A new rule affecting UK drivers introduced on Tuesday has already seen hundreds of driving tests cancelled. The booking crackdown landed this week, but the real shock is how many 'suspect' tests have already been axed.
New Rule Aims to Reduce Driving Test Wait Times
Learner drivers have faced a clampdown as UK motorists may find booking driving tests quicker and easier, after new rules brought in just days ago saw hundreds of 'dodgy' test bookings axed. On Tuesday, June 9, a rule was introduced, meaning the location of a test can now be moved only to one of the three centres nearest to the initial booking. This aims to reduce incidents of people booking a test regardless of its location, with no intention of using the slot.
Meanwhile, a ban on driving instructors booking tests came into force on May 12, meaning tests can now only be booked and managed by learners.
Positive Results Already Seen
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) already claims to have seen positive results, revealing that some 450 'dodgy' UK test bookings have been cancelled since Tuesday's new rules were implemented. People affected have been issued refunds.
The DVSA said the rule changes make it easier to detect patterns of misuse, such as when a single payment card is used to purchase multiple tests for different learners. The agency wanted to make it harder for people using automated programmes – known as bots – to quickly book test slots as soon as they became available and resell them for profit.
Black Market Prices Exposed
Tests have a standard fee of £62, but a National Audit Office report published in December last year found learners were paying up to £500 to book a slot on the black market. The DVSA also said its work has led to 17 test reselling apps being removed from major app stores.
Government and DVSA Responses
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 said: '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 Waiting Times
Misuse of the system has been cited as a major cause of the backlog of driving tests. The DVSA said the average waiting time to book a test last month was nearly 22 weeks, compared with about five weeks in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic. It added it has delivered more than 240,000 additional tests between June last year and May 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
