Trying to book a driving test 'like buying a festival ticket', say learners

Some people used the Easter Monday bank holiday as a chance to have a much-needed lie-in.

Not Stephen Dawes, who set his alarm for 05:45. It wasn't to start work or to catch a train - he just wanted to book his driving test.

When he logged into the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website, he entered an online queue "almost like buying a festival ticket", he says.

"I was number 11,000 in the queue."

The 26-year-old, who lives in Newcastle, started learning to drive in February. His instructor told him about a month ago to book his practical test, but each time Stephen looked, the only slots available were in Berwick-upon-Tweed or Scarborough, both more than an hour's drive away.

After looking online, he discovered the trick was to log on at 06:00 on Mondays, when the DVSA releases new slots. But some people say it takes several weeks of trying to secure one.

Stephen's experience reflects those of other learner drivers across the UK, who tell BBC News they're on a road to nowhere with getting a driving exam booked during an ongoing test backlog. Some are even paying for apps that alert them when slots become available.

BBC Verify found this week that the average waiting time across the 319 driving test centres in Great Britain was 22 weeks, with three-quarters of centres hitting the maximum average wait time of 24 weeks.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has pledged to reduce the average waiting time to no more than seven weeks by summer 2026, a deadline the government had previously set for the end of 2025.

She said the current situation was "totally unacceptable" and that ministers would aim to clear the backlog with measures such as doubling examiner training capacity and reintroducing overtime pay incentives.

Pauline Reeves, the DVSA's director of driver services, told the BBC the organisation had "made significant progress" in reducing wait times since last December but customers were not yet seeing this.

Jodie Johnston, a driving instructor in Exeter, likens booking a test to the infamous annual scramble to buy tickets for Glastonbury Festival - and says some learners in London, where demand can be even higher, are travelling 200 miles to take their tests in Devon.

"It's easier to pass a test than book a test at the moment," adds Ali Slade, a driving instructor in Farnham.

One consequence of the long wait list is that many learners are trying to book their practical exam far in advance, despite DVSA advice stating that learner drivers should book it when they're "test-ready".

And when learners eventually get a slot, for some it's so far in advance that they're having to fork out extra money on refresher lessons.

Some learners say they're also worried about their theory tests expiring as they only last for two years - and you need one to take a practical test.

Many driving schools have long waiting lists for lessons - Ali says hers is about seven months. It can therefore be difficult for learner drivers to align finding an instructor, passing their theory test, and booking a practical exam.

This was the experience of Ella Davis, 26, from Leeds, who says her instructor told her to book her test as soon as she started learning.

"I had to book way before I was ready for a test and just guess when I would be ready," she says. Even then, when she looked, she struggled to find any slots in her area or at the right time.

In the end, she booked a test for several months away, and then paid £18 for a mobile app that allowed her to change her test to an earlier date, in April 2024, so she wouldn't have to keep paying for more lessons when she already felt ready.

Apps like these alert users when slots become available through other learners cancelling their tests. The DVSA says it does not endorse any apps that find cancellations.

"It just felt like the only way," Ella says.

Lauren Devlin had put off using these apps, but she's worried she will soon be left with little choice.

"It felt a bit scammy to me… but at this point, I may just have to try," she says.

Lauren, 37, got her driving licence in New Jersey, US, when she was 16. When she first moved to the UK, she relied on public transport to get around - but she's decided she would now like the freedom of being able to drive.

Lauren estimates she's already spent about £2,000 on driving lessons, two theory tests and one practical test in summer 2024 that she failed.

She has another test scheduled for August, for which she had to wake up early on multiple Monday mornings to join the online queue before she was able to book.

But she's worried about what happens if it gets cancelled, or if she fails, as her theory certificate only lasts until next March.

So, what's the cause of the current situation? A DVSA spokesperson has blamed an "increase in demand and a change in customers' booking behaviour" for the backlog.

DVSA data shows that the number of people taking practical driving tests plummeted during waves of lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. There was then a surge in between September 2023 and March 2024, but the number of tests being taken is now similar to pre-pandemic levels. Just under 450,000 practical driving tests were taken between July and September 2024, the most recent data shows.

The DVSA also says that bots have been buying up some test slots and then reselling them at inflated prices. The agency says a high-speed consultation in May will aim "to improve the booking system and block bots from accessing tests".

For some people, the difficulty of booking a test is just too much stress. Libby Murphy says she's "just given up" after failing her test in February, having had two previous tests cancelled by the test centre (the DVSA says it only cancels tests in "exceptional circumstances" and then offers the first available test in the area).

Libby, who is 26 and lives in Liverpool, says she's had more than 100 hours of lessons and feels her decision to abandon it will harm her career aim of being a runner in the film industry.

As she puts it: "I've spent grands and grands and I've gotten nowhere."