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Driving Tests: Standards

Asked by Mr Richard HoldenConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 13 February 2026UIN 110893

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for a practical car driving test was in January 2026.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.

Data for January 2026 on the number of full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), that are in post and delivering practical car driving tests, will not be available until later in February.

As of 30 December 2025, there were 1,618 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,542 FTE were available to deliver practical car driving tests.

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