Driving Tests: South Wales
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce car driving test wait times at (a) Monmouth test centre, (b) Abergavenny test centre and (c) test centres in South Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been strengthening the booking system further through major booking reforms (from March–June 2026) to protect access for genuine learners and reduce abuse. It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions, but there are clear early signs, particularly in Wales, that these measures are increasing the availability of test slots, improving access and making the system fairer for learners.
From recent recruitment in South Wales, DVSA has had three new entrants who have successfully completed training and are now conducting tests; one at Abergavenny driving test centre (DTC) and two at Newport DTC.
Abergavenny DTC also has two potential new driving examiners (DE) who are currently in training. There is also another potential new DE for Swansea due to start training in August, with a further two potential candidates undergoing pre-employment checks for Cardiff and Carmarthen respectively.
Where some DTCs have higher wait times across the region, DVSA is looking at bringing in additional resource from other areas to increase test availability.
Additionally, at DTCs in South Wales, 5,168 additional overtime tests were delivered between June 2025 and May 2026 when compared to the previous year. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.
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