Research and analysis

Working as a driving instructor survey: 2024 results

Published 3 December 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Introduction

This report summarises research carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) about working as an approved driving instructor (ADI).

It aims to:

• find out how important things are changing over time
• get views on topical issues

This research is done regularly. Between 2021 and 2022 it was done twice a year. From 2023, this survey has been done annually. The annual survey is normally done in June. The 2024 survey was deferred to September due to the general election.

We sent the survey to ADIs on 1 September 2024. The survey closed on 30 September 2024.

Where the same question was asked in previous surveys, this report compares the changes over time.

You can read the results of previous surveys about working as an ADI.

How representative the data is of all ADIs

There were 5,620 responses to this survey. At the end of March 2024 there were 40,984 ADIs. This means that about 13.7% of all ADIs completed the survey.

The data in the report has a confidence level of 99% within +/- 2 percentage points.

This means that if we repeated the survey with different samples of all ADIs, 99 times out of 100, the results would be within +/- 2 percentage points of the figures shown in this report.

Summary of findings

Weekly working hours

59.8% of ADIs spend at least 25 hours working as an ADI each week

This is 2.4 percentage points lower than in June 2023.

Read more about working time.

Driving lesson prices

£36 to £40 is the most common price charged for a one-hour lesson - 47.7% of ADIs charge this

In June 2023, the most common price charged for a one-hour lesson was £31 to £35, which 46.6% of ADIs charged.

Read more about lesson prices.

Availability for driving lessons

36.6% of ADIs currently have availability to take on new pupils

This is 6.8 percentage points higher than in June 2023.

Read more about lesson availability and waiting lists.

Job satisfaction

91.4% of ADIs agree the role gives them a sense of personal accomplishment

This is 0.6 percentage points higher than in June 2023.

Read more about attitudes to the job.

Future plans

87.7% of ADIs intend to continue in the role for at least the next year

This is 2.5 percentage points higher than in June 2023.

Read more about attitudes to the job.

Professional development

61.6% of ADIs have done some form of continuing professional development (CPD) in the last 12 months

This is 8 percentage points higher than in June 2023.

Read more about professional development.

Health

61.8% of ADIs have experienced musculoskeletal problems in the last 12 months

This is 2.5 percentage points higher than in June 2023.

Read more about health and wellbeing.

About your business

In this section:

Type of instructor

What type of instructor are you?

5,710 people answered this question in 2024.

Survey	Independent	Local driving school franchise	National driving school	Other	Total
June 2021	69.4%	17.4%	11.4%	1.8%	100%
January 2022	70.8%	16.9%	11.1%	1.3%	100%
October 2022	69.2%	17.4%	11.7%	1.8%	100%
June 2023	69.6%	16.9%	11.1%	2.4%	100%
September 2024	69.2%	17.6%	11.1%	2.0%	100%

What types of customers do you train?

5,620 people answered this question in 2024.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Learner drivers	98.4%	98.6%
Fully qualified drivers of fleets of cars and vans	11.0%	10.3%
Trainee driving instructors and other ADIs	9.7%	11.1%

Experience as an instructor

How long have you been an approved driving instructor (ADI)?

5,612 people answered this question in 2024.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Less than a year	7.7%	7.8%
Between 1 to 4 years	19.3%	20.8%
Between 5 to 8 years	15.8%	15.6%
Between 9 to 12 years	8.2%	7.9%
More than 12 years	49.0%	47.8%

Working time

On average, how many hours do you spend working as an ADI each week?

5,620 people answered this question in 2024.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
15 hours or fewer	10.2%	11.2%
16 hours to 24 hours	26.0%	27.5%
25 hours to 34 hours	38.8%	38.5%
35 hours or more	23.4%	21.3%
Not currently working as an ADI	1.6%	1.5%

Average working hours by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 average weekly working hours for those currently working as an ADI by the ADI’s gender.

Gender	15 hours or fewer	16 to 24 hours	25 to 34 hours	35 hours or more	Total
Male	10.7%	23.8%	40.8%	24.8%	100%
Female	12.5%	38.6%	35.3%	13.5%	100%

Due to the low number of respondents who identified as non-binary or had another way of describing their gender, they are not included in this chart.

Do you have any other jobs in addition to your work as an ADI?

5,514 people answered this question in 2024.

Survey	Yes	No	Total
June 2023	12.4%	87.6%	100%
September 2024	12.5%	87.5%	100%

I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life

5,528 people answered this question in 2024.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	21.6%
Agree	44.6%
Neither agree nor disagree	16.8%
Disagree	13.3%
Strongly disagree	3.8%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	62.5%	17.5%	20.0%	100%
September 2024	66.2%	16.8%	17.1%	100%

Type of car

Which types of cars do you teach in?

5,534 people answered this question in 2024.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Type of car	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
Electric	3.2%	3.8%	4.0%
Hybrid	10.7%	12.2%	14.6%
Petrol (manual)	58.3%	59.8%	64.0%
Petrol (automatic)	7.5%	8.8%	10.0%
Petrol (semi-automatic)	0.3%	0.9%	0.9%
Diesel (manual)	29.2%	26.3%	19.8%
Diesel (automatic)	3.0%	3.8%	3.5%
Diesel (semi-automatic)	0.3%	0.7%	0.6%

Do you have any plans to change the vehicle type for which you offer lessons in the next 5 years?

5,525 people answered this question in 2024.

Survey	Yes	No	Maybe	Total
October 2022	37.3%	36.4%	26.2%	100%
June 2023	30.6%	40.5%	28.9%	100%
September 2024	27.3%	44.4%	28.2%	100%

Pass Plus and specialised lessons

In your lessons, do you include tuition on any of the following challenges to help new drivers deal with once they have passed their test?

5,471 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Challenge	Response rate
Driving on dual carriageways	92.8%
Driving within or to speed limits	92.0%
Driving in residential areas	91.7%
Driving on country roads	91.3%
Driving in congested areas	91.2%
Driving without instruction	89.6%
Driving in the dark	75.3%
Driving on motorways	69.5%
Driving with distractions (such as music)	66.0%
Driving with passengers	45.6%
I do not include tuition on any of these challenges	1.6%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

Do you offer specialised lessons?

5,471 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Lesson type	Response rate
Refresher lessons	83.8%
Lessons for nervous or anxious drivers	79.7%
Motorway lessons	74.5%
Lessons for learners with a special educational need (such as autism, ADHD and dyspraxia)	59.7%
Lessons for those who want to exchange a foreign driving licence	57.8%
Pass Plus training	47.9%
Older driver improvement	42.3%
Do not offer specialised lessons	8.2%
Disability tuition with adapted controls	4.8%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

Which of the following statements best reflects how or if you approach the Pass Plus training?

2,628 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Approach	Response rate
I usually tell my pupils about Pass Plus training	53.0%
My pupils generally ask me about Pass Plus training	15.0%
Both	27.0%
Neither	11.5%
Other	5.7%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

In your opinion, what do pupils think is the main benefit of completing Pass Plus training?

2,622 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Benefit	Response rate
Lowers car insurance costs	55.3%
Improves their skills as a new driver	42.3%
Improves their general confidence on the road	38.2%
Improves their confidence in a certain aspect of driving, such as night driving or country roads	37.2%
Becoming a safer driver	31.7%
Other	10.7%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

What, if anything, could be improved about Pass Plus?

1,691 people answered this question.

The free text responses have been analysed using artifical intelligence (AI) to categorise the suggestions into themes.

This chart shows what categories the suggestions related to.

Category	Percentage of suggestions
Insurance incentives	35%
Advertising and promotion	20%
Compulsory training	15%
Course content and structure	10%
Financial support	8%
Instructor training and standards	5%
Recognition and certification	5%
General feedback	2%

The table shows a summary of what each category covered.

Category	Comments
Insurance incentives	Suggestions related to insurance companies offering better discounts or incentives for completing Pass Plus.
Advertising and promotion	Suggestions about increasing awareness and better advertising of Pass Plus.
Compulsory training	Suggestions to make Pass Plus mandatory for new drivers.
Course content and structure	Suggestions to update, revamp, or improve the course content and structure.
Financial support	Suggestions for financial support or subsidies to make the course more affordable.
Instructor training and standards	Suggestions related to improving the training and standards of driving instructors providing Pass Plus.
Recognition and certification	Suggestions about better recognition and certification of Pass Plus by insurance companies and other organisations.

Lesson prices

What is the average price that you charge for a standard one-hour lesson?

5,459 people answered this question.

Average one-hour lesson price	Response rate
£25 or less	0.5%
£26 to £30	4.4%
£31 to £35	26.6%
£36 to £40	47.7%
£41 to £45	16.4%
£46 to £50	3.5%
£51 or more	0.9%

Average one-hour lesson price over time

This chart shows how the average one-hour prices compare over time when put into 3 main price ranges.

Year	£35 or less	£36 to £40	£41 or more	Total
October 2022	74.3%	21.4%	4.3%	100%
June 2023	61.5%	31.1%	7.4%	100%
September 2024	31.5%	47.7%	20.8%	100%

Average one-hour lesson price by region

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 one-hour lesson prices by region put into 3 main price ranges. The chart is ordered from highest to lowest region charging £41 or more.

Region	£35 or less	£36 to £40	£41 or more	Total
South-west	12.2%	45.8%	42.0%	100%
South-east	23.8%	47.0%	29.2%	100%
Scotland	15.6%	60.6%	23.8%	100%
East of England	24.6%	53.3%	22.1%	100%
London	43.8%	37.4%	18.8%	100%
East Midlands	34.6%	51.0%	14.4%	100%
North-west	38.3%	50.0%	11.7%	100%
Wales	49.8%	40.5%	9.7%	100%
West Midlands	50.0%	40.6%	9.4%	100%
Yorkshire and the Humber	41.6%	49.2%	9.2%	100%
North-east	59.5%	36.6%	3.9%	100%

Average one-hour lesson price by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 one-hour lesson prices by the ADI’s gender, put into 3 main price ranges.

Gender	£35 or less	£36 to £40	£41 or more	Total
Male	33.2%	46.1%	20.7%	100%
Female	26.2%	53.1%	20.7%	100%

Due to the low number of respondents who identified as non-binary or had another way of describing their gender, they are not included in this chart.

Average one-hour lesson price by time qualified as an ADI

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 one-hour lesson prices by how long ADIs have been qualified, put into 3 main price ranges.

Time qualified as an ADI	£35 or less	£36 to £40	£41 or more	Total
Less than a year as an ADI	29.9%	55.3%	14.8%	100%
1 to 4 years as an ADI	29.8%	53.0%	17.2%	100%
5 to 8 years as an ADI	28.4%	49.4%	22.2%	100%
9 to 12 years as an ADI	34.4%	43.7%	21.9%	100%
More than 12 years as an ADI	33.2%	44.1%	22.7%	100%

Average one-hour lesson price by average weekly hours worked by ADIs

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 one-hour lesson prices by the average weekly hours ADIs work, put into 3 main price ranges.

Average weekly hours worked	£35 or less	£36 to £40	£41 or more	Total
15 hours or fewer	44.3%	38.4%	17.3%	100%
16 hours to 24 hours	35.1%	46.8%	18.1%	100%
25 hours to 34 hours	29.3%	50.0%	20.7%	100%
35 hours or more	24.0%	49.5%	26.5%	100%

Has the average price that you charge for a one-hour lesson changed over the last year?^{[footnote 1]}

5,461 people answered this question.

Average lesson price	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
The price has decreased	1.0%	0.8%	1.0%
The price has remained the same	8.6%	29.6%	32.6%
The price has increased	90.5%	68.5%	64.5%
Not sure[footnote 2]	0.0%	1.0%	2.0%

Managing your business

In this section:

Payment methods

Since June 2023, what methods do you use to take payments from your pupils?

5,522 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Payment method	Response rate
Bank transfer	94.4%
Cash	68.2%
Card or contactless mobile payments using a card reader in the car	11.2%
Payment app (for example, PayPal)	8.8%
Other	5.1%
Cheque	4.0%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

Thinking about the payment methods you accept, which do you think you use most often?

5,504 people answered this question.

Payment method	Response rate
Bank transfer	82.6%
Cash	8.0%
Card or contactless mobile payments using a card reader in the car	3.4%
Payment app (for example, PayPal)	2.8%
Other	3.1%
Cheque	0.1%

We did not ask this question in previous surveys, so we cannot compare the results.

Challenges affecting the business

Have any of the following affected your business in the last few months?

5,471 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Response	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
Increased lesson prices	43.5%	22.3%	57.9%
Increased my hours working as an ADI	28.3%	19.4%	22.0%
Pupils wanting less frequent lessons	45.8%	39.8%	44.5%
Pupils taking extended breaks from lessons (3 or more weeks)	50.4%	46.0%	51.7%
Requests from pupils I have not trained asking to be taken to a test	81.1%	75.1%	81.8%
None of these	5.9%	10.7%	3.8%

What are the reasons your pupils are taking extended breaks from lessons?

2,827 people answered this question.

ADIs were asked to select all options that applied to them. This means the totals do not add up to 100%.

Response	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
Financial constraints	64.6%	59.3%	64.9%
High waiting times for a driving test	89.6%	90.4%	89.2%
Caring responsibilities	3.0%	2.6%	2.9%
Increased educational or work commitments	22.6%	23.3%	24.5%
Health reasons	7.4%	6.6%	7.6%
Holiday	13.3%	12.6%	19.7%
Personal commitments (for example, house move)	6.3%	7.4%	8.9%
No longer wanting to learn to drive	6.3%	6.2%	6.7%
Other	5.4%	4.5%	4.9%

Approximately how many requests do you receive per week from pupils you have not trained asking to be taken to a test?

4,464 answered this question.

Response	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
0 to 1	35.2%	33.7%	42.1%
2 to 3	42.9%	44.1%	41.7%
4 to 5	10.6%	12.9%	9.9%
6 or more	11.2%	9.2%	6.4%

What are the key challenges you are currently facing within your role as an approved driving instructor?

There were 4,666 comments for this question.

The comments have been analysed using AI to categorise them into themes.

This chart shows what categories the comments related to.

Challenge	Percentage of respondents stating this challenge
Driving test waiting times and availability	40%
Other road users	20%
DVSA and driving examiners	15%
Learner driver readiness and attitudes	10%
Financial challenges	8%
Wellbeing and job satisfaction	3%
Road conditions and infrastructure	2%
Learner driver anxiety and special needs	1.5%
Other	0.5%

The table shows a summary of what each category covered.

Challenge	Comments
Driving test waiting times and availability	Comments about the long waiting times for driving tests, difficulties in booking tests, and the use of cancellation apps.
Other road users	Comments about the behavior and attitudes of other road users towards learner drivers.
DVSA and driving examiners	Comments about DVSA’s policies, perceived driving examiner inconsistencies, and the ADI standards check process.
Learner driver readiness and attitudes	Comments about learner drivers booking tests before they are ready, their attitudes towards learning, and pressure from parents.
Financial challenges	Comments about the cost of living, lesson affordability, and financial pressures on learners.
Wellbeing and job satisfaction	Comments about the mental health and job satisfaction of ADIs, including stress and anxiety.
Road conditions and infrastructure	Comments about poor road conditions, roadworks, and inadequate road signage.
Learner driver anxiety and special needs	Comments about learners drivers’ anxiety, mental health issues, and special educational needs.
Other	Comments that do not fit into the above categories, including general feedback and miscellaneous issues.

Number of pupils and their progress

Approximately how many learners are you actively training at this time?

5,424 people answered this question.

Survey	Number of learners
June 2021	22.3
January 2022	19.9
October 2022	20.4
June 2023	19.6
September 2024	18.6

Thinking about the learners that you are actively training, approximately how many have passed their theory test?

5,388 people answered this question.

Survey	Number of learners
June 2021	13.0
January 2022	12.3
October 2022	13.4
June 2023	13.0
September 2024	11.8

Thinking about the learners that you are actively training, approximately how many have a practical test booked?

5,373 people answered this question.

Survey	Number of learners
June 2021	8.0
January 2022	7.9
October 2022	9.0
June 2023	8.3
September 2024	7.6

Can you estimate how many of your candidates you think are likely to be ready for their driving test in the next 6 months?

5,450 people answered this question.

Number of candidates	1 to 5	6 to 10	11 to 20	21 to 30	31 or more	Total
June 2021	12.4%	30.2%	38.3%	14.4%	4.6%	100%
January 2022	17.4%	33.6%	37.2%	9.7%	2.0%	100%
October 2022	15.6%	32.3%	37.1%	11.9%	3.2%	100%
June 2023	17.2%	34.9%	36.1%	9.3%	2.4%	100%
September 2024	16.8%	35.7%	36.4%	8.8%	2.4%	100%

Lesson availability and waiting lists

Do you currently have availability to take on new pupils?

5,462 people answered this question.

Response	Yes	No	Total
October 2022	32.0%	68.0%	100%
June 2023	29.8%	70.2%	100%
September 2024	36.6%	63.4%	100%

Availability to take on new pupils by region

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by region. It’s ordered by the region with most to least availability to take on new pupils.

Region	Has availability to take on new pupils	Does not have availability to take on new pupils	Total
London	63.3%	36.7%	100%
West Midlands	41.2%	58.8%	100%
East of England	40.8%	59.2%	100%
South-east	39.8%	60.2%	100%
Wales	39.3%	60.7%	100%
East Midlands	37.9%	62.1%	100%
Yorkshire and the Humber	31.9%	68.1%	100%
South-west	30.6%	69.4%	100%
North-west	29.0%	71.0%	100%
North-east	26.8%	73.2%	100%
Scotland	24.8%	75.2%	100%

Availability to take on new pupils by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by the ADI’s gender.

ADI gender	Has availability to take on new pupils	Does not have availability to take on new pupils	Total
Male	40.2%	59.8%	100%
Female	26.8%	73.2%	100%

Due to the low number of respondents who identified as non-binary or had another way of describing their gender, they are not included in this chart.

Availability to take on new pupils by average one-hour lesson price

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by the average one-hour lesson price ADIs charge.

One-hour lesson price	Has availability to take on new pupils	Does not have availability to take on new pupils	Total
£25 or less	59.3%	40.7%	100%
£26 to £30	49.6%	50.4%	100%
£31 to £35	41.8%	58.2%	100%
£36 to £40	34.7%	65.3%	100%
£41 to £45	31.6%	68.4%	100%
£46 to £50	28.5%	71.5%	100%
£51 or more	30.6%	69.4%	100%

Do you currently have a waiting list for learners?

5,471 people answered this question.

Survey	Has a waiting list	Does not have a waiting list	Total
June 2021	81.9%	18.1%	100%
January 2022	72.1%	27.9%	100%
October 2022	65.1%	34.9%	100%
June 2023	63.3%	36.7%	100%
September 2024	56.4%	43.6%	100%

Waiting list by region

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by region. It’s ordered by the region with most to least ADIs having a waiting list.

Region	Has a waiting list	Does not have a waiting list	Total
North-west	65.8%	34.2%	100%
North-east	64.1%	35.9%	100%
Yorkshire and the Humber	62.9%	37.1%	100%
Scotland	61.7%	38.3%	100%
East of England	58.3%	41.7%	100%
South-west	56.8%	43.2%	100%
South-east	54.8%	45.2%	100%
West Midlands	54.3%	45.7%	100%
Wales	52.6%	47.4%	100%
East Midlands	52.5%	47.5%	100%
London	36.4%	63.6%	100%

Waiting list by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by the ADI’s gender.

Gender	Has a waiting list	Does not have a waiting list	Total
Male	53.3%	46.7%	100%
Female	64.4%	35.6%	100%

Due to the low number of respondents who identified as non-binary or had another way of describing their gender, they are not included in this chart.

Waiting list by average one-hour lesson price

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by the average one-hour lesson price ADIs charge.

One-hour lesson price	Has a waiting list	Does not have a waiting list	Total
£25 or less	35.7%	64.3%	100%
£26 to £30	39.3%	60.7%	100%
£31 to £35	51.0%	49.0%	100%
£36 to £40	59.7%	40.3%	100%
£41 to £45	59.5%	40.5%	100%
£46 to £50	62.2%	37.8%	100%
£51 or more	59.2%	40.8%	100%

How many learners do you have waiting to start lessons?

3,077 people answered this question.

Survey	1 to 5	6 to 10	11 to 20	More than 20	Total
June 2021	27.7%	30.7%	20.9%	20.8%	100%
January 2022	33.9%	34.5%	20.2%	11.4%	100%
October 2022	33.7%	34.8%	20.3%	11.2%	100%
June 2023	43.1%	30.8%	15.4%	10.7%	100%
September 2024	47.7%	30.1%	14.3%	7.9%	100%

How long do you expect to have a waiting list of learners?

3,073 people answered this question.

Survey	Up to 3 months	Up to 6 months	Up to 9 months	Up to a year	Over a year	Not sure	Total
June 2021	27.4%	30.0%	12.2%	10.6%	10.3%	9.4%	100%
January 2022	37.9%	26.7%	6.9%	7.5%	9.1%	11.9%	100%
October 2022	36.7%	28.8%	6.6%	7.0%	9.8%	11.0%	100%
June 2023	32.8%	25.6%	6.6%	7.4%	15.0%	12.6%	100%
September 2024	36.4%	25.3%	6.1%	6.9%	12.7%	12.4%	100%

Your work

In this section:

Attitudes towards the job

I am interested in my work as an ADI

5,519 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	55.2%
Agree	36.3%
Neither agree nor disagree	5.9%
Disagree	1.9%
Strongly disagree	0.8%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	90.4%	6.7%	2.9%	100%
September 2024	91.5%	5.9%	2.7%	100%

My work as an ADI gives me a sense of personal accomplishment

5,527 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	54.8%
Agree	36.9%
Neither agree nor disagree	5.6%
Disagree	2.0%
Strongly disagree	0.8%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	90.8%	6.3%	2.8%	100%
September 2024	91.7%	5.6%	2.8%	100%

I understand how my work as an ADI contributes to making road transport safer, cleaner and healthier

5,519 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	58.9%
Agree	32.3%
Neither agree nor disagree	6.2%
Disagree	1.5%
Strongly disagree	1.1%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	90.5%	6.9%	2.7%	100%
September 2024	91.2%	6.2%	2.6%	100%

I understand the voluntary ADI code of practice and what it means for my conduct and standards

The ADI code of practice sets out how ADIs should behave in their personal conduct and business dealings, including advertising their services and settling disputes.

5,526 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	61.1%
Agree	32.2%
Neither agree nor disagree	5.5%
Disagree	0.7%
Strongly disagree	0.4%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	93.2%	5.3%	1.5%	100%
September 2024	93.3%	5.5%	1.1%	100%

I have the opportunity to contribute my views to DVSA before decisions are made that affect me

5,507 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	10.8%
Agree	19.2%
Neither agree nor disagree	31.3%
Disagree	20.4%
Strongly disagree	18.3%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	35.3%	29.1%	35.6%	100%
September 2024	30.0%	31.3%	38.7%	100%

Your future as an ADI

Which of the following statements most reflects your current thoughts about working as an ADI?

5,508 people answered this question.

Response	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
I want to leave my role as an ADI as soon as possible	3.8%	5.3%	4.6%
I want to leave my role as an ADI within the next 12 months	8.1%	9.5%	7.6%
I want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next year	16.3%	16.9%	17.0%
I want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next 3 years	71.8%	68.3%	70.8%

Future as an ADI by age

This chart shows ADIs’ current thoughts about working as an ADI, split by age. To simplify the data, it is shown in 3 groups:

• those who want to leave their role as an ADI within the next 12 months (including as soon as possible)
• those who want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next year
• those who want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next 3 years

Age group	Want to leave their role as an ADI within the next 12 months (including as soon as possible)	Want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next year	Want to stay working as an ADI for at least the next 3 years	Total
21 to 24	8.3%	16.7%	75.0%	100%
25 to 29	10.3%	22.1%	67.6%	100%
30 to 34	9.2%	20.4%	70.4%	100%
35 to 39	6.2%	17.6%	75.8%	100%
40 to 44	12.1%	13.4%	74.5%	100%
45 to 49	7.7%	13.6%	78.7%	100%
50 to 54	9.2%	13.8%	77.0%	100%
55 to 59	11.7%	14.1%	74.2%	100%
60 to 64	15.8%	17.1%	67.1%	100%
65 to 69	24.3%	32.1%	43.6%	100%
70 to 74	18.5%	30.4%	51.1%	100%
75 and over	12.8%	35.9%	51.3%	100%

Skills and resources

In this section:

Tools to do the job

I have the tools I need to do my job effectively

5,535 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	41.0%
Agree	44.3%
Neither agree nor disagree	8.7%
Disagree	4.0%
Strongly disagree	1.9%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	84.9%	9.1%	6.0%	100%
September 2024	85.3%	8.7%	5.9%	100%

You stated that you do not have the tools needed to do your job effectively. Why is this?

There were 320 comments for this question.

The comments have been analysed using AI to categorise them into issues.

Issue	Percentage of respondents stating this issue
Lack of driving test availability	65%
Lack of support and communication from DVSA	15%
Perceived inconsistent driving examiner standards	10%
Outdated booking system	10%
Need for quality and relevant continuing professional development (CPD)	10%
High cost of training and development	5%
Inadequate training resources for learner drivers with special educational needs	5%
Lack of respect and appreciation for ADIs	5%
Poor road conditions and signage	5%

Support from DVSA

DVSA keeps me informed about matters that affect me

5,535 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	15.2%
Agree	39.9%
Neither agree nor disagree	27.1%
Disagree	11.4%
Strongly disagree	6.3%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	63.0%	23.6%	13.3%	100%
September 2024	55.1%	27.1%	17.7%	100%

What more can DVSA do to support you?

There were 313 suggestions for this question.

The suggestions have been analysed using AI to categorise them into themes.

This chart shows what theme the suggestions related to.

Theme	Percentage of respondents stating this idea
Increase driving examiner recruitment and retention	25%
Improve driving test availability and reduce waiting times	20%
Improve communication and collaboration with ADIs	15%
Regulate driving test booking and prevent abuse of the system	12%
Provide training and continuing professional development (CPD)	10%
Improve standards and fairness in testing	8%
Address issues with driving test centres and driving examiners	5%
Provide support for neurodiverse and anxious learner drivers	3%
Increase transparency and accountability	1%

The table shows a summary of what each theme covered.

Theme	Comments
Increase driving examiner recruitment and retention	Suggestions include recruiting more driving examiners, offering better pay and conditions, and retaining current driving examiners.
Improve driving test availability and reduce waiting times	Suggestions focus on increasing the number of test slots, reducing waiting times, and making tests more accessible.
Improve communication and collaboration with ADIs	Suggestions include better communication with ADIs, holding regular meetings, and involving ADIs in decision-making processes.
Regulate driving test booking and prevent abuse of the system	Suggestions involve stopping bots and third-party apps from booking tests, ensuring only ADIs or learner drivers can book tests, and implementing secure booking systems.
Provide training and continuing professional development (CPD)	Suggestions include offering CPD opportunities, standardising training, and providing resources for ADIs.
Improve standards and fairness in testing	Suggestions focus on consistent marking, fairer test criteria, and addressing issues with the current ADI standards check system.
Address issues with driving test centres and driving examiners	Suggestions include improving test centre facilities, making sure driving examiners are well-trained, and addressing driving examiner behaviour.
Provide support for neurodiverse and anxious learner drivers	Suggestions involve providing better support for learner drivers with neurodiverse conditions and anxiety.
Increase transparency and accountability	Suggestions include making DVSA more accountable and transparent in its operations.

National standard for driver and rider training

The national standard for driver and rider training sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know and understand to provide training to drivers and riders.

Within an average year, how often do you read the national standard for driver and rider training?

5,508 people answered this question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
More frequently than once a month	5.3%	5.3%
Monthly	13.5%	11.2%
Quarterly	21.2%	20.4%
Biannually	8.1%	7.9%
Annually	29.4%	31.9%
Never	18.8%	19.8%
Not applicable (been in the role less than a year)	3.8%	3.6%

How often do you use the national standard for driver and rider training guidance to inform your teaching?

5,512 people answered this question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Always	15.8%	16.5%
Usually	23.5%	22.5%
Sometimes	28.9%	28.7%
Rarely	14.1%	15.6%
Never	14.2%	13.9%
I have not read this guidance	3.5%	2.9%

‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign

The ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign provides tools and resources to help your pupils prepare for their driving test and check if they are ready.

Are you aware of our ‘Ready to Pass?’ campaign resources?

5,471 people answered this question.

Survey	Yes	No	Total
October 2022	72.5%	27.5%	100%
June 2023	89.6%	10.4%	100%
September 2024	87.5%	12.5%	100%

Now you are aware of the campaign, will you use or plan to use the campaign resources to help you and your pupils to prepare for their driving tests?

This question was only asked to those who said they were not aware of the campaign resources. 681 people answered the question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
I will consider using the resources	70.9%	72.8%
I will not consider using the resources	11.1%	8.4%
Not sure	18.0%	18.8%

How regularly do you use or plan to use the ‘Ready to Pass?’ resources to help prepare your pupils for their tests?

4,789 people answered this question.

Response	October 2022	June 2023	September 2024
With all my pupils	27.8%	30.5%	30.8%
With my pupils who have an upcoming test	45.0%	38.3%	37.8%
I do not use them	27.1%	31.2%	31.4%

Driving test centres

ADIs were asked how strongly they agree or disagree with the following statements when thinking about the driving test centre they visit the most.

DVSA colleagues make me feel welcome every time I visit

5,530 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	35.6%
Agree	38.5%
Neither agree nor disagree	17.1%
Disagree	6.0%
Strongly disagree	2.7%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	72.0%	18.3%	9.7%	100%
September 2024	74.1%	17.1%	8.7%	100%

I trust the knowledge and expertise of the DVSA colleagues at this site

5,524 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	33.0%
Agree	42.7%
Neither agree nor disagree	17.0%
Disagree	5.2%
Strongly disagree	2.1%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	71.9%	19.4%	8.8%	100%
September 2024	75.7%	17.0%	7.3%	100%

I feel comfortable to discuss any issues or concerns I have with DVSA colleagues at this site

5,521 people answered the question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	29.4%
Agree	32.2%
Neither agree nor disagree	20.7%
Disagree	11.9%
Strongly disagree	5.8%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	58.4%	21.5%	20.1%	100%
September 2024	61.6%	20.7%	17.7%	100%

When thinking about the driving test centre you most frequently visit, and the relationship you have with the DVSA colleagues there, how could we improve?

There were 3,311 comments for this question.

The comments have been analysed using AI to categorise them into themes.

This chart shows what categories the comments related to.

Theme	Percentage of respondents stating this theme
Friendliness and approachability	20%
Consistency and fairness	15%
Communication and feedback	18%
Facilities and environment	12%
Professionalism and conduct	10%
Availability of driving examiners and driving tests	8%
Driving examiner training and development	7%
Collaboration and relationship building	5%
Feedback mechanisms	3%
Test centre management	2%

The table shows a summary of what each theme covered.

Theme	Comments
Friendliness and approachability	This includes suggestions about driving examiners being more friendly, approachable, and making an effort to put learner drivers at ease.
Consistency and fairness	This covers comments about the need for consistent marking, fair treatment, and avoiding bias.
Communication and feedback	This includes suggestions for better communication between driving instructors and driving examiners, more detailed feedback after tests, and regular meetings.
Facilities and environment	This covers suggestions about improving the test centre facilities, such as waiting rooms, toilets, and availability of refreshments.
Professionalism and conduct	This includes comments about driving examiners maintaining a professional demeanor, avoiding aggressive behaviour, and treating driving instructors and learner drivers with respect.
Availability of driving examiners and driving tests	This covers suggestions about increasing the number of driving examiners, reducing test waiting times, and offering more test slots.
Driving examiner training and development	This includes suggestions for better training for driving examiners, especially in dealing with nervous candidates and understanding special needs.
Collaboration and relationship building	This covers suggestions for more collaborative relationships, such as meet and greet events, open days, and regular discussions.
Feedback mechanisms	This includes suggestions for having official channels to report driving examiner conduct and making sure action is taken on complaints.
Test centre management	This covers comments about making test centre managers more accessible and responsive to concerns.

Continuing professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is voluntary training you can take to keep your skills up to date. It can include things like updating your training skills, going on formal courses, carrying out online research, developing your business skills, or going to local or national meetings and events.

Taking CPD

I am able to access the right continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities when I need to

5,526 people answered this question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	24.2%
Agree	42.8%
Neither agree nor disagree	26.8%
Disagree	3.3%
Strongly disagree	2.8%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	61.8%	29.9%	8.2%	100%
September 2024	67.0%	26.8%	6.1%	100%

Have you completed any continuing professional development (CPD) activities in the past 12 months?

5,535 people answered this question.

Response	Yes	No	Not sure	Total
June 2023	53.6%	40.2%	6.3%	100%
September 2024	61.6%	32.8%	5.6%	100%

CPD completed by region

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by region. It’s ordered by the region with most to least ADIs completing CPD.

Region	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
South-west	67.7%	27.5%	4.7%	100%
Scotland	66.9%	29.5%	3.6%	100%
East Midlands	66.5%	28.1%	5.4%	100%
Wales	64.5%	33.1%	2.4%	100%
Yorkshire and the Humber	63.0%	32.4%	4.6%	100%
North-west	62.0%	32.7%	5.4%	100%
East of England	60.0%	35.1%	4.9%	100%
West Midlands	59.8%	35.2%	5.0%	100%
South-east	59.3%	33.6%	7.2%	100%
North-east	59.2%	34.8%	6.0%	100%
London	44.3%	45.1%	10.6%	100%

CPD completed by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of the September 2024 results by the ADI’s gender.

Region	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
Male	59.3%	34.7%	5.9%	100%
Female	67.3%	28.3%	4.4%	100%

Due to the low number of respondents who identified as non-binary or had another way of describing their gender, they are not included in this chart.

CPD completed by average one-hour lesson price

This chart shows whether or not ADIs have done any CPD in the last 12 months, split by the average hourly lesson price they charge.

One-hour lesson price charged	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
£25 or less	46.4%	42.9%	10.7%	100%
£26 to £30	44.4%	48.1%	7.5%	100%
£31 to £35	53.0%	39.2%	7.8%	100%
£36 to £40	63.7%	31.4%	4.9%	100%
£41 to £45	69.7%	26.1%	4.3%	100%
£46 to £50	71.0%	26.4%	2.6%	100%
£51 or more	85.7%	10.2%	4.1%	100%

CPD completed by time qualified as an ADI

This chart shows whether or not ADIs have done any CPD in the last 12 months, split by the length of time they’ve been qualified as an ADI.

Length of time as an ADI	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
Less than one year as an ADI	62.7%	29.3%	8.1%	100%
1 to 4 years as an ADI	69.6%	24.9%	5.5%	100%
5 to 8 years as an ADI	64.9%	29.5%	5.7%	100%
9 to 12 years as an ADI	57.3%	36.3%	6.4%	100%
More than 12 years as an ADI	57.6%	37.3%	5.1%	100%

CPD completed by average weekly working hours

This chart shows whether or not ADIs have done any CPD in the last 12 months, split by the average weekly hours they spend working as an ADI.

Length of time as an ADI	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
15 hours or fewer	51.8%	41.2%	7.0%	100%
16 hours to 24 hours	62.2%	31.9%	5.9%	100%
25 hours to 34 hours	64.0%	30.5%	5.5%	100%
35 hours or more	61.7%	33.6%	4.8%	100%

CPD completed by future plans as an ADI

This chart shows whether or not ADIs have done any CPD in the last 12 months, split by their future plans as an ADI.

Future plans as an ADI	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done CPD in the last 12 months	Total
Want to leave their role as soon as possible	54.3%	41.4%	4.3%	100%
Want to leave their role within the next 12 months	53.3%	41.0%	5.7%	100%
Want to stay as an ADI for at least the next year	61.8%	32.3%	5.9%	100%
Want to stay as an ADI for at least the next 3 years	62.9%	31.5%	5.6%	100%

CPD completed by interest in their role as an ADI

This chart shows whether or not ADIs have done any CPD in the last 12 months, split by how interested they are in their role as an ADI.

Interest in their role	CPD done in last 12 months	No CPD done in last 12 months	Not sure if they’ve done any CPD in the last 12 months	Total
Strongly agree they are interested	65.7%	28.9%	5.4%	100%
Agree they are interested	58.4%	35.9%	5.7%	100%
Neither agree nor disagree they are interested	50.2%	41.2%	8.6%	100%
Disagree they are interested	44.8%	52.4%	2.9%	100%
Strongly disagree they are interested	50.0%	47.6%	2.4%	100%

Impact of taking CPD

Continuing professional development (CPD) activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance as an ADI

This question was only asked to those who said they had done CPD in the last 12 months.

3,399 people answered this question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	31.8%
Agree	46.4%
Neither agree nor disagree	19.4%
Disagree	2.1%
Strongly disagree	0.3%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	76.9%	20.2%	2.8%	100%
September 2024	78.2%	19.4%	2.4%	100%

Health and wellbeing

In this section:

Physical health

In general, how would you rate your overall physical health now?

5,530 people answered this question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Very good	23.2%	22.3%
Good	42.6%	43.5%
Fair	25.7%	26.1%
Poor	7.2%	7.1%
Very poor	1.3%	1.0%

In the last 12 months I have experienced musculoskeletal problems

Musculoskeletal conditions include conditions that affect joints, bones, muscles, or areas of the body (for example, back pain or neck pain).

5,518 people answered this question about how much they agreed with this statement.

Response	Response rate
Strongly agree	24.5%
Agree	37.3%
Neither agree nor disagree	13.0%
Disagree	13.5%
Strongly disagree	11.6%

This chart compares how this has changed over time. To simplify the chart, it shows total agreement and total disagreement grouped together.

Survey	Agreement	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagreement	Total
June 2023	59.3%	13.5%	27.2%	100%
September 2024	61.8%	13.0%	25.1%	100%

Experienced musculoskeletal problems by time qualified as an ADI

This chart shows whether ADIs agreed or disagreed that they had experienced musculoskeletal problems the last 12 months, split by how long they’ve been qualified as an ADI.

Time qualified as an ADI	Agree they have experienced musculoskeletal problems in the last 12 months	Neither agree nor disagree	Disagree they have experienced musculoskeletal problems in the last 12 months	Total
Less than a year	46.4%	18.9%	34.6%	100%
Between 1 to 4 years	61.1%	12.8%	26.2%	100%
Between 5 to 8 years	65.7%	11.0%	23.3%	100%
Between 9 to 12 years	66.5%	10.7%	22.9%	100%
More than 12 years	62.6%	13.2%	24.2%	100%

Mental health

In general, how would you rate your overall mental health at the moment?

5,530 people answered this question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Very good	26.7%	28.6%
Good	38.4%	40.7%
Fair	23.7%	22.1%
Poor	9.1%	6.9%
Very poor	2.0%	1.7%

Caring responsibilities

Do you currently have any caring responsibilities that impact your work as an approved driving instructor?

This includes any time spent providing unpaid care to a family member, friend or child.

5,523 people answered this question.

Response	June 2023	September 2024
Yes	26.7%	27.2%
No	67.6%	68.6%
Prefer not to say	5.7%	4.2%

Caring responsibilities by ADI gender

This chart shows a breakdown of September 2024 caring responsibilities by the ADI’s gender.

Gender	Has caring responsibilities	Does not have caring responsibilities	Prefer not to say	Total
Male	23.7%	72.1%	4.2%	100%
Female	36.4%	60.4%	3.2%	100%

1. In the October 2022 survey, ADIs were asked if they had changed the price over the last 2 years. ↩

2. The ‘Not sure’ option was added to this question from the June 2023 survey onwards ↩