Hundreds of ‘dodgy’ driving tests cancelled days after major rule change

Hundreds of "dodgy" driving test bookings across Britain have been cancelled this week following the introduction of tighter regulations, a government agency has announced.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) confirmed that approximately 450 tests were blocked after detecting breaches of its booking rules.

Those affected by the cancellations have been issued refunds. A new rule, implemented on Tuesday, now restricts the relocation of a booked test to one of only three centres nearest to the original booking.

This measure aims to deter individuals from booking tests indiscriminately, without a genuine intention of attending the slot.

The latest crackdown follows a ban introduced on 12 May, which prevents driving instructors from booking tests on behalf of learners.

Since then, over 4,000 learners have been barred from making online bookings as part of ongoing efforts to combat abuse of the system.

The DVSA said the rule changes mean it is 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.

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.

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.”

Misuse of the system has been given 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.