The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been criticised for the continued length of driving test waiting times, declining satisfaction among driving instructors, and concerns over the Agency’s booking systems.

It follows the publication of its latest Annual Report and Accounts.

It comes as a new Chief Executive, Beverley Warmington, settles in, and waiting times remain at record levels.

How are they doing?

The report, covering 2025-26, was published on 14 July and sets out the DVSA’s performance and activities over the past financial year.

One of the Agency’s headline achievements was delivering 2.169 million practical car driving tests during the year, exceeding its target of 1.975 million.

However, the national average waiting time for a practical car test fell only marginally, from 21.9 weeks to 21.5 weeks.

That remains more than three times the DVSA’s stated target of seven weeks, with the Agency’s own business plan having aimed to achieve that figure by March 2026.

The figures have prompted critical responses, including from the Driving Instructors Association (DIA), whose chief executive Carly Brookfield has reviewed the report.

Quoting Mark Twain’s observation that there are “three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”, Brookfield argues that the figures should be examined alongside the underlying outcomes rather than viewed simply as evidence of progress.

Accountability

The DIA says that despite an additional 200,000 tests being delivered, the waiting-time problem remains largely unresolved.

It claims the DVSA estimates that a further 450,000 to 500,000 tests would be required to make a significant impact on waiting times, with another 18 months potentially needed to clear the backlog.

The association also highlights a fall in satisfaction among ADIs, which dropped to 42%, against a target of 60% and down from 47% the previous year.

Brookfield argues that the decline reflects wider concerns within the profession, including continuing delays affecting not only learner tests but also ADI Part 2 and Part 3 tests and Standards Checks.

The DIA also questions the DVSA’s focus on learner readiness and the finding that around half of candidates fail their first practical test.

It argues that this risks diverting attention from capacity issues, pointing to the Agency’s own risk register, which identifies examiner capacity and booking abuse as significant problems.

According to the association, the net increase of around 188 driving examiners remains insufficient to address the scale of the shortfall.

Going forward

There are also concerns about the future cost of accessing DVSA services.

Driving and instructor-related fees have been frozen for more than 15 years, but are now under review with the Department for Transport and Treasury, to ensure fee income covers the cost of delivering services.

The DIA warns that this could ultimately result in higher costs for instructors and learners, while pointing to an £86.6 million net expenditure deficit recorded by the Agency during the year.

It also highlights an increase in ADI and PDI licence and test fee income, which it says has risen from £7.67 million in 2021-22 to £10.15 million in 2025-26.

The association argues that, notwithstanding inflation, the service delivery has not improved in line with this increased income.

The report’s treatment of technology and booking systems has also come under scrutiny.

While the existing Testing and Registration System (TARS) is rated as a “Very High” risk, its replacement remains at beta stage with no confirmed delivery date.

View from the passenger seat

A driving instructor member who reviewed the report for the DIA questioned whether the DVSA’s figures fully explain the scale of the problems.

They highlighted an apparent discrepancy between the Agency’s reported net increase of approximately 188 examiners and its claim that the active car examiner workforce increased by 7% to around 1,604 full-time equivalent staff.

The instructor also questioned whether the reported test volumes disguise the failure to reduce waiting times significantly and argued that the methodology used to calculate the headline 21.5-week waiting time may not accurately reflect the experience of individual learners facing even longer delays.

Further questions were raised over the DVSA’s claim that 100% of Freedom of Information requests were answered within 20 working days, with the instructor calling for greater transparency around the underlying data and methodology.

The DIA’s review also points to 6,789 short-notice DVSA cancellations receiving £654,000 in compensation during the year.

While candidates receive compensation, instructors can still lose the lesson slot and associated income when tests are cancelled at short notice.

In the wash

The association says the report should prompt closer scrutiny of examiner numbers, waiting-time calculations, FOI performance and the effectiveness of measures designed to increase test capacity.

At a time when the industry is seeking remedies and solutions to inherent and chronic problems with the Agency’s delivery of driver testing and regulation, the report comes across as more of a positive PR exercise, relying on generalised assumptions and figures to address criticisms.

The DVSA’s annual report is intended to provide an account of the Agency’s activity and services during the financial year.

Still, the DIA’s response highlights the continuing gap between reported activity levels and the experience of many learners and professional driving instructors.

You can read the full report yourself by clicking here.