Cape Town driver’s licence wait times: from one day to 94 days, city figures show

City of Cape Town figures show wide variation in waiting times for driver’s licence tests across the metro. According to The South African, waiting times for a driver’s licence test in Cape Town can be as short as one day or as long as 94 days, depending on the testing centre.

Topline findings

The South African reports that the City of Cape Town has published its latest waiting times for learner’s, standard light motor vehicle, heavy motor vehicle and motorcycle licence tests. The average waiting time for a light motor vehicle test across the listed centres is 31 days, the publication says.

Light motor vehicle test waits

The shortest listed waits for a light motor vehicle licence are at Lingelethu West and Joe Gqabi, each showing a waiting time of one day. The longest wait is at New Ottery at 94 days. Other notable waits include Parow at 72 days and Goodwood at 63 days.

Published light vehicle waiting times (days)

• Atlantis: 58
• Brackenfell: 32
• Durbanville: 23
• Eastridge: 7
• Elsies River: 35
• Fish Hoek: 12
• Goodwood: 63
• Gordon’s Bay: 30
• Hillstar: 15
• Kuils River: 9
• Lingelethu West: 1
• Joe Gqabi: 1
• New Ottery: 94
• Bellrail: 26
• Gallows Hill: 42
• Milnerton: 8
• Parow: 72
• Somerset West: 21

Total Days: 549 and Average Days: 31, The South African reports.

Learner’s licence waits

The South African also published waiting times for learner’s licences. Kuils River has the longest listed wait at 110 days, while New Ottery has the shortest at 4 days. The publication gives the average waiting time for a learner’s licence test as 44 days.

Published learner’s licence waiting times (days)

• Atlantis: 28
• Brackenfell: 49
• Durbanville: 44
• Eastridge: 77
• Elsies River: 25
• Fish Hoek: 29
• Goodwood: 39
• Gordon’s Bay: 30
• Hillstar: 28
• Kuils River: 110
• Lingelethu West: 60
• Joe Gqabi: 66
• New Ottery: 4
• Bellrail: 25
• Gallows Hill: 28
• Milnerton: 72
• Parow: 45
• Somerset West: 29

Total Days: 788 and Average Days: 44, according to The South African.

City response

The City told The South African that licence test backlogs can be unavoidable.

“Sometimes we cannot prevent a backlog, often due to people not arriving to take their tests,” the City said in a statement.

What this means for applicants

The published figures show notable variation between testing centres across Cape Town, with some centres offering next-day appointments and others listing waits measured in months. These differences appear in both light motor vehicle and learner’s licence categories, The South African reports.