Tag: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

End of the road for unofficial driving test booking services

From today (12 May 2026), only learner drivers can book and manage their own driving test – part of a crackdown on exploitation by third-party services

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners firmly in control of their own booking.

The change means it is now against the law for third parties, including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors, to make bookings for someone else.

It’s also a breach of DVSA’s terms and conditions for the booking service for third parties to change, swap or cancel a driving test for someone else.

Find out more about the new driving test booking rules.

Stopping people reselling tests for profit

Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, said: This government inherited record waiting times and a huge backlog of learners waiting for tests, with the system seeing too many people paying over the odds to third-party touts.

“But we’re taking action and seeing results, delivering almost 2 million tests over the past year, more than 158,000 extra tests since June 2025, and military driving examiners now on the ground helping boost capacity across the country.

“These new rules put learners back in control by stopping others from snapping up tests and reselling them for profit, helping make the system fairer and ensuring tests go to the people who genuinely need them.”

Beverley Warmington, DVSA Chief Executive, said: “Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices.

“These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others. These measures will help free up appointments for genuine learners who are ready to take their test.

“We’re determined to reduce waiting times further, building on the more than 158,000 additional tests delivered between June 2025 and March 2026 – supported by driving examiner numbers at their highest level since 2018 and the recent deployment of military driving examiners who are already carrying out tests.”

New rules are making booking fairer

The new rules aim to make booking driving tests fairer for learner drivers.

Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee – £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

The changes introduced today build on the reduction in the number of changes that can be made to a test from 6 to 2, which came into force on 31 March 2026.

From 9 June 2026, further restrictions will come into force, limiting learners to moving their test only to one of the 3 nearest driving test centres. This will help to deter bookings at locations where learners do not intend to take their test.

Driving instructors and driving schools can still:

  • advise learners on when they are ready to take a test and offer support throughout their learning journey
  • set their available times, preventing learners from booking tests at times that do not work for them

More driving examiners and more driving tests

DVSA is continuing to increase driving examiner capacity to help provide more tests. As of April 2026, there were 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners in post – the highest level of examiner capacity since March 2018.

DVSA has doubled its training capacity for new driving examiners, meaning it can recruit more driving examiners and get them testing sooner.

More driving tests taking place

Provisional data shows that the number of driving tests taking place has increased over the last year. 1,998,608 car driving tests taken between April 2025 and March 2026 – an increase of 8.6% from the previous year.

Number of car driving tests taken

April 2022 to March 2023 – 1,688,955

April 2023 to March 2024 – 1,945,225

April 2024 to March 2025 – 1,839,817

April 2025 to March 2026 – 1,998,608

Source: Table DRT121G, Driving test and theory test data: cars

More people passing their test

The same provisional data shows an increase in the number of people passing their driving test.

1,000,043 car driving tests passed between April 2025 and March 2026 – an increase of 11.7% from the previous year.

Number of car driving tests passed:

April 2022 to March 2023 – 816,775

April 2023 to March 2024 – 931,494

April 2024 to March 2025 – 895,368

April 2025 to March 2026 – 1,000,043

Source: Table DRT121G, Driving test and theory test data: cars

Updates to The Highway Code will make roads even safer

Highways England has drafted updated guidance for The Highway Code with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to help road users better understand how motorways and high-speed roads operate.

More than 3,200 people and organisations responded to a consultation on the guidance, with their comments directly leading to it being amended and improved. The amendments are expected to become part of The Highway Code later this year.

The update will include:

  • clearer advice on where to stop in an emergency
  • the importance of not driving in a lane closed by a Red X
  • the use of variable speed limits to manage congestion
  • updated guidance on key factors that contribute to safety-related incidents, including driving while tired, unroadworthy vehicles, safe towing, tailgating and driving in roadworks

Jeremy Phillips, Highways England’s Head of Road Safety, said: “The updates to The Highway Code will help everyone who uses our busiest roads.

“Thanks to the input from road users, we have been able to produce clearer guidance on how to use our motorways and major A-roads which will make journeys even safer.

“The new edition of The Highway Code can give everyone on our roads the confidence that they have the knowledge and skills to safely get from A to B.”

Among the updates to The Highway Code are clearer advice on how and where to stop in an emergency, including the importance of not driving in a lane that has been closed with a Red X sign displayed and, for the first time, emergency area signage. It includes the “Go left” messaging used in Highways England’s recent £5m advertising campaign to help people know what to do in the event of a breakdown.

There is new guidance on the use of variable speed limits to manage congestion and information on how safety cameras are used to ensure compliance with speed limits and lanes closed with a Red X, including the hard shoulder.

The improved guidance also addresses key factors that contribute to safety-related incidents, including driving while tired, unroadworthy vehicles, safe towing, tailgating and driving through roadworks.

In total, 33 existing rules will be amended and two new rules will be introduced. There will also be a number of amendments made to the additional information within The Highway Code and its annexes.

Highways England has provided the amendments to The Highway Code as part of its commitment to provide clearer information for road users to further improve safety across England’s major routes.

It is vital that all road users are aware of The Highway Code, are considerate to other road users and understand their responsibility for their own safety and that of others.

View the results of the consultation.

Highways England has also launched a campaign to help road users to understand what to do in an emergency on a motorway or high-speed road.

For more information, visit the campaign webpage.