The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has introduced a new rule for car driving test bookings that will affect two million UK learner drivers. From Tuesday, May 12, 2026, only learners will be able to book and manage their own driving tests, in a move designed to crack down on exploitation by third-party services.
Under the new measures, it will be against the law for unofficial booking and cancellation finder services to make tests on a learner's behalf. Driving instructors are also prohibited from making bookings for them. Tests will continue to cost £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Minister for Roads and Buses Simon Lightwood said: "This government inherited record waiting times and a huge backlog of learners waiting for tests, with the system seeing too many people paying over the odds to third-party touts. But we’re taking action and seeing results, delivering almost 2 million tests over the past year, more than 158,000 extra tests since June 2025, and military driving examiners now on the ground helping boost capacity across the country."
DVSA Chief Executive Beverley Warmington said: "Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices." She added that the measures would help free up appointments for genuine learners and reduce waiting times.
The change builds on the reduction of allowable test changes from six to two, which took effect on March 31. In June, another change will limit learners to moving their test only to one of the three nearest driving test centres. Provisional data shows that the number of driving tests taking place has increased over the last year.
