05/10/2026
Car test waiting times
Appointments are currently available until 21 March 2027
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) releases a new week of driving test appointments at 6am every Monday (including on bank holidays).
These appointments are 24 weeks in the future.
Earlier driving test appointments are not released at 6am on Mondays. They can become available at any time during the week.
Upcoming appointment releases
Release date Tests available for the week. beginning
12 October 2026. 22 March 2027
19 October 2026. 29 March 2027
26 October 2026 5 April 2027
2 November 2026 12 April 2027
9 November 2026 19 April 2027
16 November 2026 26 April 2027
23 November 2026 3 May 2027
Recent appointment releases
Release date Tests available for the week beginning
5 October 2026 15 March 2027
28 September 2026. 8 March 2027
21 September 2026. 1 March 2027
14 September 2026 22 February 2027
7 September 2026 15 February 2027
31 August 2026 8 February 2027
24 August 2026 1 February 2027
Finding an earlier driving test appointment
Earlier appointments are not released when new appointments are added at 6am on Monday.
Earlier appointments can become available at any time when:
someone cancels their driving test
someone changes their driving test appointment
DVSA adds additional examiner availability
There is no best time to look for an earlier appointment.
If you already have a driving test booked and want an earlier appointment, keep checking the service to change your driving test appointment.
6am on Mondays
You may be placed in a queue when the service is busy.
The queue is usually longest when appointments 24 weeks away are released at 6am on Mondays.
If you are looking for an appointment sooner than 24 weeks away, there is no benefit in joining the queue at 6am on Monday.
Joining the queue at 6am on Mondays if you do not want a test 24 weeks away increases the queuing time for people who want a test then.
How often you can search
You should not repeatedly search the service over a short period.
Do not use more than one device to try and access the service at the same time.
If you search too often, you may:
receive a ‘search limit reached’ message
be temporarily unable to search again
receive an Error 15 message
Find out what to do if you see these error messages.
What you need to know about booking driving tests
Once you select a driving test appointment and accept the timing warning, you have 15 minutes to complete your booking.
The appointment might no longer be available if you do not complete your booking within this time.
The service will sign you out if you are inactive for 30 minutes.
There is no waiting list at most driving test centres
There is no waiting list or cancellation list for driving tests at most test centres.
At some test centres which do not open every day, you might have the option to put your test ‘on hold’. This means that DVSA will try and find a suitable date for you. They will tell you by email if they find one.
You will be be shown this option if it’s available at the test centre you want to take your test at.
DVSA cannot send notifications
DVSA cannot notify you when new or earlier appointments become available.
Contacting DVSA will not help you get an earlier appointment
DVSA customer service agents cannot create new appointments. They can only see the same appointments you can book in the booking service.
Service availability
The online service is available from 6am to 11:40pm, 7 days a week.
Planned maintenance
At times, the service may be unavailable because planned maintenance work is taking place.
There is currently no planned maintenance.
