Dvsa Reviews 222

DVSA should be embarrassed about their lack of competence. Impossible to get a test and no guarantees of passing so another 6-8 month wait after that if you get one. We are in the busiest area and it's impossible. You are affecting teenagers lives, they can't go out and enjoy themselves with their friends independently, limited on looking for jobs due to transport, full time or weekend work and the cost and strain on parents. Don't even get me started. Loveday Ryder (yes, that's a name) was running this shambles but this has now been passed over to Beverley Warmington. I have written many letters to her at the head office but the only answers I get are the demand is high and the bots get the tests. I don't believe it's all the bots, it's been a shambles since Covid. Also the number of tests per year where people don't turn up is equivalent to a whole year of a driving examiner wasted as people can't be bothered to cancel or just don't care. This panic booking won't stop as everyone is desperate. Keeping up driving lessons, wear and tear on car, time and money is off the scale. The government are a disgrace. The 2 year theory retake should be scrapped for starters, you may only have 1 test in that period, it's a disgrace. The only solution is more examiners and more test centres that won't happen. This was supposed to be solved by August 26, now it's Dec 27. People need to get together somehow and get this sorted, count me in if anyone has any ideas as I can't see it changing any time soon. It's hard enough getting a job, never mind without easy transport!

Spoke with Melanie Jones today to help me book my driving test as it wasn’t letting me do it online. She was very helpful, contacted the DVLA for me to fix the issue and got me a test booked very soon. I was very stressed with the situation and she calmed me down & went out of her way to help me.

I came all the way from Wembley to Farnborough for AM module 1. I've got there only to find out that I need to bring my own bike. I can't see nor find on the website that needs to bring your own bike except what needed to wear. It's so hard to find Training centres in London, no slots available.

No reply or refund after cancelling 10+ days in advance

I cancelled my daughter driving test on 17 May 2026 for a test booked on 27 May 2026. I did this more than 10 days before the test date, based on the info on the DVSA website.

I only found out after cancelling that weekends don’t count toward the 10-day notice period — this wasn’t clear on the cancellation page I used.

I emailed DVSA Customer Services requesting a refund as a goodwill gesture, since the cancellation was made in good faith and well ahead of the test. I’ve had no reply and no refund.

Very frustrating when you follow the process and get no response. Hoping posting here gets someone to look into case .
booking ref - 70216786

DVSA, they feel that it’s not important or appropriate to prosecute a person MOT station for passing vehicles to be used on the road illegally, vehicles un-roadworthy that have no DPF, or illegal to drive on road. So the MOT station has free rein to keep on breaching the ROAD TRAFFIC ACT 1988.

What a country.

Firstly sent e mail to DVSA, no response, not even automated response, sent another, same thing. Telephoned them. only 2 options, none of which applied. Chose option 1 in.the hope that the person would be able to transfer the call. The transfer happen, but where was the person I was speaking to ? Sounded like Thailand and they had no clue what the WORKING TIME DIRECTIVE was.

I then thought to myself, e mail the CEO, as yet no response. This is obviously where the problem is, at Senior Level. Probably paid a lot of money = no accountability, sense of entitlement, couldn't care less attitude. I can't say for certain, but this is my feeling.

Tried using the web chat to check on a mot. Immediately connected to’Lisa’ then no response again.they’re fiddling the wait time figures to make it look like they’re responding quickly when it’s a con.

Leighton Bizzard test centre, examiner Ray was absolutely lovely and professional at the same time . As someone who really struggles with nerves, Ray noticed this and was so kind to me throughout my test and took my mind away from the pressure of the test and i ended up passing with only 3 minors. i was so grateful to have him, and what a positive examiner he is, very careful and professional at the same time
The test with Ray turned up into a great , positive experience. Thank you, Ray . Good luck in future, all the best!

The DVSA is completely unless in its current state. How is it possible to process around 3 million theory test candidates in a year but only have the capacity to offer roughly 2 million practical test slots? The imbalance is leaving learners stuck in a broken system. Waiting times of 6–8 months for a practical test is unacceptable, but what’s worse is that if you fail, you are pushed tback for another 6–8 months. So people are facing delays of up to two years just to get a driving licence.
The booking system only adds to the frustration. It feels completely outdated, as if it’s running on software from 20-25 years ago. It’s ridiculous to have to wake up 6am on Monday to scramble for a place, there need to be a proper, functional queue and waitlist system
For an organisation responsible for something as essential as driver license this level of inefficiency is unacceptable. The entire system needs a serious overhaul.

Bury St Edmunds test centre, examiner Mark was absolutely lovely. As someone who really struggles with nerves, mark noticed this and was so kind to me throughout my test and took my mind away from the pressure of the test and i ended up passing with only 3 minors. i was so grateful to have him, and what a positive examiner he is!

Instead of hiring more people they make everyone spend thousands of pounds and wait years before you can actually pass and book your test, this is unacceptable, Uk is a shitshow at this point

Disgusting! The service was terrible. Huge waiting time just to be transferred to another number ??! On top of that, they said they’ll call me back after 10 Mins ET. HOWEVER, after 30 mins no one has called me.

I stayed up specifically to try and book a driving test, only to find the entire process incredibly frustrating and stressful. When I logged in at around 5:50am, I was placed in a queue of over 6,000 people. After waiting a long time, there were no test slots available by the time I got through.

The new booking system layout is extremely difficult to navigate and does not seem to improve access in any meaningful way. Instead, it feels like it has made the process even more complicated and time-consuming.

There is clearly a shortage of accessible test slots, and the current system does not handle demand effectively.

On top of that, learners are already dealing with the issue of third-party resellers securing tests and charging unreasonable prices. This makes it even more disappointing that the official system is now also failing to provide a fair and workable solution.

Overall, the experience is exhausting, stressful, and very discouraging. The booking system needs significant improvement to make it more user-friendly, transparent, and fair for everyone trying to book a test. DVSA you never fail to be utterly pathetic every single time. Who knew your behaviour could get even more appalling after resellers. Just shut down your whole company at this point, it’s clear you are doing all you can to prevent people from passing.

Driving test today at Mitcham test centre. The examiner, Maria, put me at ease. She was cheerful, calming and very clear with everything she said and did. I was very nervous, but her approach helped me feel comfortable enough to concentrate and achieve a pass.

Test booked 8 months in advance and cancelled by dvsa a day before. The timeframe to change the alternate date offered us 24 hours but the website is down for ‘essential maintenance’ so there is no way of moving the new date and it’s not possible to due to a levels. So we have to start the whole process again and forfeit our fee. Can’t ideal to anyone on the helpline. It’s farcical that this is a government service as it’s worse than a money laundering scam. Very sadly if you want to drive in the uk there are no alternatives but we have raised with our MP and started a petition to get the system replaced and in this instance to try to get our money back and and a new test. Truly horrendous experience at every single touch point

Aced the questions but the new Hazard perception is dodgy as hell, they claim it’s all about “timing” I think it’s an excuse for you to book again for revenue.

Basically if you see let’s say a forest road, van going fast towards horses, naturally soon as they’re both in eye sight you know it’s a hazard but the app flags it slower than you will! So you have to basically delay your own response time and role play you didn’t see it for a second or two so you don’t score a bloody 0! This is why 56% are failing it’s not them, they’re literally set up to fail on the dodgy ass hazard protection system!

One point away from a pass mark and two videos scored 0…. Because the system felt like I had some kind of sequence maybe but I guess? I think this is the coding logic used, maybe but I guess because it’s not precise and it might just randomly kick you out.

I understand someone spamming the button but I feared more that they’d stop the video than I did the bloody hazards! How can it be hazard perception when the main hazard you’re trying to avoid is being kicked out the video!

Way too sensitive and no way it should literally kick you out unless you spam it.

The dev lead who made these decisions is clearly a jobs worth.

Cant even book a test, useless company

Georgina was exceptionally professional and supportive, helping the candidate feel relaxed, calm, and not tense. Her relaxed and composed aura made me remember all the lessons and laser focused. Thank you Ma’am ….you are simply the best 🙏🏿🫡👍🏾💯

I recently passed my driving test at the Airdrie test centre and wanted to leave some positive feedback. My examiner was Kirsty (apologies if I spelled the name incorrectly). She was very professional, calm and clear with instructions, which helped reduce my nerves during the test. It was a fair and positive experience and I really appreciate her professionalism. Thank you!

Impossible to book a test online - joined the queue at 6am on a Monday when alleged new test slots were made available but was immediately 20,800 in the queue. How did these 20,800 people get there before me? Then attempted to find a test date - well, that was fun. You have to type in a specific date then select the test centre, then when it tells you there are no slots available, you have to go back two screens, change the date, then select test centre again and try again. Once again, no slots available so back you go to change the requested date again. Did this 25 times, finally found a slot 5 months ahead, went to pay for it, then got logged out and accused of being a robot. Back to the start of the queue again with another 1 hour wait ahead of me to even attempt to find a slot. Ended up paying a private company to find me a slot at a cost of an additional £20 on top of the cost of the test. DVSA site is completely and utterly useless, flawed and irritatingly pointless. They need to stop mass purchase of test slots so that people are forced to pay above the odds to secure a test. Completely disgusted. Needs a complete overhaul and strict regulations. DVSA you have failed genuine people who need to book a driving test. Get your act together. If I could have selected zero stars I would have.