The UK’s Ministry of Defense has its own team of driving examiners, but 36 of those examiners are being temporarily drafted to help the UK fix its crazy driving test backlog

This fairly drastic move is aimed at cutting horrendous wait times for test in the UK. The average time between booking a test and taking it across the country’s 319 test centers was 22 weeks as of June.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is busy trying to recruit hundreds of permanent examiners to plug the shortage, but existing employees are leaving almost as fast as new ones are signing up. To make sure those that join hang around they’ll be offered £5,000 ($6,600) “retention payments” from next year, the BBC says.

But a shortage of examiners is only partly responsible for the long wait times. Another major factor is the swarm of automated bots that instantly gobble up newly released test slots, leaving genuine learners locked out.

These bots are used by third-party resellers who then list the £62 ($81) tests for as much as £500 ($660), often advertising them on social media or private booking sites.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/11/uk-drafts-in-military-examiners-to-clear-driving-test-backlog/