Our Review of the DVSAs 23/24 Annual Report and Accounts: What You Need To Know

Every year, the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency sets targets to improve services, increase road safety, and support driving instructors and learner drivers. Year ending ‘23/24’, their new targets included:

  • Reducing driving test waiting times
  • Supporting learner drivers
  • Improving customer service

Their annual report highlights the improvements made within their services, any challenges they’ve faced, and whether they met those intended goals. The report covers 100 pages, so we’ve summarised the key information below.

Target One: Reducing Waiting Times for Driving Tests

The backlog of driving tests has been a considerable inconvenience to our industry since 2020 and COVID-19. In April 2023, the DVSA pledged to reduce the waiting time for driving tests to 7 weeks. 

Despite their best efforts to recruit and pass 153 new examiners, create 145,000 extra test slots, and conduct 2 million driving tests over the year (their highest number of tests to date), this target was still missed. By the end of March 2024, the average waiting time for driving tests remains high at 16.1 weeks.Target Two: Increase Customer Satisfaction

There was a clear focus on the DVSAs’ internal teams and systems to create a better experience for ADIs, learner drivers, and everyone involved with our sector. The report indicates troubles at the start of the year with strike action, recruitment challenges and staff losses. Their calling handling service level dropped to 48%. Although they did not reach the planned 70% service level, they did pull this up to a respectable 67% by the end of March 2024. As a result, they saw their highest satisfaction rate across all customers and businesses they partner with. 

Target Three: Improve Available Support for Learner Drivers

One solution to help reduce driving test waiting times is to increase the pass rate. There was concern that learner drivers were being put forward for tests before they were ready because a test slot was available. The fear of failing and waiting another six months could have also contributed to the number of failed tests. 

Therefore, the DVSA continued with its ‘Ready to Pass’ campaign, which provides additional support to new learners. 95% of users engaging with the campaign said it was useful. Results highlight a 67% pass rate for learners who did use the campaign vs. a 47% pass rate for those who didn’t. So, it was deemed a success and will carry on into the future.

You can read the full DVSS report at GOV.UK.

The Road Ahead

With industries becoming more data-driven, optimising technology is a core focus for the coming year. This advancement will hopefully enhance communications, provide quicker solutions, and streamline processes. The 23/24 report mentions a new IT system that will be implemented to support customer service, and we can only hope it will help resolve some of the remaining issues we’re dealing with.

Some of the goals set out for 2025 by the DVSA, include:

  • Develop a new driver service platform that supports the needs and flexibility of learner drivers.
  • Review driving test routes to respond to local changes and conditions in real-time.
  • Increase the effectiveness of driving tests and their contribution to road safety.
  • Explore the possibility of at-home theory tests.
  • Communicate how the DVSA will adapt to the needs of self-driving vehicles.

View the DVSA’s 2025 goals at GOV.UK. 

If you have any questions, concerns or thoughts about the report, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here.

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