Consultation on new driving test measures

You can find out more, and give your views on the consultation, on GOV.UK.

Test-ready learners

We know you’re doing all you can to get your pupils ready for their driving test. And you’re encouraging your pupils to only book a test when they’re ready.

However, we want to do more to prevent learners from booking their test too early. And we want them to listen to your advice about when they’re ready to take their test.
This will help more learners pass their test and reduce the number who fail and need to book another test.

Our proposed changes

The measures we’re consulting on are:

• extending the period that unsuccessful car candidates must wait before applying for another car test, from 10 to 28 days. This will give learners more time to practise before resitting a car test. It will also discourage learners from booking and taking their car test before they are ready, as they know they will have to wait longer to re-sit.
• extending the period in which a cancelled car test will result in a lost test fee, from 3 to 10 days. This will encourage those learners who need more practice to give DVSA more notice when cancelling. This gives better prepared learners drivers have more chance to take advantage of short-notice test appointments.
• changing the eyesight test so it is carried out in any light conditions or check it by reading from a tablet. Changing the eyesight test will help more tests go ahead in the darker winter days. This will mean more driving tests can be taken during darker, winter days.
• introducing digital pass certificates for all theory and practical tests and asking your candidates what they use their theory and practical certificates for
• requiring approved and trainee driving instructors to display their registration certificate during all tests to help us improve our ability to identify and prioritise the instructors that most need support and ensure greater fairness for all instructors. Read our latest blog for more information on this proposal.
• finding out what information learner drivers and their families would find useful when choosing a driving instructor, and whether they would benefit from having better information about driving instructors and their performance in preparing people to be safe drivers.

Meeting the demand for tests

These proposed changes are just one of many ways DVSA is working to reduce car waiting times. Other measures include:

• offering overtime and annual leave buy back to our driving examiners
• asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to testing
• inviting retired examiners to conduct tests
• conducting out of hours testing, such as at weekends and on public holidays
• recruiting additional examiners
• DVSA will also be running a campaign to help your pupils and their parents better understand how long it takes to learn to drive with the aim of encouraging your pupils to only book and take a driving test only once they are properly prepared.

Have your say

The consultation will last for 6 weeks and end on 8 March at 11:59pm.

We know you’re very busy now, but we value your views and hope you will take the time to respond. Also, please feel free to share this consultation with your friends and family.

Our latest survey and results

In addition to the consultation, we are also rerunning our ADI survey. It seeks to learn more about the challenges faced by instructors, and if they are changing over time. We really appreciate your responses to this.  The survey also includes questions relating to some of the consultation proposals and will help us to finalise the supporting impact assessment.

The results of our last survey have now been published on GOV.UK, so you can see the results from last year and understand how your feedback has helped shape our plans.

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However, we have concerns surrounding suggestions that additional performance metrics could be developed and applied to ADIs, and that those performance indicators could be published and used by customers in their selection of trainers.

NASP has previously raised misgivings about the veracity of the data already being used in DVSA’a new approach to managing ADI performance and prioritising Standards Checks. And as these performance management measures have only just been introduced, and are still to be reviewed in terms of their effectiveness, we’d like to see that evaluation take place before the agency considers developing further performance management indicators – and encouraging the public to use those to help determine their choice of trainer.

Join the team behind the National Associations Strategic Partnership (the recognised consultative stakeholder and steering group for the driver and rider training industry, made of the three main national associations – ADINJC, DIA and MSA) for the first of a new series of webinars where we’ll update you on NASP activity and the key issues we’re currently lobbying and campaigning on.

Register for the webinar using this link.