to cause real change.

One driving instructor who teaches in north-west London, described the current system as an “absolute nightmare” and said students were being pressured to take tests before they were ready to avoid lengthy waits.

She suggested the DVSA had not “adequately” addressed the issue of test slots being booked by brokers which is part of the waiting time problem.

But the DVSA said its measures would make the booking system “fairer for learners” with the agency also exploring changing the current 24-week advance booking limit to better manage demand and allow for improved long-term planning.

Greenwood added: “The scale of the backlog we have inherited is huge, but the measures are a crucial step to tackle the long driving test wait times, protect learner drivers from being exploited, and support more people to hit the road.”