Overview
- From Monday, learner drivers will spend more of the test on higher‑speed and rural roads where local conditions allow.
- Key adjustments include reducing normal stops from four to three, cutting emergency‑stop exercises to one in seven tests, and allowing independent driving to run up to the full test.
- The rollout follows a five‑month trial at 20 centres, extended through October, with reported smoother routes and 87% of participating instructors and examiners favouring permanence.
- DVSA says the revisions give examiners greater route flexibility without changing test length or the number of appointments available.
- Alongside the format changes, the government is deploying military examiners for up to about 6,500 extra slots and tightening booking rules to ease long waits, as some instructors caution against reducing emergency‑stop practice.