As you will know, we've made some big changes to the driving test booking system this year. We brought these in to tackle exploitation, improve fairness and give more control to learner drivers, because genuine learners deserve a fair shot at getting a test slot.
This month marks 3 months since the last of these measures came into force and we're beginning to see the impact of the changes. We promised we'd update you at this point to tell you what the data is saying, so that's what I'm going to do.
Better data is giving us a clearer picture of demand
As our Chief Executive, Beverley Warmington, highlighted in a previous blog post, we're now publishing median waiting times data alongside our existing waiting-time measure. This follows a recommendation from the National Audit Office (NAO) to provide a fuller picture of learners’ actual experiences.
We are also publishing 2 related, but distinct, measures.
The first is slot availability. This shows the proportion of appointments within the 24-week booking window that are still available to book at a particular point in time. We publish this data at national, regional and test centre level, providing transparency on where capacity is available and helping us identify areas where demand continues to outstrip supply.
At the start of September, 11.86% of appointments across Great Britain were available to book. This was the joint-highest level since November 2024. On 1 September 2026, there were also around 50,000 more available tests than on 1 September 2025.
The second measure looks back at the tests completed during each month and shows the number and proportion that were booked and taken within different 7-week bands. It ranges from tests booked and taken within 7 weeks to those where more than 24 weeks passed between booking and the test taking place.
This is not a measure of how many slots were available on one particular day. It tells us about the actual experience of learners who took their test during that month. Publishing it nationally, regionally and by test centre helps show how experiences differ across Great Britain and how those patterns change over time.
No single measure tells the whole story. Looking at waiting times, current slot availability and learners’ completed-test experiences together give us a more rounded picture of demand and capacity. Better data does not reduce waiting times by itself, but it helps us target examiner recruitment, deployment and other interventions where they can make the greatest difference.
More tests are being conducted
Although we are not yet where we want to be, there is clear progress in our testing capacity.
We conducted 165,449 car driving tests in August, the highest number conducted in any August since records began in 2007. This brought the total number of tests conducted during the last 12 months to August to more than 2.13 million, the highest rolling 12-month total on record. Between April 2026 and August 2026, we have conducted over 906,000 tests, 15.5% more than during the same period last year.
This increased delivery has been supported by growth in our examiner workforce. In August, we had 1,605 full-time equivalent driving examiners able to deliver tests. That was 160 more than in August 2025, an increase of 11.1%, and our highest examiner capacity since November 2017.
Recruitment is only part of the picture. The increase in tests reflects the combined effect of recruitment and training, overtime working, improved workforce planning and targeted operational activity. We are increasingly using demand and capacity information at test-centre level to decide where recruitment and deployment will have the greatest impact.
The guidance on eyesight checks during driving tests is also being updated, meaning tests can now be booked during periods of poor natural light, as long as suitable artificial lighting is available for the learner to complete the eyesight check fairly. The legal eyesight requirement hasn't changed.
Improving pass rates
The latest figures also show that the pass rate remained above 50% for a ninth consecutive month. Thank you for the work you do to help pupils prepare properly and choose the right time to take their test.
What else we’re doing
We're also testing additional ways to help learners make the most of their appointments. This includes trialling reminder messages aimed at reducing avoidable non-attendance and ensuring valuable test slots are used effectively.
Alongside our existing workforce planning activity, we continue to explore targeted deployments of examiner resource into areas experiencing the greatest demand pressures. This supports our aim of achieving the greatest reduction in waiting times possible with the resource available.
Learners' behaviour is beginning to change
One of the aims of the booking changes was to make booking patterns reflect genuine learner demand more closely. Previously, some appointments were booked at test centres where the learner did not intend to take the test and were then moved elsewhere. This made it harder to understand local demand and could reduce access for learners who genuinely wanted to use those centres.
It is still early and we need to monitor the evidence over a longer period before drawing firm conclusions. However, we are seeing signs consistent with the intended direction of travel. Test availability has increased, including around 50,000 more appointments being available on 1 September 2026 than a year earlier. Availability is also becoming more visible outside the areas where demand was previously concentrated, although the position remains uneven across Great Britain.
The changes have reduced the scope for speculative movement by restricting learners to 2 booking changes, giving learners control of booking and managing their own test and limiting the locations to which an appointment can be moved. These controls are intended to reduce placeholder bookings and make the location of booked tests a better reflection of where learners genuinely intend to take them. This will give us a clearer view of which areas have the highest demand, allowing us to better manage and focus driving examiner resources.
We should be clear about what the evidence can and cannot yet show. Increased availability will also reflect the higher number of tests being provided, so it cannot be attributed solely to changed booking behaviour. We will continue to assess booking movements, changes, swaps and local availability before reaching firmer conclusions about the long-term behavioural effect of the reforms.
Making sure tests reach genuine learners
Fairness remains at the heart of the changes. Most learners use the booking system appropriately, but where there is evidence that an individual or organisation is trying to gain an unfair advantage or manage tests outside the rules, we will act.
Since the learner-only booking rules were introduced, we have been identifying and cancelling tests booked or managed in breach of those rules. More than 1,300 tests have been cancelled to date. We are also continuing to restrict online booking access where activity appears inconsistent with genuine personal use of the service.
Enforcement is not just about the number of accounts restricted or tests cancelled. Its purpose is to deter misuse, make automated and bulk activity harder to operate at scale and protect fair access for genuine learners. Where we have evidence that bookings breach the law or our terms and conditions, we will take appropriate action.
Keeping up the momentum
Three months is still early and waiting times remain higher than we want. Learners’ experiences also continue to vary considerably between locations. But the direction of travel is encouraging: we are conducting more tests, have more examiner capacity, are seeing greater appointment availability and now have better evidence to target our work.
We will continue publishing the data and being open about where progress is being made and where challenges remain. Our focus remains on reducing waiting times and creating a booking service that works fairly for genuine learners and the instructors supporting them.
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