Military driving examiners to help provide tests in England

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November 13, 2025
3 min read

Military driving examiners to help provide tests in England

Military driving examiners will help provide up to 6,500 additional driving tests in England over the next year, the government has revealed. This is part of a joint initiative between the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence.

Under the proposal, 36 military driving examiners who typically provide tests for military personnel on vehicles such as cars and armoured carriers will provide one civilian driving test a week for 12 months. The scheme hopes to cut waiting times at some of the country’s busiest test centres and tackle a national backlog for learner drivers.

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Learner drivers continue to face long waiting times as testing centres struggle to meet growing demand across the country.

“We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L plates, who have been sadly forced to endure record waiting times for their tests,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. “Every learner should have an equal and fair opportunity to take a test. 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, the Ministry of Defence confirmed, will not affect military operations. “The Armed Forces and civilians working within the Ministry of Defence have always been ready to step up when the country needs them, and this is another example of that commitment in action,” Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns said. “By supporting civilian testing, they’re helping to get more learners on the road, keep Britain moving and deliver for the public.”

New government rules will also be introduced to tackle the reselling of driving tests and limit multiple rebookings. Learners will only be allowed two changes to their test bookings and be restricted only to test centres near their original location. Third-party bookings will be banned to prevent reselling test placements.

“It is good to see steps being put in place to put a stop to those touting tests to frustrated learners,” Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation said. “What will really deter the touts and tackle the queues would be a return to the more reasonable pre-COVID waiting time for tests, which we hope the arrival of a platoon of military examiners alongside new DVSA recruits will help deliver.”

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