Overview

• The UK government has postponed its goal to reduce driving test waiting times to seven weeks from late 2025 to summer 2026 due to persistent backlog challenges.
• Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander unveiled a plan to add 10,000 extra tests monthly, incentivize overtime for examiners, and recruit more trainers to address delays.
• A consultation will be launched to reform the booking system, which has been exploited by bots reselling test slots, further exacerbating the issue.
• Current backlog levels are at record highs, with 583,000 future tests booked and average waiting times reaching 20 weeks as of February 2025.
• Learner drivers, particularly in rural areas, are facing significant barriers to mobility, with some forced to travel hundreds of miles for available test slots.