New driving test rules 2026: every DVSA change, and what is only proposed

Most of the new driving test rules in 2026 are about booking. Since 12 May, only the learner can book, change, swap or cancel their own car test in England, Scotland and Wales. You get 2 changes per booking, a moved test can only go to one of the 3 nearest centres, and from 1 October a swap takes two separate phone calls to DVSA on the same day. Northern Ireland started graduated driver licensing on 1 October 2026.

Plenty of what you read elsewhere is not law: a minimum learning period, a lower drink-drive limit and eyesight tests for over-70s are all consultations still waiting for a government response.

Last checked: 11 October 2026. Each rule below links to its official source.

At a glance: new driving test rules 2026 and their dates

Driving test booking rule changes (in force)

DVSA's guide to the changes to driving test booking rules in 2026 sets out the rules for car tests in England, Scotland and Wales. They came in over three stages. Other test types (motorcycle, lorry, ADI) are not covered.

Only the learner books and manages the test

Since 12 May 2026 you book your own car test on GOV.UK and confirm you are the person taking it. It is against the law for anyone else to book it, and nobody else is allowed to change, swap or cancel it for you. That includes your instructor and any paid service. The booking rule comes from The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

A friend, parent or support worker can still help, but you have to be with them while they do it, and you should do as many of the steps yourself as you can.

Cancellation-finder apps and websites are banned too. If DVSA sees activity that does not look like normal personal use, it suspends online booking for that licence number for 12 months. You can still book and change by phone, and a test you already have goes ahead. Bookings made against the rules are a different matter: DVSA can cancel them.

Two changes, then cancel and rebook

Since 31 March 2026 you can make 2 changes to a car test booking. A new date or time counts, so does a new centre and so does a swap. Changing the date and centre in one go counts as one change. Updating your contact details or adding your instructor's reference number does not count.

After two changes you have to cancel and book again. The notice rule is older than this year's changes: since 8 April 2025 you need 10 full working days' notice to change or cancel a car test without paying again. Monday to Saturday count as working days. The test fee is £62 on weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Only the 3 nearest centres

Since 9 June 2026 a change of centre can only go to one of the 3 test centres nearest to where your test is booked, or back to the centre you first booked on that booking. DVSA publishes a list of which centres you can move to. Book at a centre you intend to use.

Swaps now take two calls (from 1 October)

Swapping with another learner can only be done by phone and uses one of your 2 changes. DVSA updated the swap process on 1 October 2026: each learner now calls DVSA separately, both on the same day, and DVSA recommends the second caller rings by 4pm. You both need a change left, the swap must be requested at least 10 full working days before the earlier test, and both tests must meet the 3-nearest-centres rule.

What it means for instructors

You can no longer book, change, swap or cancel car tests for pupils. You can still set the times you are available, so a pupil who enters your reference number is not offered a slot when you are busy. Tests you booked before 12 May still go ahead, and you must give pupils their booking references.

DVSA has said it will not reverse the changes. Its Chief Executive wrote on 28 August 2026 that "these reforms are not going to be undone". The same post said DVSA plans a way for learners who need extra support to formally appoint someone to deal with DVSA about their booking, with no date given.

Our ADI guide to the May 2026 booking rule changes covers what is left in the business booking service and how to brief pupils. For learners, how to get an earlier driving test date explains how cancellations work under the new rules.

Driving instructor code of practice (published, start date to be confirmed)

DVSA published a new driving instructor code of practice on 23 September 2026. Today's code is voluntary. The new one is mandatory and will be introduced "sometime between late 2026 and early 2027", replacing the ADI register guide and the voluntary code. No exact date has been announced.

Instructors will have to declare they have read and agreed to it when they apply, renew their registration or apply for a trainee licence. A few lines will change daily habits:

• no calls while instructing, hands-free included
• an instructor who misuses the booking system to book and manage pupils' tests "will be reported to the ADI Registrar and could be removed from the register"
• terms of business covering price, cancellations, refunds, personal data and complaints, plus records of lessons and hours delivered

Our driving instructor code of practice guide covers what changes for your business, with a compliance checklist.

Minimum learning period consultation (proposed, not law)

The Department for Transport's consultation on a minimum learning period for learner drivers asked about a minimum time between passing the theory test and taking the practical test. It also asked about a minimum number of supervised driving hours, a logbook and a structured learning syllabus. It covers car (category B) learners in GB.

It ran from 7 January to 11:59pm on 11 May 2026. As of 11 October 2026 the page still says "We are analysing your feedback". There is no minimum period, no minimum hours and no logbook in GB law today. Anyone telling you a 6-month wait or a set number of lessons is now compulsory in England, Scotland or Wales is mixing this up with Northern Ireland.

We modelled what different outcomes could mean for instructors in our post on the mandatory lesson hours consultation and ADI income.

Northern Ireland graduated driver licensing (in force from 1 October 2026)

Northern Ireland's Graduated Driver Licensing scheme applies to everyone whose provisional entitlement began on or after 1 October 2026. Under GDL:

• learners wait at least 6 months from their first car provisional entitlement before the practical test (carers who can evidence Carer's Allowance are exempt)
• a Programme of Training must be completed and signed off in a Logbook by an approved instructor or supervising driver
• the 45mph limit for learners and new drivers goes
• new drivers display R plates for 2 years, up from 12 months
• for the first 6 months, a new driver under 24 can carry no more than one passenger aged 14 to 20 between 11pm and 6am, unless the passengers are immediate family or the front passenger is 21 or over and has held a full licence for 3 years

Learners who already held a provisional licence before 1 October have until 31 March 2027 to pass under the old system. The practical test itself changes from 1 April 2027, with independent driving extended to about 20 minutes and sat nav use added. None of this applies in England, Scotland or Wales.

The full detail, including transitional rules and what NI instructors should change, is in our Northern Ireland graduated driver licensing guide.

Test waiting times and examiner recruitment

DVSA now publishes a median wait alongside its older "weeks to 10% availability" measure in its monthly car driving test data (table DRT121G, updated 9 September 2026). For August 2026 across Great Britain:

By country, the August median was 16.0 weeks in Scotland, 11.3 in England and 7.3 in Wales. The median has gone up this year: it was 9.0 weeks in March 2026. DVSA's Chief Executive said that rise "was expected as the unofficial ways of finding earlier tests were closed down".

On capacity, DVSA's three-month review of the booking changes (24 September 2026) reports:

• 1,605 full-time equivalent examiners able to test in August, 160 more than a year earlier and the most since November 2017
• more than 2.13 million car tests in the 12 months to August, the highest rolling total on record
• 11.86% of appointments available to book at the start of September, and around 50,000 more available tests on 1 September than a year before
• more than 1,300 tests cancelled for being booked or managed against the learner-only rules
• eyesight check guidance being updated, so tests can be booked during poor natural light as long as suitable artificial lighting is available

DVSA is also building a new booking service. It says the new platform "will not create more tests" but will make booking more user-focused. Its first trial at Durham test centre put 14 learners through the new system over two test days in July 2026. DVSA called it an encouraging first step but says the system is still a work in progress: the next stage is getting it to handle steps such as payments and choosing dates on its own. No date has been given for wider use.

Check your own centre in our driving test waiting times tracker, and read driving test waiting times 2026 for the regional picture.

What is not changing: myths about new driving rules in 2026

"You now need a minimum number of lessons." Not in GB. GOV.UK says there is no minimum number of lessons you must have or hours you must practise.

"The drink-drive limit has been cut." No. Lowering it in England and Wales, and a lower limit for novice drivers, were questions in the motoring offences penalties consultation. It closed on 11 May 2026 with no outcome published as of 11 October. Scotland's lower limit is not new: it dates from 2014.

"Over-70s must pass an eye test to renew." Not yet. Drivers renewing at 70 still make a declaration. The mandatory eyesight testing consultation closed on 11 May 2026 and is still awaiting a response.

"New drivers must show P plates." Not in GB. Green P plates are optional. The compulsory 2-year R plate is Northern Ireland only.

"Learner driver rules for practice have changed." They haven't. Anyone supervising practice must be over 21, qualified for that type of car and have held a full licence for 3 years. Learners in GB can drive on motorways only with an ADI in a dual-control car.

"My instructor can still book my test if I say it's fine." No. Consent does not change it. It is against the law for anyone but the learner to book a car test.

"The 10-day cancellation rule is new." It is from April 2025, not 2026. What is new is that the 2-change limit makes each move count.

Changelog

We update this page when DVSA, DfT or DfI change a rule, and when DVSA publishes its monthly waiting time data.

• 11 October 2026: page published. Every rule, date and figure checked against GOV.UK, nidirect, legislation.gov.uk and DVSA's own blog and data on this date. Latest waiting time data: August 2026 (published 9 September 2026).

Still to come, with no dates set: the government responses to the minimum learning period, drink-drive and eyesight consultations; the start date of the instructor code of practice; wider use of DVSA's new booking service; and the scheme for learners who need support to appoint someone to manage their booking.

Learning to drive? Find a driving instructor near you. Instructors who need lesson and hours records ready for the new code can run their diary in Orbit, which is free for driving instructors.