The DVSA has launched a brand new public session geared toward tackling driving take a look at reselling and enhancing equity for learner drivers ready to get a take a look at. The session, which opened on 28 Might 2024 and runs till 9 July, invitations suggestions from ADIs, PDIs, learners, and the broader driver coaching neighborhood.
Excessive demand for automotive driving exams has created alternatives for third-party operators to take advantage of learners through the use of bots to safe take a look at slots after which reselling them at inflated costs. Based on DVSA’s current name for proof, almost a 3rd of learners and oldsters admitted to utilizing unofficial providers, paying a median of £122 for earlier take a look at dates.
The brand new session explores proposals to:
- Outline who’s allowed to ebook and handle exams
- Restrict or take away the power to swap take a look at appointments or change places
- Restructure reserving permissions to cease bots and unauthorised resales
Relatively than pushing for a authorized ban, DVSA believes that altering the system’s design to make reselling virtually unimaginable is a sooner and more practical answer. These modifications are a part of DVSA’s broader plan to cut back take a look at ready instances and enhance entry to the web reserving service.
DVSA Chief Govt Loveday Ryder mentioned: “DVSA’s purpose is to make reserving a driving take a look at simpler and fairer for everybody whereas stopping extreme costs for learner drivers.”
The session follows the Transport Secretary’s announcement on the Transport Choose Committee on 23 April 2025, which included measures to cut back ready instances. These embody encouraging certified DVSA employees to return to testing, doubling the variety of everlasting trainers, and reinstating additional time pay for examiners. The federal government hopes to carry common take a look at ready instances right down to 7 weeks by summer time 2025.
Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Way forward for Roads, added: “This session is a vital transfer in direction of giving learners extra say over how and the place they’ll ebook, alongside setting out choices to higher allow DVSA to dam bots from stealing slots.”
The Nationwide Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) has endorsed the session, stating: “The Driver Coaching trade welcomes this session as a key step in enhancing accessibility and usefulness of the take a look at reserving system for reliable customers, however equally, as an vital step in direction of stopping entry by these looking for to take advantage of learners by means of the illegitimate sale of take a look at slots at extortionate costs.
“We urge pupils, mother and father and trainers to reply to the session and guarantee they’re a part of enabling higher, extra environment friendly and fairer options for reserving driving exams sooner or later.”
The session applies solely to automotive driving exams. No modifications are proposed for reserving motorbike, vocational, teacher or concept exams.
To participate within the session, please go to: https://www.gov.uk/authorities/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules
