The RAC is warning learners to remain highly vigilant when booking driving tests.

Over recent months, concerns over black market driving test booking schemes have been highlighted as a growing area of concern.

Many learners are tempted to pay over the odds to book a test slot due to excessive waiting times.

The RAC has issued a warning to learner drivers about the ongoing average wait time of approximately four-and-a-half months for practical driving tests across England and Wales.

They are advising learners to use only the official Government website for booking tests, steering clear of unofficial sites that claim to offer booking services or alerts for available slots.

Since January 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has taken significant action against the misuse of its booking system.

It has issued 283 warnings, suspended 746 accounts, and shut down 689 businesses engaged in this practice.

 

 

Looking for a lead

Despite these efforts, many unofficial sites continue to exploit learners eager to secure test slots.

These sites utilise automated bots to book slots more quickly than human users can, subsequently reselling them at inflated prices.

The official fee for a driving test is £62, some unofficial sites are charging up to £195—over three times the standard rate.

While the DVSA states it is actively working to combat this black market, the RAC has found that many slots are still being sold through encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

Here sellers often use disappearing messages to avoid detection.

In addition to inflated prices, third-party services are profiting from the backlog by offering “cancellation alert” services that notify users when slots open up.

However, these schemes often charge hefty sign-up fees, sometimes nearly double the official test price.

They are often advertising ‘VIP packages’ for as much as £117.

More than money

Learners should also be wary of sharing personal information, as illustrated by freelance journalist Lara Olszowska’s experience.

Lara recounted spending £169 on a test from a black market site, only to find her details used to book 52 tests under her name without her knowledge.

This led to her DVSA account being blocked, highlighting yet another risk of using such unofficial services.

Lara advises others to book directly through the DVSA and to plan their preparation well in advance of their test date to avoid falling victim to scams.

 

On the straight and narrow

The RAC agrees, strongly recommending that drivers utilise the official Government website for booking driving tests.

As well as charging high fees, any unofficial sites provide misleading information about the booking process.

They can often misuse your data and sometimes fail to provide the basic service they are advertising.

What is more, these sites are only increasing the problems of waiting times for all learners.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams stated, “It’s disheartening that brokers are using technology to secure tests faster than genuine learners can. This manipulation leads to wasted slots and frustrates those ready to take their tests. Until the DVSA resolves this issue, the safest approach is to book exclusively through the official site and avoid overpriced services.”