Driving tests Sheffield: Yorkshire drivers waiting longest for tests in UK, report reveals

Drivers waiting for tests at one of Sheffield’s test centres, in Middlewood and Handsworth, have been recorded as having to wait 24 weeks for their test. The amount of time spent waiting for a test come out nearly five weeks longer than the average in Yorkshire and the Humber, which is the worst in the country.

Gerry Bucke, General Manager at Adrian Flux, who were behind the report, said: “It’s clear that the backlog caused by various coronavirus lockdowns that began in March 2020 are continuing to cause frustrating delays for young drivers.”

The region’s average wait time is 19.04 weeks, almost three weeks longer than the rest of the country, with Adrian Flux’s report suggesting Yorkshire learners may be better off driving an hour-and-a-half to the East Midlands for a test, where drivers are waiting more than two months less.

South Yorkshire is generally shown to be the poorest option in the region. Learners waiting for tests in Rotherham and Barnsley are waiting 23 and 22 weeks respectively, with Doncaster drivers waiting 19 weeks, dwarfing West Yorkshire, which boasts the shortest backlogs in the country. Bradford (four weeks), Heckmondwike (four weeks) and Huddersfield (seven weeks) have the lowest waiting times in Yorkshire.

In comparison to Yorkshire, Wales is listed as the best region for learners. Drivers are only having to wait around five weeks on average before they can sit their practical driving test.