Driving Test Cheating Jumps 47% in UK

Cheating during driving tests across England, Scotland and Wales surged by nearly half last year, raising fresh concerns about road safety and the pressure facing learner drivers.

Figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show 2,844 attempts to cheat in the year to September 2025, up from 1,940 the year before. The rise in recorded cheating has been linked to both better detection methods being brought into place and an increase in people trying to cheat the system.

How are people cheating?

The most common tactics involved technology. In more than 1,100 cases, candidates used hidden earpieces connected via Bluetooth to concealed mobile phones during theory tests, allowing answers to be fed in remotely. Impersonation cases were also widespread, with over 1,000 attempts at theory tests and hundreds more during practical exams involving someone posing as the registered candidate.

Underqualified drivers putting other road users at risk, say motoring organisations

Motoring organisations and academics have warned that the trend could have serious consequences. Dr Rasha Kassem, who leads the Fraud Research Group at Aston University, said: "It means there will be more accidents, collisions, insurance issues as well, damage to the car, and damage to human beings, injuries, and in some cases, death." She added: "There has to be public awareness, because this is a serious crime. It is fraud."

The RAC Foundation echoed those concerns, saying people who cheat their way to a licence are "putting other road users at risk".

Cheating on the rise as learners face 22 week wait for tests

The spike in cases comes at a time when learner drivers are struggling to secure practical test slots. Average waiting times have stretched to around 22 weeks, compared with roughly five weeks before the Covid pandemic. While the DVSA says it has found no direct evidence that long waits are driving people to cheat, industry figures believe that the pressure to pass knowing that you will have to wait for so long to try again is a major factor.

Carly Brookfield, chief executive of the Driving Instructors Association, said: "It almost seems inevitable in an era of lots of demand, but very little consistent supply," adding that some learners turn to cheating services in desperation to pass.

Courts dealt with 96 prosecutions for driving test fraud or impersonation in the year covered by the figures. In several cases, judges heard that impersonators could earn up to £2,000 for passing a test on someone else’s behalf. Sentences have ranged from suspended jail terms to prison sentences, alongside driving bans, unpaid work and court costs.

DVSA increases anti-cheating checks

To tackle the problem, the DVSA has stepped up checks at test centres. Measures include matching candidates’ faces to photo ID, physical searches, metal detector scans and using intelligence to spot repeat offenders.

Marian Kitson, the DVSA’s director of enforcement services, said: "It is essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge, and attitude to drive safely." She added: "Our counter-fraud team carries out robust investigations into suspected fraud, working with the police to bring fraudsters to justice and keep Britain's roads safe."

Looking ahead, the pressure on the system may not ease soon. The National Audit Office has warned that the driving test backlog is unlikely to be cleared until November 2027, citing examiner shortages and automated booking systems run by third-party websites as the main causes for the delays.