Written Question·Department for Transport·UIN 91132

Driving Tests: Standards

Tabled: 14 November 2025

Answered: 19 November 2025

Named Day

Question

Jim McMahon

Labour (Co-op) — Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of waiting times by test centre in England for learner drivers undertaking a (a) Theory test and (b) Practical driving test.

Answer

Simon Lightwood

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have a key performance indicator (KPI) requiring that theory test candidates will wait on average no more than 28 calendar days from booking to their appointment. Despite unprecedented levels of high demand for theory tests, this KPI is consistently met.

The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 in England was 22.4 weeks.

The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the average waiting time in weeks at driving test centres (DTC) in England, as of October 2025. Please note that this spreadsheet also includes DTCs, such as part-time test centres, which do not count towards the official waiting time measure mentioned above. Also please note that DTCs included in the official measure can change, for example for temporary or permanent closures, or other operational reasons.