The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has cancelled hundreds of fraudulent driving test bookings following a major rule change aimed at cracking down on touts who profit from reselling slots. This week, 450 tests were blocked after the agency detected breaches of its new regulations.
New Measures to Tackle Misuse
The DVSA introduced stricter rules to make it easier to identify patterns of abuse, such as when a single payment card is used to book multiple tests for different learners. The agency is targeting individuals who use automated programs, known as bots, to quickly secure test slots 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 on the black market.
Learners affected by the cancellations have been issued refunds. As of Tuesday, test locations can only be moved to one of the three centres nearest the original booking, reducing incidents where people book tests without intending to use them. Additionally, a ban on driving instructors booking tests came into effect on May 12, meaning only learners can now book and manage their tests.
Impact of the Crackdown
Since the ban, more than 4,000 learners have been barred from making online bookings as part of a broader effort to stop system abuse. The DVSA also confirmed that 17 test reselling apps have been removed from major app stores.
Roads Minister Simon Lightwood stated: 'Learners should be focusing on getting test-ready, not fighting an unfair booking system or paying over the odds to third-party touts. That is why the 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, the 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.'
Addressing the 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 coronavirus pandemic. To alleviate the issue, 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.
