Learner-Only Lockout: DVSA Ends Bot Hijacks to Secure Test Slots

A national crisis is engulfing learner drivers as the dream of gaining a license turns into a costly nightmare, with test slots being resold on the black market for inflated prices, sometimes reaching into the thousands of pounds. This predatory practice is driven by automated online bots that instantly scoop up appointments released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), leaving genuine candidates with no choice but to battle for scraps or pay exorbitant fees. The official weekday cost for a driving test is only £62, yet desperate learners are reporting that third-party sites are charging up to £200, and anecdotal evidence suggests some resold spots command far higher sums in an unregulated market.

Government’s Response: Limiting Access and Admitting Failure

In a direct response to the scandal, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced a major policy change: only learner drivers will now be able to book a driving test. This decisive move is aimed squarely at stopping third parties and automated bots from cornering the market and exploiting candidates. Ms. Alexander stated that limiting who can book would stop people from being "exploited" by these nefarious online practices. The government hopes this measure will dismantle the resale industry and ensure slots go directly to those who need them.

However, the Transport Secretary simultaneously conceded a significant failure in the government’s efforts to tackle the massive backlog. She admitted to the Transport Committee that the most recent target of reducing average waiting times to seven weeks by summer 2026 will not be met. The official average waiting time for a driving test currently stands at a grueling 21.8 weeks, with approximately 642,000 learner drivers already in the queue. Data from April showed that three-quarters of test centers were hitting the maximum average wait time of 24 weeks.

New Measures and Examiner Exodus

To try and alleviate the pressure on the DVSA, new measures are being introduced alongside the booking restrictions. These include bringing in 36 driving examiners from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to conduct tests one day a week for a year, an initiative estimated to cost £100,000. These new examiners are civil servants and not military personnel.

The biggest hurdle for the DVSA, however, appears to be retaining its current staff. Despite recruiting 316 new examiners, Ms. Alexander revealed that due to high turnover, the agency has only achieved a net gain of just 40 staff. To combat this hemorrhaging of talent, a retention payment of £5,000 will be offered to driving instructors starting next year. Furthermore, to combat the system-gaming practice of repeatedly shifting test dates to secure an earlier slot, a new limit will be placed on the number of times a driver can move or swap a test, alongside restrictions on the area a booked test can be moved to.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, welcomed the crackdown on touts, stating that candidates stuck in the queue should be "reassured that they aren't being elbowed aside by those simply seeking to make a quick buck." The battle to restore fairness and accessibility to the UK driving test system has only just begun.