The days of driving instructors booking tests for their students are over. From 12 May, only learner drivers themselves can book, change or swap their own practical test, under sweeping changes designed to crack down on touting and slash waiting lists that have stretched to six months.
The move follows a BBC investigation in December that uncovered a thriving black market in test slots. Some driving instructors were offered kickbacks of up to £250 a month to hand over their official booking login details to touts, who then used them to bulk-book tests and sell them to anxious learners on WhatsApp and Facebook for as much as £500.
“From 12 May, only learner drivers can book their own tests, ending instructor bookings to combat touting.”
The standard fee for a driving test is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The new rules are intended to stop bots and firms from hoarding slots and reselling them at inflated prices.
Under the old system, instructors could book on behalf of their pupils, but that is now banned. Tests already booked by instructors are unaffected.
Further restrictions come into force on 9 June: anyone wanting to move their test will only be able to switch to one of the three test centres closest to their original booking. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency says learners should only book at a centre they intend to use, and choose a realistic date for when they will be ready.
A separate change that took effect on 31 March limits learners to just two alterations to their booked slot – down from six previously. Changing the date, time, test centre, or swapping with another learner each counts as a change. Making multiple changes at once – such as date and centre – counts as one. If the DVSA changes the test, it does not count.
Learners who need more than two changes must cancel their test and rebook. A full refund is available if cancellation happens at least 10 working days before the test date.
Despite the new rules, the DVSA says friends or family can still help a learner manage their booking – but only if the learner is present throughout and all confirmations are sent to the learner's own email or phone.
The changes are the government's latest attempt to tackle the chronic shortage of test slots that has left many learners waiting half a year for an appointment, and fuelled a lucrative resale market that the new rules are designed to stamp out.