DVSA Admits Instructor Testing Is Under Strain: What the September 2026 Update Means for Learners
On 15 September 2026, DVSA’s Director of Enforcement published an unusually candid update on the state of the agency’s services for driving instructors. The headline admission: the system that qualifies and checks approved driving instructors does not currently have the resource it needs.
Most coverage of that update has been aimed at instructors. But the numbers in it matter to learners too, because the supply of instructors is one of the things that determines how quickly you can learn, how much lessons cost, and how long the queue for a test stays.
The Numbers DVSA Published
| Growth in ADI applications | Up 152% since 2018/19, and still rising |
|---|---|
| Part 3 pass rate 2023/24 | 33.8% |
| Part 3 pass rate 2025/26 | 27.7% |
| Standards checks in 2024/25 | Most ADIs did not receive one |
| DVSA’s response | Recruit more ADI examiners, increase training capacity, develop alternative recruitment routes |
Read those together and the picture is clear. Far more people want to become driving instructors than a few years ago. A smaller proportion of them are passing the final qualifying test. And because more people are retaking, the same examiner capacity has to absorb a growing number of attempts.
Why This Affects Learner Drivers
1. It slows the arrival of new instructors
Every trainee instructor stuck waiting for a Part 2 or Part 3 test is an instructor not yet teaching. With applications up 152%, there is a large pool of people trying to enter the profession — and a bottleneck sitting between them and their first pupil.
Learners feel this as waiting lists at driving schools, particularly in areas where demand outstrips the number of local instructors.
2. It links directly to driving test capacity
This is the part worth understanding. DVSA explained that the examiners who conduct instructor tests and standards checks are recruited from the same driving examiner pool that delivers learner tests, with additional training on top.
The two queues are therefore connected. Resource pressure on learner tests has meant instructor testing has not always had the examiners it needs — and DVSA has been explicit that these pressures are “closely linked”. It is a genuine trade-off, not an oversight.
3. It affects quality assurance
The standards check is how DVSA verifies that qualified instructors are still teaching to the national standard. In 2024/25, most ADIs did not receive one. DVSA itself said this “isn’t enough to give you confidence that standards are being maintained consistently”.
For learners, that is a reason to do your own due diligence when choosing an instructor rather than assuming recent oversight.
What this means for you as a learner
- Book lessons early — good instructors in busy areas have waiting lists
- Check that your instructor is a fully qualified ADI (green badge) rather than a trainee (pink badge) if that matters to you
- Ask about their pupils’ pass rate and how they structure lessons, not just their hourly price
- Do not wait for lessons to be ‘available’ before starting private practice with a suitable supervising driver
- Use the waiting period productively rather than treating it as dead time
Practise Real Test Routes on Your Phone
The Exam Routes App gives you access to real driving test routes with turn-by-turn navigation. Practise at your own pace and build confidence before test day.
What DVSA Says It Is Doing
The update sets out several actions:
- Recruiting more ADI examiners and increasing training capacity for Part 2 and Part 3 tests.
- Developing alternative recruitment routes into ADI examiner roles, specifically to reduce the impact on the learner-test examiner pool.
- Reviewing the qualification journey with the driver training industry, with a focus on preparing candidates better for Part 2.
- Increasing standards checks for qualified instructors.
- Reminding trainees about the book-to-hold service, which lets them nominate a preferred date and centre and helps DVSA see where demand actually is.
DVSA was careful not to promise a quick fix, saying some of the changes will take months to show results and that pressure on the system is likely to continue.
The Wider Context
This update lands alongside other 2026 developments: record volumes of practical tests being delivered, driving examiner numbers at their highest level in years, and around 50,000 more test slots available at the start of September than a year earlier — yet still only around four in ten candidates getting a test within the seven-week target.
The pattern across all of it is the same. Capacity is growing. Demand is growing at least as fast. Progress is real but slower than anyone waiting for a test would like.
What You Should Actually Do About It
- Start looking for an instructor before you are ready to drive, not after. Waiting lists are the constraint, not your readiness.
- Combine professional lessons with private practice. Every hour you spend with a supervising driver is an hour you are not queuing for.
- Book your test as soon as your instructor agrees you are on track, then keep improving until the date arrives.
- Be ready to pass when the day comes. With waits this long, an unnecessary retest is expensive in months as well as money.
- Use route practice to make your lesson hours count. Arriving at a lesson already familiar with the roads means your instructor spends the time on your driving rather than on navigation.
How the Exam Routes App Can Help
When instructor time is scarce and test waits are long, the most valuable thing you can do is make every hour behind the wheel count. The Exam Routes App gives you real driving test routes with turn-by-turn navigation, so private practice with a supervising driver covers the roads your examiner will actually use — and your paid lessons can focus on technique rather than sightseeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did DVSA say about instructor services in September 2026?
In a 15 September 2026 update, DVSA’s Director of Enforcement said ADI services need improvement, citing a 152% rise in applications since 2018/19, a fall in Part 3 pass rates from 33.8% in 2023/24 to 27.7% in 2025/26, and the fact that most ADIs did not receive a standards check in 2024/25.
Why does instructor testing affect learner driving tests?
DVSA explained that examiners who conduct instructor tests and standards checks come from the same driving examiner pool as those delivering learner tests, with extra training. Resource pressure on one affects the other.
Is there a shortage of driving instructors?
Demand to become an instructor is high, but falling Part 3 pass rates and waits for qualifying tests slow how quickly new instructors reach the road. In busy areas learners commonly face waiting lists.
What is a standards check?
A periodic assessment where a qualified instructor demonstrates their teaching against the national standard for driver and rider training. DVSA says it is increasing the number it carries out.
Will driving test waits get shorter in 2026?
Capacity has been increasing — examiner numbers are at their highest in years and test volumes are at record levels — but demand has grown alongside it. DVSA has said pressure is likely to continue for some time.
Source: DVSA Despatch blog, ‘Sharing the current performance of our ADI services and what we’re doing about it’, 15 September 2026.
Make Every Hour of Practice Count
Download the Exam Routes App and practise the roads your examiner actually uses — turn-by-turn, at your own pace, as many times as you need.
