Monday 30th March 2026
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: The Impact of Potential Fuel Rationing on Driving Tests and Test Waiting Times
We are writing to raise the concerns of our members about the potential impact of fuel rationing on the driver training and testing sector in light of the ongoing instability arising from the conflict involving Iran and its effects on global oil supply chains.
The risk of fuel supply disruption to the United Kingdom is credible and growing. Should the Government move to introduce rationing, the consequences for driving tests and test waiting times would be immediate and severe, in a sector that has very little capacity to absorb further disruption.
Our profession is fully aware that test waiting times are already a significant and long-standing problem for candidates, instructors, and the wider public. Any reduction in operational capacity, whether through restricted fuel availability for examiner travel, reduced candidate ability to attend test appointments, or curtailed instructor activity, would compound an already critical situation. Specifically:
a) Driving examiners are required to travel to and from test centres. Any fuel restrictions affecting DVSA fleet vehicles or examiner commuting would directly reduce the number of tests conducted each day, extending waiting times further;
b) Driving instructors are entirely dependent on their vehicles to deliver lessons and to accompany candidates to test appointments. Fuel rationing would significantly curtail the volume of tuition that can be delivered, meaning that candidates on already lengthy waiting lists would arrive at their test date less prepared than they should be, with likely consequences for first-time pass rates and road safety outcomes;
c) Learner drivers — many of whom are young people or individuals on lower incomes, for whom private transport is not an option — would face serious difficulties travelling to test centres where public transport provision is inadequate. Missed or cancelled appointments would impact severely on DVSA attempts to resolve the current crisis;
d) The cumulative effect of any reduction in test throughput, even over a relatively short period, would take months or years to recover from. This is not a theoretical concern — the current backlog demonstrates precisely how difficult it is to rebuild capacity once lost;
e) There is currently no contingency framework or communication from DVSA regarding how it would manage test availability, examiner deployment, or candidate priority in the event of fuel supply restrictions. The absence of such a plan is itself a concern, given the credibility and immediacy of the current risk.
NASP calls on DVSA to urgently consider the following:
1) The development and publication of a contingency plan addressing how driving tests would be managed in the event of fuel rationing or supply disruption, including how existing waiting lists would be protected;
2) Priority fuel access for professional driving instructors and DVSA examiners, consistent with the treatment of other road safety and transport professionals, should rationing be introduced;
3) A commitment to transparency regarding any impact on test centre operations, with timely and accurate communication to candidates and driving instructors alike.
4) Potential road safety impact of guidance that would reduce learner driver access to private practice, acknowledged as an integral element in the learning journey of many young drivers;
5) The impact on many other professional drivers, such as fleet professionals and riders.
Any further deterioration in test availability, particularly one resulting from an external shock that could be planned for now, would be damaging to individual businesses, harmful to road safety, and a serious blow to already damaged public confidence in the licensing system.
Regards,
Stewart Lochrie
Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJC)
Carly Brookfield
Driving Instructors Association (DIA)
Peter Harvey
Motor Schools Association (MSA)
