Driving test booking service down tonight, 6pm to 6am

The DVSA driving test booking service will be unavailable from 6pm on Thursday 5 November to 6am on Friday 6 November 2026, GOV.UK says. Learners will not be able to book, change or cancel a driving test online during that window.

What has changed

GOV.UK’s official guidance on driving test appointment release dates states, under planned maintenance: “The driving test booking service will be unavailable from 6pm on Thursday 5 November to 6am on Friday 6 November.” The same page confirms the service is normally available from 6am to 11:40pm, seven days a week, so this is a one-off overnight closure, not a change to the usual hours.

What it means for learners

• You cannot book a new driving test, change an existing appointment, or cancel a test online between 6pm on Thursday 5 November and 6am on Friday 6 November.
• The closure does not affect tests already booked: it is the online booking service that is unavailable, and GOV.UK gives no notice of any change to tests themselves.
• Appointments are currently available until 18 April 2027, and the next weekly release is at 6am on Monday 9 November 2026, for tests in the week beginning 19 April 2027 — after the maintenance window, so the closure does not delay the next release.

What to do now

• If you need to book, change or cancel a test, do it before 6pm on Thursday 5 November, or wait until after 6am on Friday 6 November.
• Do not keep retrying the service during the closure: GOV.UK warns that searching too often can trigger a “search limit reached” message or a temporary block.
• If you were planning to join the Monday 6am queue, note that the next release is Monday 9 November at 6am, not Monday 6 November — there is no new week of appointments released on 6 November.

Sources

• GOV.UK guidance, “Driving test appointments: release dates and finding earlier tests” — planned maintenance notice and service hours, https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-test-appointments-release-dates-and-finding-earlier-tests — checked 5 November 2026.
• GOV.UK, “Book your driving test” — normal service hours 6am to 11:40pm, https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test — checked 5 November 2026.