DVSA Bans Third Parties From Booking Driving Tests, Tightening Rules From 12 May 2026

From 12 May 2026, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) introduced new rules for car driving test bookings that make it “against the law for third parties” to book, change, swap or cancel a driving test for someone else.

“From 12 May, there will be changes to how you book your driving test”

BBC

The DVSA said the change puts learners “firmly in control of their own booking,” and it also bans driving instructors from making bookings on behalf of pupils.

BBC

The BBC said the ban applies to booking, changing or swapping from 12 May, while “Tests already booked by instructors are unaffected.”

The BBC also reported that a December investigation found some driving instructors were offered kickbacks of up to £250 a month to sell official test-booking login details to touts, who used them to book tests in bulk and sell them for as much as £500.

Under the DVSA fee structure described by the BBC, the standard test fee is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Since 31 March, learners have been limited to two changes to their booked slot, and the BBC said “you can only make two changes to your booked slot.”

The BBC set out that changing the date or time counts as a change, changing the test centre counts as a change, and swapping with another learner counts as a change, while “If the DVSA changes your test, that does not count as a change.”

Chronicle Live

If learners need more than two changes, the BBC said they “will have to cancel your test and book a new one,” with a refund if they cancel at least 10 working days before the test date.

The DVSA’s rules also include a new local restriction from 9 June, when learners can only move their test to the three test centres closest to where it is booked.

The BBC added that learners can help someone they know book and manage their driving test, but the helper “must be with you while you help them.”

From 9 June 2026, the DVSA rules limit where learners can move a test, with GOV.UK saying they can only move it “to one of the 3 nearest driving test centres.”

“New DVSA rules banning third parties from booking and managing practical driving tests came into force today (12 May 2026), but serious questions are already being raised over whether the changes will actually stop learner drivers being exploited”

Driving Instructors Association

The BBC described the same restriction as moving a test “to the three test centres closest to where your test is booked,” and it urged learners to “Only book at a test centre you intend to use.”

GOV.UK said the policy is part of a wider effort to reduce waiting times, and it cited provisional data showing 1,998,608 car driving tests between April 2025 and March 2026.

GOV.UK also said 1,000,043 car driving tests were passed in the same period, and it framed the reforms as clamping down on bots and third parties that resell tests at inflated prices.

The BBC reported that the changes are aimed at reducing long waiting lists of up to six months and preventing slots from being bulk-bought by bots and firms who resell them at inflated prices.