Overview
- Learner drivers must book and manage their own practical tests after a DVSA rule that took effect Tuesday made it illegal for anyone else to book, change, swap or cancel a slot.
- Officials say the move tackles bots and brokers that grabbed appointments and resold them for large mark-ups, with reports of learners paying up to £500 versus the £62 standard fee.
- Waiting times remain long at about 22.4 weeks, up from five weeks before the pandemic, in what industry groups call a fairness fix that will not end the backlog without more examiners.
- Further limits arrive on 9 June 2026, when a booking can be moved only to one of the three nearest test centres, building on a 31 March cut that reduced allowed changes from six to two.
- DVSA reports capacity gains with nearly 2 million car tests delivered in the past year and 1,604 full-time equivalent examiners, and it urges learners to pay only the official £62 or £75 fee while instructors advise but do not book; tests already made by instructors remain valid.