The Government has announced decisive action to tackle driving test waiting times across England, deploying 36 Defence Driving Examiners (DDEs) to help deliver up to 6,500 additional tests over the next year.
The new measures, unveiled by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, form part of a wider crackdown on unfair test reselling and booking practices that have left many learner drivers waiting months to take their tests.
Under the new plan, experienced civilian Ministry of Defence personnel will conduct civilian driving tests, one day per week for 12 months, focusing primarily on car tests but with flexibility to support vocational exams for bus and lorry drivers if needed. They will operate from driving test centres with the highest local demand, helping learners get on the road faster.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L-Plates, who have been sadly forced to endure record waiting times for their tests. Every learner should have an equal and fair opportunity to take a test.
We’re taking decisive action, and these new measures will deliver thousands of extra tests over the next year, helping learners get on the road sooner. This will ease pressure on the system, removing barriers to opportunity and supporting economic growth as part of our Plan for Change.”
Military examiners normally oversee driving tests for service personnel, covering vehicles from standard cars to fuel tankers and armoured carriers. Their involvement in the civilian system will not impact military operations but will ensure their testing expertise remains sharp.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns, said: “The Armed Forces and civilians working within the Ministry of Defence have always been ready to step up when the country needs them - and this is another example of that commitment in action. By supporting civilian testing, they’re helping to get more learners on the road, keep Britain moving, and deliver for the public.”
In addition to expanding testing capacity, the Government is introducing new measures to stop bots and resellers from exploiting the system and selling test slots at inflated prices.
Under the new rules:
These steps will ensure that learners pay only the official DVSA test fees — £62 for weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends, and bank holidays — and cannot be pushed aside by resellers or automated bots.
Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation, welcomed the measures: “It’s good to see steps being put in place to stop those touting tests to frustrated learners. Candidates stuck in the queue should at least be reassured they aren’t being elbowed aside by those simply seeking to make a quick buck.
What will really deter the touts and tackle the queues is a return to pre-Covid waiting times, something we hope the arrival of a platoon of military examiners alongside new DVSA recruits will help deliver.”
The Department for Transport says the DVSA has already increased testing capacity over summer 2025 compared to 2024 and has nearly doubled the number of trainers available to prepare new examiners.
Image credit: GPT-4o
