Source · National Audit Office
Investigation into car driving test waiting times
Published: 17 Dec 2025
Recommendations: 4
Type: Value for Money
Department: Department for Transport
Failure to resolve the problem of long waiting times for car practical driving tests has exposed underlying issues at DVSA.
Recommendations
Government response pending.
The NAO has not yet recorded a response to these recommendations. This report was published 17 December 2025.
| Rec | Recommendation | Addressee | Acceptance | Implementation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
review current governance arrangements between the two organisations and agree appropriate levels of support with arrangements that enable DVSA to develop and implement effective responses to challenges such as abuse of the booking system
Ref Page 10, 21, 1st bullet
|
Department for Transport | Pending | — |
| 2 |
increase the supply of test slots by exploring what would need to be in place to enable DVSA to successfully deliver its recruitment and retention strategies so that it is better able to scale up its workforce and respond quickly to any increasing backlogs
Ref Page 10, 21, 2nd bullet
|
Department for Transport; Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Pending | — |
| 3 |
examine causes of increased demand including assessing whether appropriate measures are in place to ensure that bookings for car practical driving tests are coming from those who are ready to take a test; and ensure that they are continuously improving demand and forecast modelling
Ref Page 10, 21, 3rd bullet
|
Department for Transport; Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Pending | — |
| 4 |
explore and evaluate whether there are alternative metrics to measure waiting times for car practical driving tests that will more accurately reflect the actual waiting times of learner drivers
Ref Page 10, 21, 4th bullet
|
Department for Transport; Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency | Pending | — |