How long is the wait at your local driving test centre?

• ITV News Meridian's Mel Bloor has been to meet one learner from Chieveley who's waiting to book a test

Over the past two years, ITV News Meridian has been reporting on the chronic lack of driving tests available in the Thames Valley and the situation doesn't appear to be getting much better.

In fact, Newbury now has one of the longest waits for a test in the country.

According to local MP, Lee Dillon, the current wait in Newbury is nearly a year. Nationally, it's around four and a half months.

The backlog emerged during the pandemic and now there's a huge drive to recruit more examiners.

17-year-old Sophie Carter, from Chieveley, is desperate to pass her driving test.

She lives in the countryside and currently relies on lifts to get to school and her part time job.

A stress-induced error caused her to fail her first test and now she's facing an agonising wait to rebook.

Sophie said: "It took me seven months to get my first test and obviously failing that was completely devastating because your freedom gets ripped away from you and you're so close to it.

"It's probably going to take me another six or seven months to get another test and by the time I do, I'll be 18 and doing my A-levels so it's not easy."

Before the Covid pandemic, the average waiting time for a test was around four to six weeks but the lockdowns caused a huge backlog and examiners have been struggling to catch up ever since.

That's particularly problematic for people living in rural areas in West Berkshire.

Lee Dillon, MP for Newbury said: "In the past few weeks, I’ve been contacted by many learner drivers and their families in Newbury who are caught in an endless and frustrating cycle - waiting for months, even close to a year, to secure a driving test. This delay is having a huge impact on our community, leaving many without the freedom and opportunities that come with a driving licence.

"Imagine being ready to take your test, planning for the independence that driving can bring - whether it’s for work, education, or simply gaining freedom. Now imagine finding out that no test slots are available for months. In Newbury, the current wait is pushing 12 months for many learners.

"This issue isn’t new. It’s sadly been building since the pandemic, but recent data shows that the situation has only gotten worse. Nationally, the average waiting time is now over 180 days. For rural areas like ours, where public transport options are limited, having a car is often essential for daily life."

To make matters worse, some third parties are exploiting the frantic hunt for tests by using bots to bulk buy slots - charging up to £400 for the privilege.

To beat the shortages, an increasing number of learners are taking matters into their own hands by booking tests in unfamiliar towns and cities.

Driving instructor Sue Smith said: "People come from outside of Newbury and we can see how the tests are wasted because if you've got a learner that has never been on a dual carriageway let alone on a short entry one like in Newbury, it's dangerous for the examiners, it's dangerous for them and they are likely to fail."

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency created almost 150,000 new test slots - providing a total of almost two million in the past year.

As of September 2024, the average waiting time was just over 18 weeks, only slightly down on this time last year when it was around 20 weeks.

The DVSA says it continues to recruit more examiners in a bid to increase the number of tests available.

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