The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has implemented a new rule that will affect approximately two million learner drivers across the UK. From Tuesday, May 12, 2026, only learner drivers themselves will be permitted to book and manage their own driving tests, as part of a crackdown on exploitation by third-party services.
New Booking Regulations
Under the new regulations, it is now illegal for third parties—including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services—to make bookings on behalf of learners. Driving instructors are also prohibited from making bookings for their students. The move is designed to prevent unnecessary fees and exploitation, ensuring that tests are fairly allocated to those who genuinely need them.
Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, stated: "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."
Costs and Additional Changes
The standard cost for a driving test remains £62 on weekdays, but rises to £75 for evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. This change follows a previous adjustment on March 31, 2026, which reduced the number of allowable test changes from six to two. Furthermore, from June 2026, learners will be limited to moving their test only to one of the three nearest driving test centres.
Beverley Warmington, DVSA Chief Executive, commented: "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."
Provisional data indicates that the number of driving tests conducted has increased over the past year, reflecting ongoing efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access for learner drivers.
