Instructor test backlogs causing knock-on delays for learners

Potential driving instructors are facing long waits for final tests to become fully qualified, while test failures result in further delays for learners

A shortage of approved driving instructors (ADIs) is a problem trainees say is being worsened by high standards of testing and months-long delays for final exams.

The most recent data published by the DVSA shows that 1,150 people are training to qualify as an approved driving instructor in Norfolk and Suffolk.

A potential driving instructor (PDI) has three exams they must pass to become qualified.

They can teach driving lessons, but they must have passed their first two exams and completed at least 40 hours of training with a qualified ADI to obtain a ‘pink badge’, also known as their trainee license, to do so.

This can cause further delays for ordinary learners waiting for their first lesson.

If a PDI fails to pass their three exams within a two-year window, they lose their trainee license. They must start over at the first exam and have another 40 hours of training, regardless of how close they were to qualifying.

Sherry Gowing, a PDI in Norwich, says that she would be willing to give lessons to learners for free if she fails her part three test, just to avoid losing practice.

The national number of qualified driving instructors has fallen by more than 3,500 between September 2011 and September 2025.

“If I had to redo parts one and two just to get a pink badge again, that could be six to nine months of unpaid work,” Sherry said.

“I would be prepared to give lessons for free in that time, just to keep my skills up.”

Sherry began training in 2021 and failed her final exam, which is a thorough driving test carried out by an ADI enforcement examiner from the DVSA.

This meant she had to wait several more months for another try. However, the two-year time limit ran out before she was able to have another test, forcing her to restart from scratch.

She has now been waiting for her final test for seven months, and hopes to pass in March.

The most recent statistics from the DVSA say that in the financial year of 2025-2026 so far, 28.8% of PDIs have passed their part 3.

“I think it will be one of the happiest days of my life when that examiner says, ‘I’m happy to say to you you’ve passed”, said Sherry.

Brad Ward is a former ADI enforcement examiner who covered driving instructor tests in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

“There has been a shortage of examiners in the country for quite a while,” he said, as the reason why trainees are having to wait months for their final exam.

If a driving instructor fails the second or third exam three times, they have to wait two years from the date they passed their first exam to be able to train again.

This can have a direct knock-on impact on learners, and can even impact those who already have regular driving lessons, if their driving instructor is a PDI.

“One of my clients last year had about 20 students, and failed the third attempt. All those students had to be reallocated to another driving school, which takes about three weeks,” said Brad Ward.

Howard Floyd is the founder of How2Drive, a Norfolk driving school.

The trainee license lasts for six months, meaning it can run out before a PDI gets to take their third exam, if the DVSA refuses the trainee a grace period, which Sherry was fortunately given.

He said, “The big problem is that if PDIs are waiting for six months before their part three, their pink badge will run out.

“All that 40 hours of driving practice with an ADI trainer would expire, and they have to do it again.

“If a learner driver failed their test and just done 40 hours of lessons, you wouldn’t need a repeat of 40 hours because you can drive, you’d just need a bit of refresher training.

“But for a PDI, they would have to do all those hours again. And the test wait times are long, they will run out of time. People are running out of time and the DVSA will not extend that two years.”

“There’s not much of an incentive to train. ‘Why would I bother? It’s not looking good.’ But there’s a shortage of driving instructors, a shortage of examiners.”

The DVSA have been approached for comment. In a statement, a spokesperson said:

"ADI driving tests are designed to make sure instructors have the knowledge and skills to train learners to their full potential, helping keep Britain’s roads among some of the safest in the world.

“Our approach to instructor testing helps protect the quality and integrity of the driver training industry, making sure that those instructing learners operate at the highest standard."

A petition calling for flexibility on the two-year limit and trainee licence rules attracted 1,500 signatures, short of the 10,000 needed for a government response. It has recently closed.

If an extension was applied, there could be less pressure on driving instructors who face delays, with more time to pass second and third exams if they had initially failed.

However, the petition struggled to gain traction, as many of those most affected negatively by the system have already left.