The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has cancelled 450 driving test bookings after detecting widespread breaches of new regulations aimed at tackling the 'driving test black market'. All affected learners have received full refunds.
The mass cancellation follows the introduction of a strict new rule on 9 June, which restricts candidates to moving their test to one of three test centres nearest to their original booking. This measure is designed to prevent applicants from hoarding slots across the country.
Earlier, on 12 May, the government banned driving instructors from booking tests, restricting system access to individual learners. Since then, more than 4,000 learners have been barred from the online booking platform for system abuse. The DVSA says the combined changes make it easier to spot fraudulent patterns, such as a single payment card used for multiple tests.
The crackdown targets automated software, or 'bots', that snap up slots within milliseconds for resale at inflated prices. While a standard test costs £62, a National Audit Office report found learners paying up to £500 on the black market. The DVSA has also secured 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.' DVSA Chief Executive Beverley Warmington added: 'We promised to make the driving test booking system fairer, and we have kept that promise.'
The average waiting time for a test last month was nearly 22 weeks, compared to five weeks in February 2020. The DVSA has boosted capacity, delivering over 240,000 extra tests between June last year and May 2026 compared to the previous year, hoping to reduce wait times to pre-pandemic levels.
