Dvla Reviews 1,713

What has happened to what used to be a good service? All we wanted to do is change our address but the online system is so disgusting we've given up. We're going down the old fashioned route of filling in a D1 tithe post office and posting it off! Another example of officialdom being totally inept, a bit like our current leaders I thought computers were meant to make things easy

Extremely bad online service. had to enter my email numerous times during the same process. a multitude of unnecessary sending of codes to phone & email. Multiple logins to various areas.

This is not because of security. Banks don't do this. It's the age old story - a teenager can do IT better than a government department.

Shocking online experience. The system simply does not work. Dvla rave about the online function to change details, but it is useless. The OneLogin is awful too. Get a grip, hard earned tax payers money supports this rubbish.

Reported a vehicle without tax on a number of occasions since February and nothing has been done about it. The tax ran out at the end of January and it is now May, parked on a public road all this time. The DVLA states that it may get around to it possibly. This is ridiculous, we as decent and honest road users are paying for this mess, where does our licence fee get spent?

If I could give 0 I would. Absolutely disgusted with the process. I completed all forms and tests as required to not receive my licence back on time and only after chasing receive more forms putting my licence back weeks if not months. No response from complaints procedures. I don’t know how this service is allowed to run in this way. The help I received from the phone lines and service I received was not helpful. The DVLA needs a complete overhaul.

I declared my car as SORN online when my vehicle tax reminder came through. Completed everything and submitted on time. I then got a penalty for failure to tax the vehicle three weeks later. Ended up having to pay the fine.

I supported my Mum in applying for her driving licence, on-line on 14.12.2025. Received an acknowledgement email, then nothing. This went on for at least 6-weeks. We chased to find out that it was in the system but there was a back-log. Again, weeks went by and nothing. We chased again to find out it had been passed to the medical board for review and that they would be in contact. We asked the question - whilst licence was under review is it still ok to drive and on both occasions we were told yes - please refer to Section 88 of the Road of the Road Traffic Act - which we did and it clearly states unless your licence has been revoked or you have been told by a Medical Professional you can still drive. My Mum has since been stopped by the police and has now received a court letter for driving with no licence. Sort yourself DVLA - you're messing with peoples lives, minds and jobs.

After one of the medical liaison team supported my renewal application my driving licence was soon on its way to me. The customer service at this point was exceptional
Thank you Denise

Tried to claim my grandfather rights to drive HGV. What a waste of time, 6 months later and 3 visits to hospital for tests I told them to forget it as I’d be too old to drive before I received licence back. Also pointed out that my optician had said I no longer required glasses to drive (even though I ticked I did require them when I filled paperwork in). What did I get back, a licence that’s been changed to say I need glasses !!!! Rang up and was told to send licence back with payment of £20 in case it wasn’t DVLAs fault! Really? Sorry but what a useless government department. How much does it cost the taxpayers? Staff are useless, they have no power to do anything. When I asked about leaving feedback they said when they hung up it automatically takes you to feedback, well, surprise surprise, IT DOES NOT

Something has clearly changed for the worse in the last 12 months at DVLA. I have an HGV entitlement on my licence so it has to be renewed by post as I have always done. Previously EVERY renewal took around four days. This time posted 7th April and now 5th May it is still showing as “in process”. Meantime we are still unable to visit our new grand daughter in Holland born on 19th April. Can you imagine the stress this has caused inside the family!? Dreadful service now, another example of a broken government agency.

Impossible to lodge a complaint on the DVLA online platform. Keeps rejecting stating there should not be certain characters in the text although I have amended ten times or more, polished and there is nothing other than simple words and sentences. If there is a symbol that their system can not understand and verify why not highlighting in the text to know what has been referred to. Hours and hours worked on it and changed the text but still the online system rejecting it. Waste of our taxes

Had to do a medical
For my licence. Cannot drive till this is done. I have done everything they have asked. Paid the cost. DVLA quick to take the money. But not quick to process anything, blood test result where sat waiting to be reviewed for well over a month.and after passing the medical test and blood test they sent me letters I had to fill out letters that I had already done to get to the stage I’m at. They said I could email them… they failed to tell me it needed to be PDF. So now sat waiting for the hard copies to be looked at.. this is still ongoing after 3 months.
Absolutely shocking work ethic from these guys. No wonder so many people drive without a licence, takes far too long to get anything done by the DVLA

I am 82 & have sent 2 license renewal forms to DVLA. They replied to the 2nd one asking me to complete a form authorising my medical people to give them information.Weeks have passed & no reply. Tried phoning them 3 times-always a paying queue of at least 40 mins. Tried emailing-no reply HELP

In-branch verification (done) selected post office branch (done) documents driving licence (done) face capture (done).
Lets begin at 14.44pm on 23/03/2026, I applied at my selected post office to renew my driving licence before
22/04/2026 so to this day 1st may 2026 nothing has arrived from DVLA. Why not? what going on, they have
computers on hand. Its so wrong we are being treated subhuman.

Why is that on the website it says you are open until 7pm and when you call after 4pm nobody ever answers the phone. I have wasted 2 days calling you and waiting for approx. 30 - 45 mins to speak to the Vehicle section and kept waiting and waiting. I guess you are working from home NOT!!!

I have had a problem taxing a vehicle.
It is impossible to contact DVLA and they just refer you to the online site which does not help me. On one occasion I given the option to choose a ring back but no-one called back.

Prehistoric. Sent my Adult Disability Award letter, V10 Form, V5, MOT, in order to get my 50% road tax reduction. All got sent back to me with a letter saying they can't do discount as I'm 'paying monthly' and that I have to pay a year, or even 6 months, up front and then apply. So, yesterday, 30th April, I SORN'd my car so I could re-apply for road tax for 6 months. Only after doing that, it said I couldn't reapply for road tax for 5 days!! Why in God's name do they make it so flipping difficult??? I'm driving on a short trip in 4 days, on Bank Holiday Monday!! So then I went to the Post Office to reapply, and they said the system showed I'm duplicating my road tax (at £300 a year)!! It's increased hugely since 1st April. I'm a Pensioner with a Disability. It's absolutely disgraceful.
SORT YOURSELVES OUT DVLA!!!!

While the man on the phone sorted my problem, why send things recorded just for it to be signed for by royal mail, then they have to to deliver it again, he told me recorded slows down the service, so if I send it with out how can I prove it got their, DVLA needs a shake up like most government departments ☹️☹️☹️☹️

Where did it all go wrong.
Been waiting for almost 3 weeks now on V5.
Shocking unhelpful service

The DVLA are an absolute disgrace. I applied for an HGV provisional licence and the process, as stated by the DVLA should take three weeks. I rang today as the three weeks was up to be told that they had received the application on Monday. This is an absolute lie as I sent it by recorded delivery and was actually received 18 days ago. I explained that I needed it within the next five days or I would lose my government funded HGV training course. The guy I spoke to really couldn't give a toss and responded by saying it will take as long as it takes. Really helpful. This is the problem with an organisation that has no accountability and is in a monopoly situation. Funny thing is that if you are caught speeding, the fine and points on your licence are immediate so they do excel in this respect :)