A damning new report from the Nationwide Audit Workplace (NAO) has warned that the Driver and Car Requirements Company (DVSA) is not going to meet its long-standing goal of a seven-week ready time for sensible automobile driving checks till November 2027, except decisive motion is taken.
In line with the report, the common ready time for a sensible automobile check in Nice Britain stood at 22 weeks in September 2025, with 70% of check centres working on the most wait of 24 weeks. This compares with a median wait of simply over 5 weeks earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Watch DIA Carly Brookfield’s feedback on this report
Affect on learners and the broader financial system
The report highlights the real-world penalties of those delays. Round 30% of learner drivers surveyed by DVSA stated they want a licence for work, that means extended ready instances are proscribing entry to employment and affecting financial productiveness.
An estimated 1.1 million-test backlog constructed up in the course of the pandemic, with round 360,000 checks nonetheless not booked. The NAO additionally discovered DVSA has struggled to forecast real demand, partly on account of widespread use of automated bots that artificially inflate reserving exercise.
Third-party resellers exploiting the system
Almost one in three learners at the moment are utilizing third-party reserving companies, typically paying vastly inflated costs. Some learners reported paying as much as £500 for a check that ought to price £62 on a weekday.
Though DVSA has introduced new measures stopping instructors and third events from reserving checks on behalf of learners, the NAO notes that anti-bot measures have to this point failed to stop abuse of the system.
Examiner recruitment stays a important weak spot
Regardless of operating 19 recruitment campaigns, DVSA has solely elevated examiner numbers by 83 since 2021, far wanting its goal of 400. Excessive exit charges are linked to uncompetitive pay, workload pressures, and security considerations, all of which proceed to undermine capability.
What the NAO says should change
To revive confidence within the driving check system, the NAO says DVSA and the Division for Transport should:
- Higher perceive what’s driving elevated demand and guarantee learners can entry checks once they genuinely want them
- Quickly scale up examiner recruitment to extend check capability and tackle backlogs
- Strengthen governance between DVSA and DfT to reply extra successfully to future challenges, together with reserving system abuse
DIA CEO Carly Brookfield Commented: “We welcome the NAO’s report on check ready instances, because it brings vital scrutiny to bear on not solely DVSA’s lack of progress on these points, but additionally the slowness of Minister’s in supporting the company in actions which might have had a extra significant influence than the successive plans and measures they’ve PR’d to Transport Choose Committee’s and the broader public – measures which have finally fallen quick of what’s required.
“DIA was interviewed as a part of the NAO’s investigation, and we had been unflinching in our suggestions, highlighting core points there was already some consciousness of, but additionally pointing to challenges wider stakeholders (together with DVSA themselves), extra faraway from the coalface of driver coaching and testing, failed to totally grasp.
“NAO has recognised the core challenge of check provide, and the hyperlink to Examiner recruitment and retention, however am positive DVSA shall be faster to focus extra so on the reserving system suggestions of their response to this report, as that is an space the place they will declare they’ve a technique in place, with lately introduced plans to close out entry to everybody however pupils themselves. Nonetheless, everyone knows that the problems that the company doesn’t but have sufficient options to (i.e. getting extra checks into the system by elevated Examiner deployment) are those we have to concentrate on extra urgently. Reserving system entry and safety is a smaller a part of the general downside than DVSA would have the broader public imagine, but it surely’s the one one they’ve a transparent pathway to doing one thing about in the intervening time (regardless that a poor degree of cyber safety information inside DVSA absolutely hampered their efforts to cease the rot of the bots earlier). Definitely drafting in extra army examiner assist shall be one other space the company claims they’re being proactive, however that’s one more too little, too late, measure which can solely internet 6500 further checks a 12 months – think about if that (what’s now a small scale within the context of the variety of checks wanted) answer had been utilized 4 years in the past, it might need proved simpler in curbing the rise of the backlog?
“Equally regarding and irritating on this report is the ££44 million deficit in check charges, with the company merely not charging sufficient to cowl prices. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that check charge will increase, even past the £86 really useful on this report, would underpin the enterprise case for Examiner pay will increase to assist with recruitment and retention challenge, in addition to probably work as a ‘calming’ agent on check demand and the push to e book and take checks, as greater check charges would imply the worth notion of the driving check will increase and it turns into much less of a have-a-go merchandise.”
Gareth Davies, Head of the NAO, stated: “The present system for offering driving checks in England, Scotland and Wales just isn’t working satisfactorily, with lengthy ready instances and exploitation of learner drivers by resellers of check slots. Our report recommends that the Driver & Car Requirements Company and the Division for Transport take decisive motion to revive a match for goal driving check service.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, stated: “Failures by DVSA to sort out check reserving points have severely impacted members of the general public, with learners ready many months to e book a driving check.
“The present reserving system, in place for the previous 18 years, has been exploited by third events utilizing bots to e book up any obtainable slots after which promote them on at vastly inflated costs – as much as eight instances the usual weekday price of £62. DVSA has lastly begun to take extra concrete motion towards the reselling of checks, though stricter reserving guidelines is not going to come into impact till spring 2026.
“On the identical time, DVSA has not been in a position to recruit and retain sufficient examiners to extend capability consistent with demand. DVSA should now use the chance offered by latest bulletins to revive the service to an appropriate degree for learner drivers.”
