Across Wales, England and Scotland, the average wait time for a practical driving test is four-and-a-half months.
How long?!?
In this post, we look at how we got in this mess, how scammers are using it to exploit learner drivers, and how you can protect yourself.
What caused the driving test logjam?
In a July 2023 despatch, the Chief Executive of the DVSA gave three main reasons for the driving test delays:
- Increased demand after the pandemic. Covid-19 meant that about a million learners missed out on their test. After the pandemic, the DVSA managed to add about the same number of additional slots. Nevertheless, demand has still continued to rise: in May 2023, demand was up about 7% compared to pre-pandemic. The DVSA puts this down to the economy doing better than expected!
- Industrial action in 2022 to 2023. From June 2022 to February 2023, the UK lost 2.47 million working days due to industrial action, with most of that coming from workers in transport, storage, information and communication. This had a knock-on effect for driving tests, with 25,000 tests cancelled and then rebooked.
- Change in learners’ booking behaviour. This one takes a bit more explaining. Booking driving tests used to work like this: (a) you found your driving instructor and did a few lessons (b) you took your theory test and did some more lessons until the instructor thought you were ready, then (c) you booked your test and took it in 6-8 weeks.
But according to the DVSA, that’s all history:
Now, due to a lack of confidence in the availability of tests, many learners are booking straight after they have passed their theory test. In some cases, this may mean that they are booking their driving test before they have sat behind the wheel.
This results in many learners having to change the date of their test on multiple occasions as they are not ready. As a consequence, those who are test ready may find it more difficult to get one. This includes those who have recently failed a test and are ready to retake after a few lessons to hone their skills, or those who need to drive for their job, such as nurses and carers.
See, it’s 2/3 our own fault, what with workers unreasonably wanting a decent wage and learners selfishly booking early to avoid a three months long wait (that’s satire, before you send an angry email!)
How scammers are exploiting this
Wherever there’s high demand, there’s a horrible human being equipped with IT skills, waiting to rip you off. Driving tests are no exception. Scammers are targeting learner drivers, many of them young and cash-strapped, by promising quicker access to driving tests.
Here’s how it works:
- The learner gives their personal details to the scammer.
- The scammer uses bots to book the learner in for multiple driving tests faster than any human could.
- The slots are then resold at inflated prices, swapping in the names of other learners.
- Alternatively, the slots are passed onto paid services which alert users to test cancellations.
Is this just supply-and-demand, with something rare selling for a higher price? Not really, for two reasons.
Firstly, it’s the sheer scale of the profiteering, with some companies charging £242 – about four times the official £62 price.
Secondly, there’s the risk of having your account banned by the DVSA. In their efforts to crack down on the use of bots, the DVSA will ban accounts that book excessive numbers of slots. Unfortunately, learners whose details have been used by these dodgy companies are collateral damage. For example, one driver was locked out of the DVSA because her account had been used to book 52 tests. The companies are therefore using learners’ details without their knowledge and risking their DVSA accounts.
Also, we would guess that companies who are OK with exploiting your personal data would have no qualms about selling it on the dark web.
Avoiding driving test scams
The government has been tackling this problem for a couple of years. Between January 2023 and August 2024, they shut down 705 businesses for gaming the system. But, as our US cousins say, it’s a game of whack-a-mole, with new operators springing up to replace the old.
If you want to avoid paying for some dodgy geezer’s Rolex, and having your personal details sold off to whoever wants them, there’s really only one solution. Don’t pay more than the official rate, and only use the government website to make your booking. Here’s the link, in a specially huge font so there’s no missing it:
http://Book your driving test via the Government website
Yes, we know the waiting time is a massive pain in the bottom… but that’s got to be better than the alternative.
The WVS blog covers a wide range of automotive topics, from the contentious to the light-hearted. We are an independent garage specialising in all the VW group marques, including Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT. WVS provides services, repairs and MOTs, delivering a main dealer level of care at affordable prices. To book your vehicle in, or for any enquiries, get in touch.