2025 Driving Instructor Survey – Key Findings

📊 2025 Driving Instructor Survey – Key Findings

Overview

• The survey gathered responses from 3,448 approved driving instructors (ADIs) across England, Scotland, and Wales in October 2025.

• It reflects trends in working conditions, business challenges, pupil demand, and instructor perspectives.

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🕐 Work and Business Insights

Work Patterns

• 56.6 % of ADIs work at least 25 hours per week — slightly down from 2024.

• The most common hourly lesson rate is £36–£40 (50.3 %).

• About 45.4 % are currently available to take on new pupils — a rise compared with last year.

• 91.4 % feel the job gives them a sense of personal accomplishment.

• 85.8 % plan to stay in the role over the next year.

• 62.2 % have done some professional development in the past year.

• 60.8 % have experienced musculoskeletal health issues, likely linked to the job’s demands.

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🚧 Challenges Affecting Driving Instructor Businesses

Instructors were asked which issues have recently affected their work. Key points include:

Recent Trends (2019–2025)

🧠 Main Business Challenges (From Instructor Comments)

ADIs provided thousands of comments; these were grouped into themes:

Top Challenges

• Driving test availability & long waits – by far the biggest problem, with test slots often months away, making lesson planning hard.

• DVSA policies & administration issues, including slow responses and booking system frustrations.

• Test booking system exploitation – bots and third-party resellers snapping up test slots and selling them at high prices.

• Pupil retention & scheduling – learners putting lessons on hold due to test delays.

• Managing pupil expectations & readiness – pressure on instructors to take pupils to tests before they’re ready.

• Other concerns include road user behaviour, financial pressure (fuel, insurance), inconsistent examiners, and competition from low-quality instructors.

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📌 Takeaway

The 2025 survey paints a picture of an industry that is stable in instructor satisfaction but dealing with serious structural challenges, especially around test availability, booking systems, and pupil progression. These issues affect both instructors’ business stability and learners’ ability to complete training in a timely way.