ADI Part 2 test availability in 2026: what DVSA says and what to do about it

In April to June 2026, 9,613 ADI Part 1 theory tests were taken. That is the highest quarterly figure in DVSA's table, which goes back to 2007. In the same three months DVSA conducted 2,787 Part 2 tests, down from 3,508 in April to June 2025 (DVSA tables DRT511A and DRT521A, the latest quarters are provisional).

If you passed Part 1 this year and cannot find a Part 2 date, you are not imagining it. DVSA has now said as much itself.

For what happens on the test itself, see our Part 2 driving ability guide. For the whole route and what it costs, start with how to become a driving instructor. This post is about getting a date, and not losing your two years while you wait for one.

What DVSA has admitted

On 28 August 2026, DVSA chief executive Beverley Warmington wrote that "the long waiting times for a part 2 or 3 test or a standards check are unacceptable" (Despatch, 28 August 2026).

On 15 September, Marian Kitson, DVSA's Director of Enforcement, set out the detail (Despatch, 15 September 2026):

• Applications to qualify as an ADI have increased by 152% since 2018/19, "and they're still rising".
• Part 3 pass rates have fallen, "meaning more people are retaking their tests".
• The examiners who conduct Part 2 and Part 3 tests are recruited from DVSA's wider driving examiner pool and need additional training. DVSA says the pressures on learner car tests and on ADI tests are "closely linked", and that "ADI and PDI testing hasn't always had the resource it needs".

What DVSA says it is doing about it:

• Recruiting new ADI examiners and increasing training capacity so more examiners can deliver Part 2 and Part 3 tests.
• Developing alternative recruitment and training routes into ADI examiner roles, to add capacity with less impact on the examiners who do learner car tests.
• Working with the industry on a campaign to help people prepare, "with a particular focus on Part 2", and reviewing the wider qualification process.
• Looking at how PDIs can start practising teaching skills earlier.

What it does not give is a date. The same post says: "I won't pretend that these changes will fix things immediately. Some of what we're doing will take months to show results."

For a sense of the lead time: across driving examiner recruitment campaigns from 2021 to 2025, the average time from a formal job offer to a new examiner working in a test centre was 104 days (written answer 26270, 9 September 2026). ADI examiners need training on top of that.

The official pass rates

DVSA's ADI test statistics cover volumes and pass rates. There is no official waiting-time figure for Part 2 or Part 3 in them. These are the latest figures, published on 3 September 2026 (DVSA tables DRT511A, DRT521A and DRT521C):

DVSA's 15 September blog puts the Part 3 fall at 33.8% (2023/24) to 27.7% (2025/26). The published table shows 34.2% and 27.8% for the same years. We use the table.

Two things stand out. Part 2 has the highest pass rate of the three: a little over half of tests in 2025/26 were passes. And the number of Part 2 tests conducted fell from 16,004 in 2024/25 to 13,605 in 2025/26, while Part 3 tests rose from 11,749 to 13,606. Neither DVSA blog explains that fall. The September one does say the same examiners conduct Part 2 tests, Part 3 tests and standards checks, and that more Part 3 retakes have added to the pressure. We go through what each part asks of you in how hard is it to become a driving instructor.

When no dates show: book to hold

You book Part 2 and Part 3 through the same GOV.UK booking service as car tests. Each costs £111 (GOV.UK step by step).

If there is no suitable date, DVSA's advice is to use book to hold and nominate your preferred test date and test centre. In DVSA's words, "This helps inform us where there is demand for ADI practical tests, so we can use our examiner resource to meet that demand" (Despatch, 15 September 2026).

The roads minister added more detail in a written answer on 9 September 2026 (WQ 26270):

• Trainees can apply for Part 2 or Part 3 tests "even when no appointments are available".
• ADI examiners work across multiple test centres and are deployed according to demand.
• "Where appropriate, priority is given to those nearing the end of their two-year qualification period."

DVSA uses the list to decide where to send its ADI examiners, so get on it for a centre you can reach rather than waiting for dates to appear.

Changing or cancelling an ADI test

The ADI rules are looser than the car test rules. From GOV.UK's change and cancel pages:

A few details worth knowing:

• Monday to Saturday count as working days. Sundays and public holidays do not.
• Changing the date and the test centre at the same time counts as one change.
• After your 6th change, the only option is to cancel and book again.
• You can change or cancel online from 6am to 11:40pm, up to the time the test starts.
• If you change or cancel at short notice because of illness or injury, a bereavement, a school or college exam, or a stolen licence, you can ask for a refund. Email DVSA customer services with the subject "Unavoidable short notice cancellation" and attach proof.

Two other rules on those pages and the booking page are written for car tests only: that only the candidate can book, change or cancel, and that a test can only be moved to a nearby centre.

If DVSA cancels your Part 2 for bad weather, it books the next available date automatically and sends you the details within 3 working days. If it cancels at short notice for another reason, such as an examiner being unwell, you can apply for out-of-pocket expenses (GOV.UK ADI part 2 guide).

One warning. Do not pay for a cancellation-finder app or bot. When DVSA sees booking activity "that does not look like normal personal use", it suspends online access for that driving licence number for 12 months, and you then have to book, change or cancel by phone. If you ask for a review, the form wants details of any unofficial apps, websites or services you used to book or find a test (GOV.UK). The same rules apply to learners, as our guide to driving test cancellations explains.

The 2-year clock

GOV.UK's summary is that once you pass Part 1, "you must pass the other parts of the test within 2 years or you'll have to start the whole process again" (GOV.UK step by step).

The detail matters for Part 3. DVSA puts it as: "you must pass your Part 2 and book your Part 3 within 2 years" (Despatch, 15 September 2026). The minister confirmed that "Provided a part 3 test application is submitted before the expiry date, the test itself may take place afterwards" (WQ 26270).

Part 2 gets no such allowance. If you passed Part 1 in January 2026, you need Part 2 passed, and your Part 3 application in, before your two years run out in January 2028.

The attempt limits, from GOV.UK's Part 2 and Part 3 guides:

• Part 2: 3 attempts. A failed eyesight check counts as one. Fail three times and you have to retake Part 1, and you cannot do that until 2 years after you first passed it.
• Part 3: 3 attempts, with each retake booked within 2 years of passing Part 1. Fail the third and you must stop giving paid lessons straight away and any trainee licence becomes invalid. You then have to retake Part 1 and Part 2, and cannot retake Part 1 until 2 years after you first passed it.

Timing the trainee licence

You can apply for a trainee licence once you pass Part 2. It lasts 6 months and lets you charge for lessons to cover costs like insurance and the car (GOV.UK). It costs £140 (GOV.UK step by step). To apply you must:

• have passed Part 1 in the last 2 years and have passed Part 2
• have had at least 40 hours of training from a qualified ADI in giving instruction, at least 10 of them in a car, recorded on the ADI 21T form
• be eligible to take Part 3

Six months is not long when Part 3 dates are scarce. Get your Part 3 request in when you are close to ready, not when the licence has weeks left. Our trainee licence guide and trainee licence recovery plan cover what to do if it runs short.

What to do while you wait

Keep your driving at test standard

The Part 2 pass mark is no more than 6 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults (GOV.UK). Keep driving with your trainer and against the national standard for driving cars, so the standard is still there when your date comes.

Get the car sorted before you have a date

Your car needs an extra interior rear-view mirror for the examiner, a passenger head restraint (slip-on types are not allowed) and insurance that covers an ADI Part 2 test. Your own car does not need dual controls, but a hire car does (GOV.UK car rules). If it does not meet the rules, the test is cancelled and you pay again.

Start on the teaching skills now

Part 3 has the lowest pass rate of the three: 27.8% in 2025/26. DVSA's view is blunt: "Too many people are reaching their Part 3 test without the communication and teaching skills the role demands" (Despatch, 15 September 2026). Part 3 is marked on 17 competencies grouped into lesson planning, risk management, and teaching and learning strategies (GOV.UK). A Part 2 wait is time to start on those with your trainer, before a trainee licence clock is running. Our Part 3 guide covers the test itself.

Do the business maths

Once you pass Part 3 you have 12 months to register, and the first ADI certificate costs £300 (GOV.UK step by step). Registering also means agreeing to DVSA's new driving instructor code of practice once it is in force. The wait is a good time to decide between a franchise and going independent with real numbers: our franchise vs independent breakdown walks through the AA's published fees, the franchise cost calculator shows what a weekly fee adds up to over a year, and the lesson rate calculator shows what a given rate leaves you after running costs.

When you qualify, Orbit runs your diary, bookings and pupil payments, free for instructors. Until then, the earnings calculator shows what a full diary is worth once you are teaching.