Driving Tests
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on what proportion of driving test bookings involved the initial driving licence number on the booking form being subsequently changed, in each month since January 2015.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The attached spreadsheet provides data on the number bookings made and the number of bookings, including percentage, of practical driving test bookings where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number* in each month since January 2015 to March 2025.
The table below provides this information from April 2025 to April 2026.
Month Year | Total Bookings made | Number bookings where the licence number was changed (swaps) | Percentage of bookings where the licence number was changed |
April 2025 | 222119 | 54446 | 24.5% |
May 2025 | 231536 | 55574 | 24.0% |
June 2025 | 239148 | 53658 | 22.4% |
July 2025 | 191291 | 50750 | 26.5% |
August 2025 | 220967 | 50630 | 22.9% |
September 2025 | 248295 | 58554 | 23.6% |
October 2025 | 219224 | 60856 | 27.8% |
November 2025 | 231591 | 56494 | 24.4% |
December 2025 | 225402 | 51056 | 22.7% |
January 2026 | 242818 | 59152 | 24.4% |
February 2026 | 237499 | 54180 | 22.8% |
March 2026 | 266772 | 61018 | 22.9% |
April 2026 | 233645 | 39608 | 17.0% |
* The number of bookings made does not equate to the number of practical driving tests conducted. Not all test bookings result in a test being conducted.
Also, the number of swaps for a given month are not necessarily tests booked the same month. i.e. tests swapped in April 2025 are not necessarily tests booked in April 2025.
The DVSA has implemented new policies so that, since 12 May, only learner drivers are legally able to book a car practical driving test or make changes to a test. Further details can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/changes-to-driving-test-booking-rules-in-2026.
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