Publication of ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2022/23 Quarter Three'

Date published: 01 March 2023

The ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2022/23 Quarter Three’ report, detailing statistics for October to December 2022, is now available.

Statistical press release

The report is produced and published by NISRA statisticians working within the  Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). It contains summary statistical, performance, and trend information relating to the main business functions of the DVA and other licensing activity. 

The publication is available on the DfI website at: Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics

Key Points:

  • During quarter three October to December 2022, DVA delivered 290,462 vehicle tests, the highest quarterly count on record.
  • Private car full tests conducted this quarter is at an all-time high of 209,340.
  • Over 13,310 vehicles failed to attend a booked vehicle test, the highest on record which equates to 4.5% (290,462) of all vehicles tested this quarter.
  • Online internet bookings accounted for over 94% of all vehicle test applications, the remaining 6% made via DVA call centres. 
  • DVA delivered 22,026 theory tests the highest quarter three count since the start of this series in 2012/13.
  • The DVA conducted 17,483 driving tests this quarter, the highest quarter three count on record in over ten years.
  • Driver Licensing online applications processing performance in the first three quarters of 2022/23, remained above the target level of 95% at 99.7%, 99.2% and 99.6% respectively.
  • Progress made during the last quarter of 2021/22 continued into the first three quarters of 2022/23, with performance levels for driver licensing paper applications above the 90% target at 94.3%, 96.0% and 98.3% respectively.
  • At the end of December 2022, there were 7,802 licensed taxi drivers, a fall of 1.7% (137) relative to the end of September 2022 (7,939).
  • DVA was active across the full range of enforcement activities in quarter three, with 835 enforcement checks, 86 fixed penalty notices issued totalling £8,720, 13 joint operations with PSNI, and four cross border operations with An Garda Síochána. There were 16 spot checks on school buses this quarter, six successful convictions with the value of court fines and costs amounting to £5,040.

Notes to editors: 

  1. This is the thirty-third edition of the quarterly report ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics’, relating to October to December 2022.  
  2. The release covers the main DVA business areas: vehicle testing, theory testing, driver testing, driver licensing, road transport and taxi licensing, enforcement and goods operator licensing from within the DfI.  Also included in the quarterly report are monitoring results for the first three quarters of 2022/23 for two key DVA driver licensing performance targets.
  3. Vehicle licensing statistics for quarter two July to September 2022 are included in the report; however, they are no longer a DVA business area: responsibility for vehicle licensing transferred to DVLA in July 2014 and DfT now publish these statistics on a UK-wide basis. 
  4. We derive the majority of statistics from administrative data sources held within the DVA and the DfI’s Transport Regulation Unit. 
  5. The report is written, and issued by NISRA statisticians in the DVA. 
  6. ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator and Enforcement Statistics’ is published every quarter at pre-announced release dates, which are available from the GOV.UK website.
  7. Electronic copies of the ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2022-23 Quarter One’ can be downloaded from our website at: Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics
  8. A detailed User Guidance document is also available on our website.
  9. This is a National Statistics report and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code on the Statistics Authority’s website.
  10. For further information, please contact:

DVA Statistics Branch,
Driver and Vehicle Agency,
Annex 4,
Belfast Test Centre,
66 Balmoral Road,
Belfast,
BT12 6QL
  1. Follow the Department for Infrastructure on Twitter @deptinfra and on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure.
  2. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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