DVSA targets unofficial driving test booking services in new crackdown
Car changing is a big deal
Learner drivers in the UK must now book and manage their own driving tests as the DVSA cracks down on unofficial booking services, bots, and profiteering from test appointments.
Learner drivers are now required to book and manage their own driving tests under new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) rules designed to stop third-party booking services from exploiting the system.
From today, it’s now against the law for third-party driving test booking firms, cancellation finder apps and even driving instructors to make bookings on behalf of learners.
The DVSA says the changes are intended to stop companies using bots and bulk bookings to secure appointments and resell them at inflated prices while genuine learners struggle to find available tests.
Under the new rules, only the learner driver can book, swap, change or cancel a practical driving test using the DVSA booking service.
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Preventing the resale of tests for profit
Simon Lightwood, minister for roads and buses, said the system had seen “too many people paying over the odds to third-party touts”.
He said the government had delivered almost two million driving tests over the past year, including more than 158,000 additional tests since June 2025, helped by military driving examiners boosting capacity across the country.
“These new rules put learners back in control by stopping others from snapping up tests and reselling them for profit,” he added.
DVSA chief executive Beverley Warmington said the agency’s priority was to stop learners being exploited and make the booking process fairer.
She said: “These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others. These measures will help free up appointments for genuine learners who are ready to take their test.”
New rules aim to make booking fairer for everyone
The DVSA says learners should only ever pay the official fee for a driving test – £62 for weekday tests and £75 for evening, weekend and bank holiday appointments.
The latest changes follow earlier reforms introduced on 31 March 2026, which reduced the number of times a driving test booking can be changed from six to two.
Further restrictions will come into force on 9 June 2026, limiting learners to moving their test only to one of their three nearest driving test centres. The DVSA says this is designed to discourage people from booking tests in locations where they do not intend to take their exam.
Driving instructors and driving schools will still be able to advise learners on when they are ready to take a test and set their own availability to avoid unsuitable booking times.
Boost in driving examiners to deliver more tests
The DVSA says it is continuing to recruit more examiners to increase testing capacity. As of April 2026, there were 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners in post. That’s the highest level since 2018.
The agency has also doubled its training capacity for new examiners in an effort to reduce waiting times further.
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