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 Might 2024 and runs till 9 July, invitations suggestions from ADIs, PDIs, learners, and the broader driver coaching group.
Excessive demand for automobile driving assessments 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 response to DVSA’s current name for proof, practically a 3rd of learners and oldsters admitted to utilizing unofficial companies, 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 assessments
- 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
Quite 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 adjustments are a part of DVSA’s broader plan to scale back take a look at ready instances and enhance entry to the web reserving service.
DVSA Chief Government Loveday Ryder mentioned: “DVSA’s aim 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 scale back ready instances. These embrace 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 carry common take a look at ready instances 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 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 trade welcomes this session as a key step in enhancing accessibility and value of the take a look at reserving system for professional customers, however equally, as an necessary step in direction of stopping entry by these in search of to use 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 answer the session and guarantee they’re a part of enabling higher, extra environment friendly and fairer options for reserving driving assessments sooner or later.”
The session applies solely to automobile driving assessments. No adjustments are proposed for reserving motorbike, vocational, teacher or principle assessments.
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
