Driving test fee 'should be doubled,' says Somerset instructor

"Pupils are thinking it's only £62, it's worth a try," said the Motor Schools Association South West Chair

A chair of the Motor Schools Association said the cost of driving tests should be doubled to help clear the backlog.

Some learner drivers are waiting up to six months to take a test.

Research from AA Driving School shows nationally the backlog for tests stands at more than half a million people.

Arthur Mynott, the association's South West chair, said pricier exams would "make pupils think twice" about "taking valuable test slots".

"Because tests are only £62, people find a cancellation, the instructors say 'you're not ready for your test' and they go and take the test in their own car.

"So the examiners are putting themselves in danger in a pupil's car with no dual controls," he added.

Mr Mynott said there were no tests available nationally until towards the end of January

The Somerset-based driving instructor said if the cost of a driving test was doubled, pupils "might think a bit more" about whether they were ready to take it.

"I think the test is way too cheap," he told BBC Somerset.

"It would make them think twice about going into it earlier and taking those valuable test slots that pupils who are ready could be using."

Mr Mynott said the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which carries out the tests, had lost some examiners due to the pandemic, and there was a backlog of tests that were booked during that period.

'Responsible job'

He said examiners should be paid more to encourage more people to apply for the role.

"I don't think the increment package is good enough for them.

"It's a responsible job. They're going out seven times a day with people they have never met before, putting themselves in danger."

Driving examiners are classed as civil servants so their pay scale is set by law.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it was tackling the high demand by "recruiting an additional 300 examiners, conducting out-of-hours testing and asking qualified staff that no longer work as driving examiners to conduct tests".

It ran a consultation in January about raising the fees for driving tests "to break even" and said fees had not kept pace with inflation and without doing so "driving tests waiting times may increase".