The DVSA has launched a brand new public session aimed 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 Could 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 use learners through the use of bots to safe take a look at slots after which reselling them at inflated costs. In accordance with DVSA’s latest name for proof, almost a 3rd of learners and oldsters admitted to utilizing unofficial companies, paying a mean 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 areas
- Restructure reserving permissions to cease bots and unauthorised resales
Fairly than pushing for a authorized ban, DVSA believes that altering the system’s design to make reselling virtually not possible is a quicker and simpler answer. These modifications are a part of DVSA’s broader plan to scale back take a look at ready occasions and enhance entry to the net reserving service.
DVSA Chief Government Loveday Ryder mentioned: “DVSA’s purpose is to make reserving a driving take a look at simpler and fairer for everybody whereas stopping extreme expenses for learner drivers.”
The session follows the Transport Secretary’s announcement on the Transport Choose Committee on 23 April 2025, which included measures to scale back ready occasions. These embody encouraging certified DVSA workers to return to testing, doubling the variety of everlasting trainers, and reinstating extra time pay for examiners. The federal government hopes to deliver common take a look at ready occasions all the way down to 7 weeks by summer season 2025.
Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Way forward for Roads, added: “This session is a crucial transfer in the direction of giving learners extra say over how and the place they will 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 business 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 essential step in the direction of stopping entry by these looking for to use learners via the illegitimate sale of take a look at slots at extortionate costs.
“We urge pupils, mother and father and trainers to answer 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 bike, 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
