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Mon, 08 Jun 2026

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 Driving test booking rules tightened after thousands of no shows

Learner drivers can only swap their test to the three centres nearest to their original booking.

* Learner drivers can now only swap their test to one of the three nearest centres to their original booking location, in an attempt to cut down on long waiting times.
* The average wait time for a practical driving test in Britain is over five months (22-23 weeks) and 1.998 million tests were booked last year, but 64,500 had no-shows.
* Learners were previously able to book the soonest test available anywhere, then swap it to get a slot closer to home.
* New rules aim to stop this practice and reduce wasted bookings, which rose by 10,000 compared to the previous year.
* The changes may help free up space on the booking system, but some experts say they may not be enough to solve the problem of long waiting times.