The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has cancelled hundreds of driving test bookings this week after introducing stricter rules to prevent touts from profiting by reselling slots. A total of 450 tests were blocked after the agency detected breaches of its regulations.
New measures to combat misuse
The DVSA stated that new rules make it easier to identify patterns of misuse, such as when a single payment card is used to book multiple tests for different learners. The agency aims to stop individuals using automated programs, known as bots, to quickly reserve test slots as soon as they become available and resell them at inflated prices.
While the standard test fee is £62, a National Audit Office report from December last year revealed that learners were paying up to £500 for black market bookings. Affected learners have received refunds.
From Tuesday, the location of a test can only be moved to one of the three centres nearest the original booking. This change is intended to reduce the practice of booking tests in any location without intending to use the slot.
Ban on instructor bookings
A ban on driving instructors booking tests came into effect on May 12, meaning only learners can now book and manage their tests. Since then, more than 4,000 learners have been banned from making online bookings as part of a crackdown on system abuse. The DVSA also reported that its efforts have led to the removal of 17 test reselling apps from major app stores.
Roads minister Simon Lightwood said: 'Learners should be focusing on getting test-ready, not fighting an unfair booking system or paying over the odds to third-party touts. That's why DVSA's action to cancel dodgy tests is so important. By cancelling tests booked in breach of the rules and suspending access for those attempting to misuse the system, DVSA is sending a clear message that attempts to exploit learner drivers and profit from driving test appointments will not be tolerated.'
DVSA chief executive Beverley Warmington added: 'We promised to make the driving test booking system fairer, and we have kept that promise. These reforms were about making sure that driving tests go to genuine learners, not to those who profit from exploiting them. Today's action demonstrates that we have the tools and the determination to enforce the new rules. We will keep monitoring, keep acting, and keep the pressure on anyone who tries to circumvent the system.'
Impact on backlog
Misuse of the system has been identified as a major contributor to the driving test backlog. The DVSA reported that the average waiting time for a test last month was nearly 22 weeks, compared with about five weeks in February 2020 before the pandemic. However, the agency has delivered more than 240,000 additional tests between June last year and May 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
