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Driving Tests: Standards

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 12 December 2025UIN 98407

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the time taken for driving tests and MOTs.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

The national average waiting time in Great Britain (GB) for a car practical driving test in November 2025 was 22 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times across GB. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times in GB. Further information on the measures announced can be found on GOV.uk.

DVSA supervises the delivery of light vehicle MOTs in GB through its approved MOT garages. However, as these are private garages, DVSA does not collate overall average waiting time data for MOTs.

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