Dvla Reviews 

1 start only because cannot rate 0. Worst process ever, in 2026 still doing things via post. Support very rude and not able to check pending applications. My licence has been with them for more than 2 months now and they ship it back using 2nd class and they lost it!
Really bad experience and staff not professional and no internal communication. Also, on the D1 form they have all my info and they do not communicate with me at any time, I am calling them every day.

Absolutely unacceptable service – extremely disappointed
My experience with DVLA has been absolutely terrible. What should have been a straightforward driving licence renewal and change of address has turned into an extremely long and stressful process.
I have sent my documents and driving licence multiple times, corrected the information they requested, and still I have been left waiting without any proper resolution. Communication has been extremely poor. Nobody contacted me promptly when there was a problem with my application, and I have had to repeatedly chase DVLA myself to find out what is happening.
I am a professional driver. My driving licence is not just a piece of plastic – it is how I earn my living. Because of these delays, my ability to work has been seriously affected and I have faced losing employment and income.
What I find most frustrating is the lack of urgency even after explaining that my livelihood depends on this licence. I have done everything that has been asked of me, yet I am still waiting and worrying about whether I can work.
A government agency responsible for something as important as driving licences should understand the consequences these delays can have on people's lives and employment.
I am extremely disappointed with the service, communication and handling of my case. I would not expect anyone to have to go through this amount of stress simply to renew a licence and update an address.
One of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had.

Absolute waste of time! I applied for a V5C and tried to tax my vehicle at the Post Office and over the telephone, but with no success. To make matters worse, I received a fine for having no vehicle tax before my new V5C had even arrived

What a total shambles the DVLA seems to be these days ......... after 52 years of driving i recently needed to update my old green paper licence to a photo card at the same time as changing my address ........ so making several calls to DVLA ( often to people who struggled to speak English ) and one of whom sent me a crazy Email suggesting i change my name by deed poll i sent a very neat and thorough application package to DVLA and 3 weeks later received a rejection which requested an adoption certificate ( ive never been adopted ) ......... and after more calls and much investigation i then sent the identical unchanged application package back to DVLA and a few weeks later received my new photo card licence .......... I then raised an online complaint about this fiasco and received confirmation stating that they would get back to me within 10 days but despite numerous chases 50 days later i got a response which supported the original rejection ......... so i tried escalating this and have chased it up every day since but another month later and i have still heard nothing .......... What bunch of incompetents are now running this government organisation ?? ..........

Rip off government as usual, you pay for 12 months car tax, and they tell you it runs out after 11 months, and refuse to give you some money back, is it any wonder the government can give themselves huge pay rises when they do things like this.

1 star is even too much!! The medical department are the most unhelpful department…… I’ve been waiting for test results since 23rd June which are meant to take 2-3 weeks to get results,
it’s now the 6th Oct and still no results…… you can’t speak to a manager or case worker. You email in and get no response!
It’s the worst service I have ever received! Which is now increasing my stress levels beyond words trying to get an answer.

Updates my Reviews:-It is illegal not to updated the address to the DVLA so I did online form previously but didn't received my DRIVING LICENCE updated one. From my sides never been any disabled rules and regulations unless not into my hands. Very serious misconduct caused by the Authorities not by me. So I called Customers Services got advised I have to posted previous one otherwise paid £20, not online paper form so I did. This is the facts and truth that this is my address is. BANK NHS and it's not unrecognised or any concerns should to be. Plenty of times I was in temporarily housing for a short while just for 2 months and I received every places updated DRIVING LICENCE this is the first time distressed unnecessarily issues caused. MET POLICE also this address. Even though if I visited abroad or travelling I parked my Car here under this Council because of safe Car parks. Solutions done send back to my previous DRIVING LICENCE. Big big housing big big bills no more I don't want or housing buying so far thoughts to be losts. So cheap Vehicle everything is cheap because of the nature of uncertainty Curruptions and Crimes. Thanks indeed.

This is perfect FEEDBACK and REVIEWS because of MORTAGES RENT AGREEMENTS Recuied for changing the address so funny. How about PRIME MINISTERS LETTERS after being living in UK more than a Decades not too long to ended up 2 Decades Permanent Residents everything Permanent not only address only because of failures of Prevent Housing Curruptions Criminalisms. But this is a new failures of DVLA to do correct judgments or following the rules and regulations under the BRITISH GOVERNMENT. I am doing right things not any kinds of illegal Laws breaking myself this is just all about failures of all Services fully covered by the Curruptions. Even though I didn't submitted anything while I submitted PROVISIONAL LICENCE I was INTERNATIONAL STUDENT nothing I was under the COUNCIL Services or DWP now 2026 I needed MORTAGES RENT AGREEMENTS what a real shame for the DVLA. Please be normal commonsense doesn't needs to be Considered this isn't Considered matters rather than the actual facts current circumstances. DWP given me the rights or they are considerable for me. I am so Thankful and grateful for their wise ideal commonsense. MORTAGES and big POSH flats rentals are calling me to given MORTAGES and Big Housing Rent. Ashamed and I am so sorry for given actual feedback and reviews which in this matters DVLA deserves for address Changing. So what is this the Laws says it's illegal to driven my Car. This I knew some possibly has good sence of knowledge which isn't correct thoughts. Thanks for became non judgmental DVLA FUUNY MORTAGES RENT AGREEMENTS.

Impossible to renew your tax via telephone - Cuts you off every time! Won't accept your card details and tells you that you have entered the wrong numbers when you've only just been given chance to add one number! Tried several times thinking maybe I was too slow but you can't do it no matter what speed you try. The most frustrating experience and completely useless system as it doesn't work. Bring back humans!!!!!!

While applying for a lorry license, the DVLA wrote to my doctor asking for information, which they sent to the DVLA 6 weeks ago. I have not badgered the DVLA on progress unil today, so I phoned them. I did get through, and there was a well-trained person on the other end. She told me that yes, they have the information now and it is in a queue to be dealt with. She told me that she was unable to tell how long the queue is, or how far along the queue I am. She also told me that I could not speak to the person who will be dealing with my application because that would hold up the queue. Therefore, due to the aformentioned reasons, she told me that it is not possible to provide an update or any kind of timescale for my provisional lorry license. The only light at the end of the tunnel was that the doctor had sent "a lot of information", so there was "a chance" that the DVLA would not have to go back to the doctor for more. How delightful.

DVLA absolutely disgusting have no respect for older people and I have now lost my licence because I live in the middle of nowhere and cannot get to one of their opticians so I've been penalised and they say DO IT OR LOSE IT. total disrespect for the older generation and disabled.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour from dvla will not give me any information whatsoever about mother in law’s license she’s in a position that’s she could lose £2500 pounds because they will not help

These disgusting robbing scumbags keep fining me even though I have taxed my vehicle. The first time they sent me a fine was because they said my tax had ran out and I taxed it literally half an hour within them clamping my car and then had to pay £100 to get my car unclamped as they refused my appeal to them. And on top of that they sent me a letter saying I had to pay arrears and another £40 fine which came to £75 because it was illegally on the road so I paid this also. And now surprise surprise I get another letter this morning stating I now have to pay another fine of £105 for the clamping authorities or some shit like that these scumbags need investigating as they are just out to rob the general public and phonelines are a complete joke have to wait forever to speak to someone and staff are very rude.

3 departments which do not communicate. Address changed with one not communicated to the others.
Changed address succesfully for V5C, but not driving licence. Gov.one login dose not recognise me from Driving Licence or Passport. This is a Public Service which is not fit for the 20th century, let alone the 21st. They advised me to contact my MP - useless about another situation.

Do NOT trust whats on there system, i looked at a Veyicle to see if it had tax, put in the reg with it saying no tax and so reported it, after some time i went back on and looked at the history with it coming back saying its taxed, so LIES were given with there system not up to date given false information, i sent them as above on feedback, then there system was closed.

Took over 7 weeks for my V5. Calling them is a nightmare, staff disinterested and unhelpful. WhatsApp chat a waste of time. An abysmal service that have the cheek to charge you. Made a complaint 2 weeks ago and no response.

Who does this company think it is, unbelievably poor, I told them that I don't own a car that is was written off by my insurance company who told me to give them the log book which I did, yet 4 moths later I'm still being chased by DVLA for un paid car tax on a car that no longer exists. PATHETIC

Not worth even 1 star, have been waiting for a v5 for around 4 months, dvla have no interest in sorting this, they cashed the £50 charge and have left me with a car stuck in Spain, as Police told me if they catch us driving it without the logbook the car would be confiscated, the dvla have even sent letters to the previous owner asking who he sold the car to, it is a one owner car before us, and they cant even sort that out, dvla staff who make these very poor decisions need to be sacked, as do the senior manager , what an absolute disgrace, and on our othe car they even sent the v5 with the wrong nameon it, who is in charge of these incompetents, ???? Dreadfully poor service and management, even the chat bots they make you talk to cant keep a thred going, they kerp canceling the chat??????

My 18 now 19 year old daughter passed her driving test 12 weeks ago, in a specialist van with hand controls. All logged with provisional. She is in an electric wheelchair and doesn’t look her age. They have taken her ID over the entire summer. She’s having to take her passport with her. I had to put it in a food bag for Leeds fest. They’re taking the micheal. This is unacceptable.

Dysfunction, lies, unaccountability and conspiracies.
Following my recent review about the government department that is supposed to provide a service for the vehicle owner, My concern regarding the bank details I gave to be able to pay for road tax by DD which they say was a savings account and they cannot accept, I did not receive an explanation to this, instead I received waffle about a SORN which I place on my vehicle once a year.
I made a complaint to the Head of complaints in July and again in August but to date received no response.
It clearly sates 10 days for reply but on both ocassions has not been met.
After contacting the Parliamentary Ombudsman they say they cannot act until I recieve DVLA,s final resonse which I don't expect to receive any month soon.
Clive Efford, the MP for Eltham has been involved with this since June and although there is a response from Him the situation is still stagnated.
I think this whole situation is disgusting and I believe the clearly want to keep me off the road. They need to be transparent and state what they are conspiring about because that is clearly what it is.
The way is the truth not dysfunction and vindictiveness.

Renewing my driving licence online today was confusing, long winded and extremely frustrating. It took a lot of time and effort to find my way through this awful confusing application process. I am appalled. Lots of older drivers would not have a clue in how to go about this. Going to the Post Office costs more money so you would be penalised for not being able to navigate around this terrible application option. I am exhausted from this experience.