Dvla Reviews 

Just read a few of the reviews and looking that the ratings dvla has I don't know how to make my mind up.
Sent an application for lost v5 not in my name, just over 4 weeks later I'm told this UK registered car can't be found?. 3 days later dvla want photos of car, a week later O that car has a registered keeper, but spent over 4 weeks to tell me no record of the car?. Dvla says it will need another 2 weeks to carryout security checks?. Do they not want classic cars on the road?, or is it because of my address?.

What a total shirt show sent my licence and D4, D2 for adding my pcv to my licence to DVLA, licence still had 2 months left on it before it expires, they sent it all back saying my licence would need renewed before proceeding, took them 10 days from when dated on letter to send it back, tried to renew licence online and experia couldn't verify I exsisted, no wonder this country is in the state it is

Online ID checks are a joke and dont work, defaults to paper application, waste of time. Gov One account has verified ID with passport but somehow Vehicles account can't. Nothing is joined up, duplication of information, spaghetti of systems, total waste of Taxpayers money.

Totally not fit for purpose, hours and hours trying to speak to someone, left number no one returned call, not sending out the forms when they should, getting my doctors name wrong, just one thing after another with a medical complaint and telling you must wait so long before they can process a doctors fitness letter or e mail up to 20 working days, It is a farce and needs to be sorted out and Now

Gave me wrong advice, I brought a car from someone I know without a v5c and they told me I needed to fill in a v62 form (which was rejected and no answer why) and that I needed to fill in a v890 to sorn the vehicle and wait 4 weeks to drive it.. completely ridiculous the car is still on the road why on earth am I gonna sorn it, what they don't tell you is the owner can just pay a £25 fee online and request a replacement v5c logbook and it arrives in 5 to 7 days instead of 4 weeks so you can transfer the car over within 5 days instead.. please educate your team this vital information instead of trying to waste my time and money

Like many others, I wish I could give zero stars.
It is almost impossible to get through and when you do, the staff are most unhelpful. I even had a bizarre conversation with someone on the medical team who said I was giving the wrong home address!!
Being over 70, I had to apply for renewal of my licence. I sent in the renewal application almost a month before my birthday. I have high pressures in my eyes which I duly reported on the form (treated with eye drops and not an issue).
I heard nothing and after 6 weeks eventually got through to someone who said the application had been passed to medical department. I subsequently contacted Complaints Department and got acknowledgement of receipt but no follow-up. It is now four months since my original application and I still have no licence. Wnen I check on the web site it says licence expired.
It is absolutely disgraceful that this department causes so much stress through gross inefficiency.

Another example of how a government protected company runs a mockery. Handing out fines like freebies, even if they aren't correct. Oh and if you need to contact them to tell them they've done something wrong, you've got a loooooooong wait. IF you can get through at all. I chose a call back option. To which I got a call back 15 mins later and now have been on hold for 14 minutes. Would be funny if their fault doesn't cause me legal action, but alas it does, as to no fault of my own. I mean, what else would i rather do on a monday morning. Work, or sit on the phone waiting for DVLA to answer/to sort out their mistake?! Tough one!! ZERO STARS.

Absolutely disgraceful service, when the eventually answer the phone the interaction is similar to talking to a child. THEY set up an UNAUTHORISED direct debit on my bank account. No information for what vehicle, how much the DD is for, etc. Disgusting. This isn't the first time having issues with the DVLA. Simply put they're NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

USELESS.. Waste of time

Appalling. For so many reasons . Complicated forms including 3 forms for 1 application.
No return calls when you leave your number for call back . I could go on . They are incompetent .

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) currently reports an employee count of 5,715 staff (this is the number listed under “Employees” in the latest updated profile and reflects data from around the 2024-2025 reporting period) and still everything takes 10 times more than it supposed to. I think what somebody was telling me the other day it might actually be true, that most of their staff works from home meaning that they actually sit at home and do nothing. I applied for a first registration for my imported car and 7 weeks later still no updates from DVLA about my logbook. It is so frustrating even to talk to them as they are not willing to help and they hate their job. It looks like is a lost cause. Hopefully a new government may get involved in cleaning their mess.

I wish I could give this zero stars. The online system just to renew a driving license is far too personal. It was asking how many years left I have on my mortgage and if I have a mobile contact. I selected the option I prefer not to say and it didn't like it! Saying unable to complete identity when they have the information already. This is a severe case of data breach and information is floating in the cloud for scammers to get hold of. If my data is breached, I know who will be held accountable

The DVLA dealt with my simple application at their own leisure, with waiting times of two months all in all. Despite it costing me £55.00, they also used the slowest mail service possible to correspond with me with a 10 day delivery period. The entire application and their responses had to be done by post and all payments by postal order as if telephones or the internet had not been invented. Utterly inefficient and unfair on the British public who have no choice but to use their poor quality services

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?

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