Driving test backlog set to continue 'into 2027'

A TARGET for reducing average driving test waiting times to seven weeks is not expected to be met for another two years, according to the public spending watchdog.

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Nearly one in three learners are paying third parties up to £500 to book a test because of the large backlog, a National Audit Office (NAO) report said.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has failed to appoint sufficient new examiners to enable it to increase test slots despite several recruitment drives, the inquiry found.

A total of 1.1 million tests could not be taken in the 2020/21 financial year because of Covid restrictions and an estimated 360,000 of these still haven't been booked.