Over 630,000 people are waiting to take their driving test in the UK, partly due to the prevalence of bots booking up all the slots – as the demand for black market tests soars
Britain’s driving test backlog has reached a new high of more than 630,000 – as demand for black market tests soars.
A total of 631,472 people are waiting to take their practical driving test, up from 527,368 a year ago. Despite the growing demand, the number of tests conducted during the first five months of this year is 14% lower than the same period in 2024.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures show there were 757,867 tests taken between January and May, down from 877,387 a year earlier. The DVSA said the numbers between October 2023 and March 2024 was higher than normal because they deployed all eligible staff from other roles to act as examiners.
Figure released by the AA a few weeks ago found average waiting times for a driving test had reached a new high, with learners typically facing waits of 20 weeks.
The number of driving test centres showing the maximum wait of 24 weeks had doubled in the last year from 94 in February 2024 to 183 in February 2025; more than half of test centres.
They also found only 14 test centres had waits at or below the DVSA’s end-of-year-target of 7 weeks.
Part of the problem with booking a test is online bots – automated software programmed to search for and reserve driving test appointments much faster than humans can.
Individuals and companies use the bots to block-book driving test slots and then resell them at inflated prices. While not illegal, it is a violation of the DVSA’s terms of use
The DVSA has closed over 800 business accounts for misuse of its booking service in the past two years.
The DVSA said May’s pass rate matched the figure for April at 50.2%, up from 48.9% in May 2024 and the highest monthly figure since August 2021 (50.3%).
They said learners, who can only book one test at a time, appear to be heeding calls to wait until they are confident they can pass before taking it. The DVSA previously attributed the backlog to “an increase in demand and a change in customers’ booking behaviour”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in April the Labour Government “inherited an enormous backlog” but was “acting fast” to tackle the issue, with at least 10,000 extra tests to be available each month.
She told the Commons’ Transport Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time for driving tests in Britain to seven weeks by summer 2026.
The Government launched a consultation last month on amending the driving test booking system. They want to stop bots mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices. This will be conducted over eight weeks instead of the usual 12 to enable changes to be made sooner.
Other measures in response to the backlog include instructing the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to incentivise instructors to conduct more tests. Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “While congratulations are due to those candidates who passed their driving test and helped nudge the overall pass rate over 50%, there’s little cause for celebration for applicants anxious to book a test slot anytime soon.
“We’re not even at midsummer, yet learner drivers are already competing for test slots in November.
“We can only hope that the package of measures the Government announced will start to bite soon, alongside a sustained improvement in the pass rate as candidates make the most of the delays to ensure they are match-fit when their test day arrives.”
A DVSA spokesperson said: “We know that many learners are still struggling to book driving tests, and we’re working tirelessly to reduce waiting times and help more people get on the road.
“Despite this, there are currently over 630,000 learners who have a future test date secured – which is the highest number of test slots that we’ve ever seen booked.
“As we continue to make more tests available, the number of learners with a slot booked will continue to rise, providing more people with the opportunity to continue their learning journey.”