DVSA News
DVSA's booking rules three months on: what has changed?
On 24 September 2026, DVSA published a look at how the 2026 booking rules are working. There are around 50,000 more test appointments available than a year ago, but DVSA says waiting times are still higher than it wants and it's too early to draw firm conclusions.
This year DVSA changed how car driving tests can be booked and managed, in three stages. The last of them came into force in June. Three months on, DVSA has used its Despatch blog to share what the data shows so far.
A quick reminder of the rules
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 31 March 2026 | Learners can make only 2 changes to a booked test, down from 6. Swaps count as a change. |
| 12 May 2026 | Only the learner can book, change, swap or cancel their own test. |
| 9 June 2026 | A test can only be moved to one of the 3 centres nearest to where it's booked, or back to the centre it was first booked at. |
Our earlier posts cover each stage in detail: the overview, learner-only booking and the test centre transfer limit.
What DVSA says the rules were for
Besides stopping reselling, DVSA says a key aim was to make booking patterns reflect genuine learner demand. Before the changes, some tests were booked at centres where the learner never planned to take them, then moved somewhere else later. That made it hard for DVSA to see how much demand each centre really had, and so where to put examiners.
Limiting changes to two, making learners manage their own bookings and restricting where a test can be moved all reduce that kind of speculative booking. In theory, that gives DVSA a clearer picture of where tests are needed.
What the data shows so far
- More tests are available. DVSA says there were around 50,000 more test appointments available on 1 September 2026 than on 1 September 2025.
- Waiting times are still too long. DVSA itself says they remain higher than it wants.
- It depends where you live. Availability is still uneven across Great Britain. In August, the regional median wait ranged from 7.3 weeks in Wales to 16 weeks in Scotland.
- It's early days. DVSA describes the change in booking behaviour as early. It says it needs to watch the evidence over a longer period before drawing conclusions.
In an earlier update to instructors on 28 August, DVSA said early evidence suggests the changes are helping to reduce misuse of the booking system and make it fairer for learners.
The update doesn't include figures on how much reselling has fallen, how many learners use both of their changes, or how demand has shifted between centres. DVSA says it will keep publishing data, and that its focus remains on reducing waiting times.
Not everyone is convinced
Since the rules were announced, parts of the driving instruction industry have welcomed the aim of stopping people from gaming the system, while questioning whether the rules tackle the real problem. The Driving Instructors Association and others argue the main cause of long waits is a shortage of test capacity compared with demand, which tighter booking rules can't fix on their own.
Instructors have also asked for a way to see test availability without making bookings. DVSA has said there may be benefits to this, but any new access would need careful thought about system design, learner consent and data protection.
What this means for you
- Book early and choose your centre carefully. With only 2 changes and limited moves between centres, the centre you first book at matters more than it used to. Our guide to picking the right test centre can help.
- Look for earlier slots through the week. Earlier tests appear whenever other learners cancel or move, not at 6am on Mondays. Here's how test release times work.
- Compare nearby centres. Waits vary a lot by area. Use our waiting time checker to see where tests are available sooner.
- Consider a swap. Since 1 October, swapping tests no longer needs both learners on the phone at the same time.
Make your test count
With fewer chances to move your test, being ready on the day matters more than ever. DriveSidekick helps you practise the real routes used at your test centre, with mock DVSA driving tests built from actual road data.
Download on Google PlayFree during beta. All routes and navigation included.
Sources: DVSA Despatch blog: Driving test booking changes, 3 months on; DVSA Despatch blog: Listening, learning, changing; Driving Instructors Association: Latest test waiting time statistics; Driving Instructors Association: Test booking rules take effect.