Publication of ‘DVA Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics – February 2025
Date published:
The ‘DVA Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics – February 2025’ report, is now available.
The publication is produced by DVA Statistics Branch of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), and contains summary volumes on vehicle, driver, and theory tests conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) up to the end of February 2025.
The publication is available on the DfI website at:
Key Points
The key points in the report are:
Please note that DVA services were impacted by industrial strike action on 22nd September 2023 and 18th January 2024, so testing volumes for these months are lower than would have been the case had these been routine working days.
Temporary Exemption Certificates (TECs) – Private cars only. From 1 June 2024, private cars that were first registered between 1 June 2019 and 31 May 2020 or between 1 June 2017 and 31 May 2018, and have a valid Northern Ireland MOT will be given a Temporary Exemption Certificate (TEC). This means they will not need a vehicle test (MOT) for 12 months from the date their current certificate expires. These certificates were introduced to reduce the number of private car applications, but tests conducted were to remain the same or the agency would test more as required.
Please note that all MOT centres were closed due to the impact of Storm Éowyn on the 24th January 2025. Testing for January 2025 is therefore lower than expected, in comparison with services running as usual.
Vehicle Testing
In February 2025, the DVA conducted 101,783 vehicle tests of which 85,929 (84.4%) were full tests and 15,854 (15.6%) were retests.
The February 2025 figure is an increase of 3,538 (3.6%) vehicle tests compared with the total number conducted in February 2024 and represents the highest number of vehicle tests conducted in a February period since the series began.
For this financial year to date 2024/25 (April to February), DVA delivered 1,058,543 vehicle tests, 905,946 (85.6%) full tests and 152,597 (14.4%) retests respectively.
The DVA received 79,915 applications for a full vehicle test during February 2025, relative to 91,980 for the same month in 2024.
Driving Practical Testing
The DVA conducted 5,383 practical driver tests in February 2025, 3.2% (167) higher relative to the same month in 2024 (5,216).
From April to February 2024/25, DVA delivered 63,256 driver tests, compared to 57,941 for the same period in 2023/24, an increase of 9.2% (5,315) so far this year.
In February 2025, DVA received 5,752 applications for a driving test, 51 fewer than for the same month in 2024 (5,803).
Driver Theory Testing
In February 2025 the DVA delivered 7,432 driver theory tests, 6.0% (477) below the equivalent figure for the same month in 2024 (7,909).
Year to date, April to February 2024/25, the DVA conducted 82,123 theory tests, compared with and slightly above the 81,752 conducted in the same period the previous year 2023/24.
The DVA received 8,924 applications for a driver theory test during February 2025, 460 less than for the same month in 2024 (9,384).
Notes to editors:
- This is the fifty-third edition of the publication ‘DVA Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics’, to February 2025.
- The release presents statistics on vehicle, driver, and theory tests conducted during February 2025, together with trend series over the previous ten financial years.
- We source vehicle and driver data from administrative data sources within the DVA, whilst DVSA supply theory-testing data. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) took over the contract for theory testing from Pearson on 4 September 2021.
- ‘DVA Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics’ is published every month at pre-announced release dates, which are available from the GOV.UK website.
- Electronic copies of ‘DVA Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics – February 2025’ can be downloaded from our website at: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/publications/driver-and-vehicle-agency-monthly-tests-conducted-statistics-february-2025
- A detailed User Guidance document is also available on our website.
- This report supplements the existing quarterly National Statistics publication ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics’. The latest edition of this for quarter two 2024-25 is available on our website at: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/driver-vehicle-agency-activity-statistics
- This is an Official Statistics publication and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. You can find further information about the Code of Practice at: https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/
- For further information, please contact: DVA Statistics, Driver and Vehicle Agency, Department for Infrastructure, Hydebank House,4 Hospital Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, BT8 8JP.
Tel (public enquiries): 02890 547911 (Text relay prefix 18001)
E-mail: DVA.Statistics@nisra.gov.uk
Website: https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/driver-and-vehicle-agency-monthly-tests-conducted-statistics - 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.
- Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra, on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure and on LinkedIn at Department for Infrastructure.