Driving test booking rules tightened after thousands of no shows
Summary
New rules limit learner drivers to swapping their driving test booking to only three nearby centres to reduce wait times. Last year, 64,500 driving tests were missed when people did not show up, causing longer waits across Britain.Key Facts
- Learner drivers can now only move their test booking to one of the three closest centres to their original booking.
- In 2025, 64,500 practical driving tests were missed because people did not show up.
- The average wait time for a driving test is over five months in the UK.
- Some no-shows were caused by third-party resellers using bots to book tests and then resell at higher prices.
- Wait times: 22.7 weeks in England, 22.9 weeks in Scotland, and 17.3 weeks in Wales.
- The number of no-shows increased from 52,000 the previous year to 64,500.
- Driving instructors hope the new rules will free up test slots and reduce fake bookings.
- The DVSA has added over 217,000 extra tests by using military driving examiners to help lower wait times.
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