Six-month driving test waits in some areas, AA says

There is a minimum six-month wait to book a driving test in several areas of the UK, according to new data from the AA.

Reading, Greenham and Slough in Berkshire, Basingstoke and Farnborough in Hampshire and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire are all affected by the longest wait times.

The data shows wait times nationally have reached a record high - with the average now standing at 20 weeks compared to 14 earlier in the year.

Lorna Lee, from the AA Driving School, said long wait times were having a "significant impact" on young people.

"It had started to improve towards the end of 2023 and into the start of 2024 because there were some extra slots that the DVSA [Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency] made available, but once those slots got used up, waiting times began to creep up again," she said.

Ms Lee continued: "It's extra pressure on them [people waiting] when they are taking their tests because they know if they don't pass they're going to have to wait a long time to take a retest.

"If this happens, it's also extra financial pressure for them because they will typically need to take a few extra lessons in that interim period so they can keep their skills topped up before that retest."

She added: "It [driving] is something that is really vital for people to get employment, to get to education so it's really important that this doesn't become a barrier for people."

Reading driving instructor Rachel Newland said: "It's actually worse than that because the DVSA just keep changing the statistical metrics.

"Once upon a time the waiting time was taken by a single search by a single learner.

"Now they do this nonsense average, and since most people can't get on the six-month system the average waiting time has no meaning because you're not including all of the people who have just been unable to book."

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it was "continuing to reduce waiting times, and to encourage learners to only book their test when they're ready".

It added that another 450 new examiners were being recruited.

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