Our interactive map shows waiting times around the country with the DVSA saying it is ‘taking decisive action’ to cut them
Waiting times for practical driving tests can go on for months(Image: Getty Images)
Average waits for driving tests in Hull stand at more than four months, a Reach Data Unit investigation has found. Around the country, learner drivers can expect to wait for around six months at many test centres – though wait times are gradually falling according to the latest figures.
More than half (53 per cent) of driving test centres in Britain have average waiting times of 24 weeks for car practical tests. That’s a total of 170 of Great Britain’s 319 test centres.
In Hull, the average wait is slightly less at 19 weeks, but it stands at 24 weeks at Beverley LGV. On the South Bank of the Humber, average waits at Scunthorpe are 18 weeks and 24 weeks at Grimsby Coldwater.
The figures have become available thanks to Freedom of Information requests to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) by the Reach Data Unit.
Only six driving test centres in the whole country have an average waiting time of six weeks or less, which works out as 2 per cent of test centres.
Now, using our interactive map, learners can see the average waiting time at test centres around the nation.
However, there are some encouraging signs for learner drivers. The data obtained via FOI shows that the number of centres with waits of 24 weeks is actually falling.
Back in November, a total of 245 centres, 77 per cent of the total, had average waits of six months. That’s down to 53 per cent now. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of centres previously had average waits of at least 21 weeks, which is down to 66 per cent now.
A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA is taking decisive action to reduce driving test waiting times by making more tests available. While there’s still a long way to go, we have conducted over 123,000 extra tests since June 2025.
“We are also using military driving examiners to support our efforts to supply more tests and following our recent consultation, we’re working at pace to implement the technical changes to the driving test booking system – including introducing limits on changes that can be made to a test, allowing only the learner driver to book a test.”
There are regional differences in driving test waiting times. Wales has the lowest average wait in the country at 17.0 weeks per test centre.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, that rises to 18.5 weeks. In Scotland, the average is 19.1 weeks, in the North East it’s 19.4, and in the South East, 20.5 weeks.
The South West has average waits of 20.8 weeks, the North West 21.0 weeks, the West Midlands 21.7 weeks, the East of England 22.2 weeks, the East Midlands 22.9 weeks, and London 23.0 weeks.
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