The DVSA has announced new driving licence changes today impacting drivers across England, Scotland and Wales for the first time.
The new rules mark the first stage of a wider overhaul of the driving test process designed to tackle long waiting times and reduce abuse of the booking system.
From today, learner drivers will only be allowed to change their driving test booking twice, instead of the previous limit of six.
The DVSA has urged candidates to only make changes when genuinely necessary, rather than repeatedly rearranging appointments.
The new rules apply only to car driving tests and do not affect other types of driving exams. Further changes will follow in the coming weeks as part of a phased rollout.
From May 12, learners will be required to book their own driving tests through GOV.UK. Driving instructors will no longer be allowed to make bookings on their behalf.
Under the new rules, it will also become a criminal offence for someone to book or change a driving test for another person.
Meanwhile, from June 9, additional restrictions will be introduced on moving test locations. Learners will only be able to transfer their test to one of the three closest test centres to their current booking, or back to the original centre where the test was first arranged. Previously, it was possible to move a test to any centre across the country.
The Government has unveiled new measures to tackle driving test backlogs across the UK | PA/GETTY
The changes come as the DVSA continues to deal with a significant backlog of driving tests, which, on average, remains 22 weeks for practical exams, with issues expected to last until at least November 2027.
Emma Bush, Managing Director at the AA Driving School, has welcomed the reforms, stating they were a step in the right direction.
She told GB News: “Learner drivers have been facing unacceptably long waiting times, which have had a real impact on their independence, employment opportunities and daily lives.
“By limiting the number of times a test can be changed and putting bookings back in the hands of learners, these new rules should help reduce misuse of the system and ensure more appointments go to those who are genuinely ready to take their test.”
Some younger learner drivers have been forced to wait months for a driving test | PA
However, she also warned that the measures alone would not solve the issue, stressing that increasing the number of available tests remains essential.
Under the new system, changing the date, time, or test centre will each count towards the two-change limit. Anyone who has already used all six changes under the old system will now receive two new opportunities to amend their booking.
Swapping a booking with another learner will also count as one change. If multiple changes are made at the same time, such as altering both the date and location, this will count as a single change.
Some updates will not count towards the limit. These include changing personal contact details, adding an instructor‘s reference number, or changes made by the DVSA itself, such as cancellations due to bad weather.
The DVSA has been dealing with a long backlog of driving tests | DVSA
If a learner uses both of their allowed changes, they will need to cancel their booking and start again. A full refund will be available if the cancellation is made at least ten working days before the test date.
Driving instructors will also see a reduced role in the booking process from May. While they will no longer be allowed to book or manage tests for pupils, any tests already arranged before the deadline will still go ahead as planned.
Learners will need to manage their bookings independently, although instructors will still be able to set their availability, including working hours, holidays and the minimum gap between tests.
The DVSA said the reforms hope to make the system fairer and ensure that test appointments are used more effectively, but for learners, the changes mean careful planning will now be more important than ever.