Learner drivers desperate to take their test are being forced to pay nearly double the standard fee just to secure a booking as Labour announces plans to try and cut waiting times
Almost a third of learner drivers have reported using unofficial booking services to secure a practical test slot, new research has revealed.
It comes as concerns over the DVSA booking process continue to be raised. Learners have admitted to paying an average of £122 for a test through unauthorised services – which is almost double the standard fee.
The government has launched a consultation to try to review and improve the rules for booking tests which aims to make the process “easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers”.
In information provided by the DVSA, a consultation on how improvements can be made to car driving test booking rules opened on May 23. The consultative period will close on July 23. The DVSA is seeking views on who should be allowed to book and manage driving tests, and whether there should be a limit on the ability to swap tests between different learners or change test locations.
They say that rather than creating new laws specifically banning the reselling of tests, the consultation focuses on proposals to change how the system works to help prevent reselling.
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An analysis of almost 27,000 responses from learners and instructors following a call to evidence found that learners felt they needed to use unofficial booking services to get earlier test days, while some said they were even recommended to do so by their instructor.
The current booking system allows learners to change a test date or location up to six times, and allows test appointments to be swapped between learners. However, learners have reported having to wait months for a test which has forced them to turn to unofficial booking services or one of the dozens of Facebook groups for test-swapping.
There are also people using the official DVSA booking service to make money off of others looking for tests, it’s claimed. To do this, they book tests using a learner’s provisional licence details, then find another – often desperate – learner who will pay extra for the test, and use the swap feature on the DVSA website to transfer the test to them. This essentially creates a secondary of test resales and means that learners who are unable to book a test due to high demand are able to be exploited.
‘I’ve paid more than £500 to take my test’
One learner, Laura Carr, told The Mirror that she has found the test booking system “incredibly stressful” due to the long wait times. She said that she has “even considered going out of the county in order to get a test in an unfamiliar area” .Laura lives in Essex and said it was “almost impossible to get one there unless you’re extremely lucky”.
The 32-year-old also said she has been tempted to pay more for a test through an unofficial booking service, explaining: “Not being able to drive is restricting the jobs I can apply for or get. The unofficial sources seem to have a lot more availability than the DVSA website.”
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Layla Nihat described the process as “absolutely awful”. “Using the DVSA website I haven’t seen a single test date come up for my area so I have had to use unofficial booking services and with booking three tests in total, I have paid over £500.”
She said the government needed to “crack down on all of the scammers”, and added that her driving instructor “feels the same way”, with the majority of his students having to use unofficial websites to book their tests. Carr agreed, adding: “I feel that something has to change as at the moment it is easier to buy concert tickets than it is to obtain a driving test.”
Labour’s plans to cut waiting times
In April, transport secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the demand problems, and called upon the DVSA to work to reduce wait times. DVSA workers in other roles who are qualified to examine will be asked to return to the frontline to provide tests, the government announced, and the number of permanent trainers to skill up new driving examiners is set to be doubled.
Alexander said that the government had “inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L-Plates but being forced to endure record waiting time for their tests”. She added: “I am instructing DVSA to take further action immediately to reduce waiting times which will see thousands of additional tests made available every month. We’re acting fast to get Britain’s drivers moving.”
The high demand has resulted in learners and driving instructors misusing the online booking services, the government said. It explained that, as a result, placeholder tests were being booked in locations where learners did not intend to take their test – purely so they could be swapped with someone reselling a test at their local centre.
The DVSA also noticed that there are commercial websites offering to search for tests on behalf of learners, and tests being resold with extra fees, which it said is making it harder for the agency “to offer test slots fairly”.
DVSA to ‘make booking a driving test easier and fairer’
Loveday Ryder, DVSA chief executive, told The Mirror that the DVSA’s goal is to “make booking a driving test easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers.”
She said in a statement: “We’ve been working tirelessly to bring down the driving test waiting times. To help tackle this, in December 2024 we announced a new plan, on which we’re making good progress. DVSA is currently running a consultation on improvements we can make to the test booking system, which will help us plan our next steps.”
Some of the government’s potential solutions include removing or limiting the ability to swap tests or change test locations, and making it so that only learner drivers can book and manage tests.
Seb Goldin, CEO of RED Driver Training, said the company was “very concerned by the rise of unofficial test booking services”. He told The Mirror: “With reports that students are often paying an average of £122, which is almost double the official fee for test slots, many are unaware that these services offer no guarantee. Once money changes hands, particularly through third-party apps or bank transfers, it’s incredibly difficult to get it back if something goes wrong.”
Goldin said that thousands of RED’s students are currently waiting to book a test, and that for many, driving is essential for work, education, or caring responsibilities. He pointed out that the system therefore must “prioritise access for real people over profit-seeking parties”.
The government’s consultation to tackle these issues is a “step in the right direction”, Goldin acknowledged. “We support any efforts that genuinely increase test availability and help students access tests fairly, and I will be an active part of these discussions.”