Dvla Reviews 1,713

Would give zero if I could. Had absolute nightmare regarding my first disability tax exemption which was due in 8 days!! Trying to contact them and speak to anyone is a joke! I held for an hour (which the auto reply said was the current wait time) and another 30 mins. I was then given the option to leave my number and they would call back when they got to me in the cue, which I did. This was at 1100 on a Friday, when they are open until 1900 hrs. It got to 1800 (7 hrs later!) and still nothing. So I rang back and got an auto message stating that there were not taking anymore calls - and it cut off. They were open the next day, but I still received no call!! I have tried to email but they actively prevent you from being able to speak to them by routing you everywhere but where you need to go. Another DISGUSTING Govt entity which fails at every step. Incompetent, disgraceful behaviour. A complete waste of time and our public monies!

Terrible!! On hold for 2 hours everyday and still can’t get through!!

just tryed to tel dvla that my grand daughter had sold a car last september and do not have eney docks not even a v5 and found out ther is nothibg i can doo on line she has just got a£75 fine as the byer has not dune eney thing abou it rgg or eney thing

Trying to renew my driving licence 2 months on they just keep taking my money then saying I haven’t applied. Tried applying 3 times and been charged 3 times. Phoned and been told to apply by post. Get a form from post office, fill it in, get a new photo and post. Recommend not to try online again! What a waste of time and money

18/02/26 - Well the reviews say it all. ABSOLUTELY USELESS. I’d like to know when this government will do something. It’s sad that in a so called ‘first world’ country that predominantly all of the services are not effective or efficient. I sat on the phone today for hours. They answered placed me on hold and that’s were I remained. Disgusting!! There is no transparency definitely a lack or professionalism. Waste of space staffing that can not be trained to simply pick up a phone!! In the end I gave up and still nothing; I didn’t even get to speak to anyone!

The DVLA website states that renewing a Driving Licence over 70 takes around 3 weeks.
So, why have I been waiting very nearly 5 MONTHS?
I have called and was told that my application has been passed on to the health department...I have tried to get through to that departmentment but I think it would be easier to steal the Crown Jewels!
Why my application has gone through to the health department is beyond me...no Doctor or Optometrist has informed me that I'm not allowed to drive, apart from after one operation I was told I shouldn't drive for four weeks...so I didn't.
It's impossible to find out what is going on or why my application has been passed on to the health department. Broken Britain again!

Horrendous delays. No information. No response to complaints. No response to complaints about unanswered complaints. No response to complaints about unanswered complaints about unanswered complaints. And so it goes on ..... and on..... and on.
If there was a zero stars category I am sure they would get 90%

DVLA tried to renew my wife’s over 70 license and after 4 hours of trying I gave up. It was at the point of identity despite giving passport details where it just shut down. In the end went to the post office. Quite honestly they should make the staff at DVLA redundant save all that money and all of us go to the post office!

Is anyone at the DVLA reading these reviews. I tried last month to renew my wife's driving licence online for over 70 year old. I could not get passed the 2nd page of questions, the system just froze.
I have just spent all morning trying to renew my licence online, but cannot the process dies not work!

Struggled to do my license renewal online.Took me last evening and over an hour this morning.When eventually got to pay,screen went black.No confirmation as yet, but fee has been taken from my bank.They just want you to use post office where it costs £21.50 instead of £14.

As a type 1 diabetic, have to renew my licence every 3 years.....My licence expired on 13th January 2026, so I sent in my renewal form on 17th November 2025, so plenty of time in advance you would think...On 22nd December rec'd a letter saying my renewal was with the medical dept and will be processed asap. It's now 12th February and heard nothing since. Tried phoning over half a dozen times now, only to be told by a computer that they're too busy to take my call and to try another time......what happens if I get pulled over by the police with an expired licence ? Disgraceful government service !!

i've been sent someone else's post,

so i call them to make them aware of this,

their reply? escalate, lie, wind up and make things as difficult as possible.......and send on a wild goose chase

literally all i've asked is to stop them from sending other peoples post, NOTHING MORE

they need reforming, UGENTLY!!!!!!

Trying to renew my driving licence, I had to sign up, did that when I tried I kept getting a message "Something went wrong, try again later". After 2 days and many attempts still getting the same message. NOW what do I do??? Webchat should be called "WEBWAIT" 3 days now, got to talk to a 15 year-old who was reading of an "IDIOT" sheet who took me through the whole rigmarole of the website & got the same result! So the outcome is GO TO THE POST-OFFICE! If the clowns who set up this site are reading this, YOU are CLOWNS!

Absolutely awful service, sounding so condescending and awful over the phone and so slow at getting stuff done, sent us the wrong license yet made it look like it’s our fault absolutely crap service if there was any way I could rate it lower I would

In 2026, my experience with the DVLA has been incredibly frustrating. Even the smallest errors can lead to significant consequences, and despite reaching out to customer service immediately after my husband mistakenly reattached a number plate he had just removed, the staff showed little interest in helping us. We were met with an indifferent attitude, and the response was simply that we would have to pay an additional £80.00 for the oversight.

It’s disheartening to see that customer service has declined to this level; genuine assistance feels almost nonexistent. Navigating bureaucratic processes should not be this challenging, especially when dealing with minor mistakes. The lack of support only adds to the stress of the situation. Overall, this experience reflects a disappointing reality of how customer care has diminished over the years.

After trying for 5 hours and a big headache I finally submitted my over 70 driving licence renewal THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER SYSTEM THAN THIS

Another frustrating, tiome-consuming, waste of time. Tried to renew my over 70 driving licence through their on-line mobile phone app, which of course would not read the chip in my passport. So back to the good old fashioned postal application. This type of incompetence is unfortunately par for the course with government database systems

THEY ARE SO BAD I HAVE HAD TO RESORT TO HIGH COURT ACTION I have had a HGV/PSV licence in for renewal for 7 years, to date due to their incompetence, they have STILL not issued the licence. I have had three medicals, all of which have obviously now expired, They demanded I attend a Consultant Heart Specialist for a CHEMICAL heart stress test (Carries a risk), test result = NO PROBLEMS or CONCERNS. None of my medicals showed ANY issues at all, but still they mess me around with delays. I have now issued a High Court order for a Judicial Review, this is where a Judge will determine if they are acting fairly or outside their remit. I only need 1 of the grounds to win the case, I have 7. It only costs £170 to issue, but I have said even if they do issue my licence when the notice from the Court hits their desk, I will continue to enforce the action against them. DO NOT put up with these dictators any more, take them to task as I have done.

even zero rating is to much for this useless government department, there is so much to say but who is going to listen? No one..

Third world country government department..

Spoke to an advisor today to cancel car tax on a vehicle that i do not and did not own to be informed that i cannot cancel the payment with out going through (in her words) 6 weeks worth of paperwork. They tell you you will get a tax refund (this is not the case for month DD) you get nothing back. Once again the UK tax system wins all of your money.