Young drivers could be waiting up to 18 months for their driving test and incur hundreds of euro in extra insurance payments during that time.

Leading insurance broker CoverInAClick.ie said Transport Minister Eamon Ryan’s claim that waiting times can be reduced to 15 weeks is “wildly optimistic”.

Younger drivers will be paying between €300 and €600 extra in insurance premiums while they wait to take their test.

More than 96,000 people are awaiting driving tests, with around three-quarters of them aged under 40.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said recently it was stepping up its efforts to deal with long waiting lists.

CoverInAClick.ie, which specialises in insuring young drivers, claims that for those just starting out with the process, the wait for a licence could be as long as 18 months.

Managing director Jonathan Hehir said: “The size of the challenge in dealing with this backlog cannot be underestimated.”

He said recent claims by the minister on the likelihood of waiting times reducing in the short-term warrant a closer look.

“From our calculations, based on the 96,000 motorists currently waiting to take their driving test, coupled with the 120,000 awaiting a theory test, and allowing for the average pass rate off 55pc, those now starting the process could be waiting for up to 18 months,” Mr Hehir said.

Mr Ryan said recently there is the potential to test 4,881 people per week.

Mr Hehir said young drivers are paying between €300 and €600 extra in insurance premiums as a result of not having their licence.

“Since 2020, thousands of drivers have missed out on these significant savings on their policies because securing your full licence is a sure-fire way to push down your premiums,” he said.

However, the good news is that several insurers have realised many drivers on learner permits have done all of their lessons and would have passed their tests if they had been able to sit them.

This means they are offering discounts of up to 20pc to those who have completed their lessons, Mr Hehir said.

“However, notwithstanding this small win for young drivers, the issues remain, and without some further intervention the extended waiting times look set to continue well into next year,” he added.

A spokesperson for the RSA said the driver theory test service has a capacity to scale up to 50,000 tests a month from the current 25,000 allowed.

If the greater numbers are permitted, the backlog will be cleared inside three months, they said.

A person passing a theory test cannot sit a driving test for six months after taking out their first learner permit.

This means a person applying for a theory test today and passing it by the end of October will not be eligible to take a driving test until the end of April next year.

“We anticipate waiting times for a driving test will be less than 10 weeks at that point, taking account of the additional driver tester resources that are being allocated,” the RSA spokesperson said.