More driving examiners are being recruited as part of efforts to reduce the length of time learner drivers in Northern Ireland are waiting to take their test. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) is also making test slots available on Sunday and bank holidays to help meet rising demand, the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) said.
It said applications for driving tests were around 13% higher between February and June this year than in the same period of 2025.
"Customers are advised to book the earliest available appointment and check regularly for cancellations and newly released test slots,"a spokesperson for the department added.
Toby, 17, from Tamnaherin in County Londonderry, faced a wait for a driving test at Altnagelvin in Derry. His mum Kerryann Barr said he was checking the booking website five or six times a day for an available test.
"Some of times he's been on to book the test, it's been up to 12 weeks,"she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.
Kerryann says having to travel for a test brings additional challenges.
"It's a matter of going on every single day, three, four, five times a day to try and get cancellations but they're just not coming on,"she said.
Eventually Toby and his mum started looking at other test centres in Northern Ireland and saw Toby could take his test in Coleraine, a round 30 miles away, within four weeks.
That, his mum said, brought additional challenges. It required additional travel and, unlike Derry, Toby was not familiar with the town's roads or test routes.
That meant extra lessons, she said, adding travelling for a test is something many of Toby's friends have done too.
"It is putting pressure on them on the day of their test,"she said, and should they fail
"they know they have a really long wait ahead of them again - and it is more money to make sure they stay test ready."
Drving test demand 'contiunes to rise'
DFI said between April and June a total of 18,092 driving tests were taken in Northern Ireland - an increase of 5.4% on the same period last year.
"Demand for driving tests continues to rise,"the department spokesperson said, adding waiting times at Altnagelvin
"are comparable to those at many other test centres"in Northern Ireland.
"To further increase capacity, DVA is recruiting additional driving examiners, including for Altnagelvin, using overtime and offering appointments on Sundays and bank holidays where appropriate."
A record number of tests - 6,844 - were conducted in the month of June in Northern Ireland, according to DVA figures.
In October Northern Ireland will become the first part of the UK to introduce new rules for new drivers. Graduated driver licensing (GDL), which is due to be introduced on 1 October, applies to all new drivers, but is particularly aimed at 17 to 23-year-olds.
Most new drivers will not be permitted to take their driving test for at least six months after being granted a provisional licence under the new rules.
"While some learner drivers may be seeking to complete their test before GDL is introduced, DVA has no definitive evidence on the impact this may be having on demand,"the DFI spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added:
"Learner drivers currently holding a provisional licence have until 31 March 2027 to pass their Category B driving test before GDL requirements apply."
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Friday, driving instructor Chris Arthur said there is always a rise in demand during the summer months as many young people want to pass their test before heading off to university.
Although, he said, demand hasn't been as high as it was during the pandemic.
"Even looking online last night, the earliest time I could book someone for their test was 13 October in Coleraine, which is about three months away.
"This person is ready for their test next week, but we now have to find a plan and extend it out so that person doesn't get sick of driving.
"We are also going to have to look every night for any cancellations to try to get them their test sooner.
"We also see some examiners going on holidays and some examiners are off sick which can add to delays, but what we are also seeing is the change to the graduated driving licence scheme coming up in October and we are seeing a lot of people trying to pass their test before the new rules come in."
