Driving test waits fall to two-year low - but still average 20 weeks

Waiting times for driving tests have dropped below 20 weeks for the first time since November 2024, according to official figures.

But learner drivers in September still had to wait an average of 19.7 weeks, or around five months, for a practical test.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been trying to cut waiting times and clear a backlog which began during the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Commenting on the agency's progress, one driving instructor told the BBC: "I don't think this is anything to boast about."

The DVSA initially had hoped to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by the end of last year.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander pushed the target back to summer 2026, but subsequently admitted even that would not be possible - with waits not expected to fall to seven weeks until next autumn .

The DVSA conducted 191,682 practical driving tests in September, with more than half of those passing.

Learner drivers have repeatedly told the BBC how a lack of access to driving tests has limited their freedom, education and job prospects.