Driving Tests: Vacancies
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving examiners ceased to practice in each month from July 2024 to the latest month for which figures are available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) who left the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in each month from July 2024 to February 2026. This data includes all DEs who have left including, for example, new DEs that were unsuccessful in completing the training process.
Month/Year | FTE |
July 2024 | 13.6 |
August 2024 | 17.4 |
September 2024 | 8.3 |
October 2024 | 24.4 |
November 2024 | 16.1 |
December 2024 | 14.8 |
January 2025 | 19.1 |
February 2025 | 25.2 |
March 2025 | 27.0 |
April 2025 | 20.7 |
May 2025 | 17.7 |
June 2025 | 14.3 |
July 2025 | 17.2 |
August 2025 | 16.3 |
September 2025 | 22.9 |
October 2025 | 8.6 |
November 2025 | 14.8 |
December 2025 | 15.2 |
January 2026 | 26.7 |
February 2026 | 12.6 |
The above figures of course do not account for the number of driving examiners who have joined in the same time period.
Examiner capacity is rising, with 1,556 FTE examiners now in post supported by ongoing recruitment and training changes. The 1,556 FTE DEs in February 2026 is an increase of 108 when compared to the number of DEs in February 2025 (1,448 FTEs). These figures do not include potential new DEs who are currently in training.
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