Learner drivers are being forced to wait more than four months to re-take tests in major UK cities amid enormous backlogs.
Test centres in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London are some of the hotspots for lengthy wait times, according to analysis of official figures.
The median average waiting time between booking and taking the test in June was 17.3 weeks (four months) or longer at 60 centres.
It means half of candidates in those locations waited more than that time, and half waited less.
A test centre serving Forfar in Angus, Scotland had the longest median average waiting time at 29.7 weeks (nearly seven months).
The analysis is based on the latest monthly statistics published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for 313 test centres.
The agency started publishing the figures in June following a recommendation in a National Audit Office report into the backlog.
Test slots can be booked up to 24 weeks in advance.
Learner drivers are being forced to wait more than four months to re-take tests in major UK cities amid enormous backlogs
Are driving test delays unfairly holding young people back, or is it a necessary way to ensure safety?
Median average waiting times beyond that period occur when learners book a test but then change the date to a slot beyond the original window.
The long-standing measure of driving test waiting times is the average number of weeks until at least 10 per cent of weekly appointments are still available to book at test centres.
In June that was 20.9 weeks (nearly five months) across Britain, compared with 5.8 weeks in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic.
The DVSA missed an initial Government target of reducing the figure to seven weeks by the end of 2025, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has warned it may not be achieved until autumn 2027.
Measures taken to tackle the backlog of driving tests include recruiting more examiners and training them faster, using military examiners and reforming the booking process to combat misuse.
It comes after driving instructors were banned from booking tests for their students.
Since May, driving tests can now only be booked and managed by learners amid concerns over the huge backlogs and reports some were being charged double for earlier tests by unofficial brokers.
It is hoped the new rules will make it harder for people to profit by using automated programmes, known as bots. Many people currently use these to quickly book available slots and resell them at a higher price.
A BBC investigation in December found some driving test touts were offering instructors up to £250 a month for the use of their booking website login details.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: ‘Greater transparency from the DVSA about the realities of getting a driving test booking at individual centres is to be welcomed.
‘The picture that emerges shows where management attention is most keenly needed in order to get the waiting time back down.
‘A four-month wait between making the booking and taking the test is still way longer than the DVSA ultimately hopes to achieve.
‘Frustrating as this is for learner drivers, the advice must be to make good use of the time to get in as much practice as possible to improve the chance of passing rather than having to trudge round to re-join the queue.’
A DVSA spokesperson said: ‘Our latest data shows the median waiting time for Great Britain was 10.7 weeks in June 2026.
‘Test slot availability was at its highest point since November 2024 and the pass rate remains above 50%.
‘But we recognise how frustrating it is for every learner who has to wait longer for their test date.
‘That’s why we’re continuing to put more tests into the system, with almost 280,000 extra tests carried out since June 2025.’
