Learners waiting seven months to sit driving test at Scottish centre

Learner drivers in Scotland are facing waits of up to seven months to sit their tests, new figures have revealed.

Test centres in Forfar, Callander and Arbroath have been named as the worst for wait times across the UK by the RAC Foundation.

A test centre serving Forfar in Angus had the longest median average waiting time at 29.7 weeks (nearly seven months).

Two other Scottish centres occupy the top three centres with the longest waits – Callander in Stirling at 27.7 weeks and Arbroath in Angus at 27 weeks.

Scottish test centres occupy six of the top nine worst centres for average wait times.

Test centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow are among those where the backlog averaged 17.3 weeks in June.

The analysis is based on the latest monthly statistics published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for 313 test centres.

The agency started publishing the figures in June following a recommendation in a National Audit Office report into the backlog.

Test slots can be booked up to 24 weeks in advance.

Median average waiting times beyond that period occur when learners book a test and then reschedule.

The long-standing measure of driving test waiting times is the average number of weeks until at least 10% of weekly appointments are still available to book at test centres.

In June, that was 20.9 weeks (nearly five months) across the UK, compared with 5.8 weeks in February 2020.

The DVSA missed a key government target of reducing the figure to seven weeks by the end of last year.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has warned that the target may not be achieved until autumn 2027.

Steps taken to tackle the backlog include recruiting and training more examiners more quickly, using military examiners, and reforming the booking process to combat misuse.

RAC foundation director Steve Gooding said: “Greater transparency from the DVSA about the realities of getting a driving test booking at individual centres is to be welcomed.

“The picture that emerges shows where management attention is most keenly needed in order to get the waiting time back down.

“A four-month wait between making the booking and taking the test is still way longer than the DVSA ultimately hopes to achieve.

“Frustrating as this is for learner drivers, the advice must be to make good use of the time to get in as much practice as possible to improve the chance of passing rather than having to trudge round to re-join the queue.”

A DVSA spokesperson said: “Our latest data shows the median waiting time for Great Britain was 10.7 weeks in June 2026.

“Test slot availability was at its highest point since November 2024, and the pass rate remains above 50%.

“But we recognise how frustrating it is for every learner who has to wait longer for their test date.

“That’s why we’re continuing to put more tests into the system, with almost 280,000 extra tests carried out since June 2025.”