Military examiners called up to rescue Britain’s struggling driving test system and cut record backlog
The Government is calling in help from the military to cut record driving test waiting times, with Defence Driving Examiners set to deliver thousands of extra tests over the next year.
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Under plans announced today, 36 military examiners will be deployed one day a week across England, focusing on driving test centres with the longest queues.
The move, agreed between the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence, is expected to add up to 6,500 extra tests over the next 12 months.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the initiative was part of “decisive action” to get learners on the road faster after inheriting what she called an “enormous backlog” of test-ready drivers.
“Every learner should have an equal and fair opportunity to take a test,” she said. “We’re taking decisive action, and these new measures will deliver thousands of extra tests over the next year, helping learners get on the road sooner. This will ease pressure on the system, remove barriers to opportunity, and support economic growth as part of our Plan for Change.”
The military examiners – civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence – usually test service personnel on vehicles ranging from cars to fuel tankers and armoured carriers. Their skills will now be put to use for civilian testing, with the Armed Forces Ministry confirming the arrangement will not affect military operations.
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Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said: “The Armed Forces and civilians working within the Ministry of Defence have always been ready to step up when the country needs them. Our military driving examiners bring skill and professionalism from testing service personnel in some of the toughest conditions imaginable. By supporting civilian testing, they’re helping to get more learners on the road, keep Britain moving, and deliver for the public.”
Alongside the military support, the Government is also tightening booking rules to stop bots and resellers profiting from desperate learners. Under the new measures, only learners will be able to book their own tests – not instructors or third parties – and each test can only be rearranged twice before it must be cancelled and rebooked.
Learners will also be restricted to booking within a limited number of nearby centres, a move aimed at ending the widespread resale of test slots at inflated prices.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says the changes will give learners “greater control and confidence” and ensure they pay only the official fee of £62 on weekdays or £75 at evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “It’s good to see steps being put in place to stop those touting tests to frustrated learners. What will really tackle the queues would be a return to the more reasonable pre-Covid waiting times, which we hope the arrival of a platoon of military examiners alongside the new DVSA recruits will help deliver.”
The DVSA says it has already seen an increase in the number of tests conducted over summer 2025 compared to the previous year, and nearly doubled the number of trainers for new examiners.
The Government insists the latest measures are part of a wider plan to break down barriers to opportunity – particularly in rural areas where a driving licence can be a lifeline for accessing jobs, training, and education.