Driving test wait times down, but Mullingar still at thirteen weeks

Motorists registering to undertake their driving test in Mullingar face wait times of 13 weeks - one of the longest wait times in the midlands.

Figures provided by the Road Safety Authority of Ireland and released by Seán Canney. TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Road Safety, show that outside of Dublin, just three test centres have longer wait times than Mullingar - Dungarvan (16 weeks), Clifden (15 weeks) and Limerick (14 weeks).

Portlaoise sits in the same position on the table as Mullingar, with a wait time of 13 weeks, but drivers registering to take their test in Athlone can expect a wait of just nine weeks.

The centre with the longest wait time is Dun Laoghaire/Deansgrange, where the wait time is 21 weeks.

The figures, which describe the situation as it stood on January 24, were welcomed by Minister Canny, who said the RSA update showed that the majority of driver testing centres are now operating within the 10-week service level agreement (SLA). Of the 57 centres currently in operation, 35 are operating at or below a 10-week wait; a further 18 centres have waits of between 10 and 15 weeks, and four centres have waiting times in excess of 15 weeks.

The national average waiting time now stands at 10.3 weeks, a slight improvement on the 10.6 weeks recorded at the end of 2025. While that remains marginally outside the 10-week SLA, performance remains close to target despite continued high demand, said the minister.

Minister Canney said these updates form part of a series of reports he has received following his direction to the RSA to reduce waiting times from a high of 27 weeks at the end of April.

The national 10-week SLA was achieved in September, and the focus since then has been on sustaining performance while demand remains elevated.

The update also confirms that there are currently 196 testers in service nationwide, and numbers are expected to rise to 200 by the end of February following the completion of the next recruitment and training programme.

Progress continues on expanding testing capacity, and test centres are due to open shortly in Drogheda and Sandyford.

While demand for tests remains high, the number of people waiting for a test has reduced slightly, from over 80,000 to just under 79,000.

Minister Canney also noted that enhanced monthly metrics are now being introduced to monitor the impact of the forthcoming multiple learner permit policy as it moves towards implementation later this year.