New Driving Test Booking Laws Take Effect In UK
The landscape of learning to drive in Great Britain has shifted today, May 12th, 2026, as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) rolls out strict new regulations for booking car driving tests. In a move designed to dismantle a thriving market of "test touts," it is now against the law for third parties, including driving instructors and automated booking services, to book, swap, or cancel tests for someone else.
The reforms target a system where bots and unofficial services have been bulk-buying appointments to resell them at massive markups. A previous investigation revealed some learners were being charged as much as £500 for a slot by third parties that officially costs just £62.
Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, emphasized the need for change:
“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.”
Under the new legal framework, learners must manage their own bookings through the official government website. While friends or family can still assist with the process, the learner must be physically present during the booking, and all contact details must belong to the student.
This crackdown follows reports that some instructors were even being offered "kickbacks" to sell their official login credentials to resellers. Beverley Warmington, DVSA Chief Executive, stated:
“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.”
The booking overhaul is part of a wider strategy to tackle a staggering backlog of over 600,000 learners. Several key measures are now in effect or on the horizon:
- Reduced Flexibility: As of March 31st, the number of times a learner can change their appointment has been slashed from six to just two.
- Geographic Limits: Starting June 9th, learners who wish to move their test will only be permitted to switch to one of their three nearest test centres to stop people from "squatting" on slots in distant locations they never intend to visit.
- Capacity Boost: To meet demand, the government has deployed military driving examiners and increased the number of full-time examiners to its highest level since 2018.
The DVSA reports that these efforts are already yielding results, with nearly 2 million tests delivered over the past year, which is an 8.6% increase from the previous year.
Despite the ban on instructors managing bookings, they still play a vital role. Instructors are encouraged to advise students on their readiness and provide their reference numbers for the booking process to ensure their own vehicle and schedule are available for the test date.
Learners are reminded to only pay the official DVSA fees: £62 for weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.
