Young motorists will soon be allowed more time on higher speed roads as part of new measures to help motorists before driving tests.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has announced that motorists will increase the amount of time learner drivers spend on faster roads during their driving test.
The new measures will be rolled out from November 24, 2025, and are designed to boost road safety and “better represent the real conditions motorists face”.
Learners will spend more time on higher speed and higher risk roads, including in rural areas, while taking their driving tests, provided the location allows this to take place.
Amanda Lane, head of driver testing and driver training policy at the DVSA, explained that the changes were being introduced following a five-month trial.
She said: “We’re introducing some subtle but meaningful changes to the driving test to better prepare learners for a lifetime of safe driving.
“High-speed roads, particularly those in rural areas, are among the most treacherous for novice drivers.
“To keep all road users safe, it’s crucial that the practical driving test assesses learners on the skills required to drive in the real world.”
The DVSA will introduce the new driving test rules next week
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GETTY/PA
In May, trials were launched across 20 driving test centres, which saw learner drivers spend more time on high-speed, rural roads on tests.
The DVSA found that the changes reduced the overall number of stops learners had to make from four to three.
The trial was initially in place for three months, but was extended until October 2025, with all driving test centres benefitting from the new measures from Monday, November 24.
It also gave driving examiners the opportunity to increase the length of independent driving to between 20 minutes and even the full duration of the test.
The DVSA undertook a five-month trial across 20 different driving test centres
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DVSA
Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, highlighted that Labour and the DVSA were doing more to make roads safer.
The DVSA pointed to rural roads, where almost half of collisions involving younger car drivers where someone was killed or seriously injured took place between 2019 and 2023.
The Labour MP for Wakefield and Rothwell added: “By focusing more tests on higher speed roads, we’re tackling one of the biggest risks for young motorists, helping to reduce collisions and save lives.”
Trials also showed that the frequency of emergency stops dropped from one in three tests to one in seven when higher speed roads were used.
Driving instructors were overwhelmingly in favour of the new changes, with 87 per cent saying they wanted the measures to be introduced permanently.
One instructor said it reflected real-life driving conditions, while another said tests could be completed more fluently with the reduction in normal stops.
Eight in 10 reported that the whole test route being completed via a sat nav was more realistic, while three-quarters said it helped the flow of the test.
The 20 driving test centres featured in the trial included Avonmouth, Bishopbriggs, Bolton, Cambridge, Cardiff, Dudley, Halifax, Hendon, Hereford, Hornchurch, Isleworth, Maidstone, Middlesbrough, Musselburgh, Norris Green, Norwich (Peachman Way), Nottingham (Chilwell), Oxford, Portsmouth and Wakefield.