The UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has introduced new rules preventing driving instructors and third-party services from booking driving tests on behalf of learners. Officials say the changes are designed to tackle the growing resale market for test appointments and reduce pressure on the booking system.
The measures came into force on May 12, as average waiting times for practical driving tests in Britain climbed above 22 weeks. According to data obtained by AA Driving School through freedom of information requests, average waits increased from 20.8 weeks in January to 22.4 weeks by early April.
Learner drivers have faced mounting difficulties securing test appointments since the pandemic backlog began to build. The DVSA says the latest restrictions are intended to return control of bookings to learners themselves while limiting the use of automated software and bulk reservations.
According to a National Audit Office report published in December, some learners were paying as much as £500 for appointments that officially cost £62 on weekdays and £75 during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.
New Rules Target Bots and Resale Activity
Under the updated system, learner drivers are now the only people legally permitted to book and manage driving tests. The DVSA said it is now a criminal offence for another person to book a test on someone else’s behalf.
The agency introduced the move following concerns that automated “bots” were rapidly securing available slots before reselling them at inflated prices. A BBC investigation reported that some touts had offered driving instructors monthly payments of up to £250 in exchange for access to official booking account details.
According to the DVSA, the changes are intended to stop learners being “exploited by third parties” and to make the process “fairer.” DVSA chief executive Beverley Warmington said the new system would help free up appointments for “genuine learners who are ready to take their test.”
Further restrictions are also scheduled to begin next month. From June 12, learners will only be able to move a booking to one of the three nearest driving test centers linked to the original appointment. Officials say this is aimed at stopping people from reserving tests in distant locations purely to secure an earlier slot before later attempting to switch locations. Another rule already introduced at the end of March reduced the number of times a single test booking can be changed from six to two.
Industry Groups Say Delays Remain a Major Problem
Despite welcoming the reforms, driving schools and instructors said the measures alone are unlikely to resolve long waiting lists. Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said learner drivers were still facing “unacceptable delays” in accessing tests. She said the booking reforms “mark a shift towards overhauling the booking system for the better,” though she added that more action would still be needed.
According to AA Driving School data, waiting times before the coronavirus pandemic averaged around five weeks in February 2020, compared with more than 22 weeks today. Driving instructor Chris Tassano, from Love 2 Pass driving school in Berkshire, told the BBC he was “quietly optimistic” the changes could reduce waiting times within a few months. He also said stronger staffing levels at local test centers could help ease pressure on the system.
The DVSA said it had delivered more than 158,000 additional driving tests between June 2025 and March 2026. Roads minister Simon Lightwood stated that nearly two million tests had been completed over the past year, with military driving examiners also being deployed to increase capacity. Still, several instructors said examiner shortages remain one of the biggest barriers to reducing delays over the longer term.
