The RAC is urging learner drivers to avoid third-party websites offering practical test bookings or cancellation alerts.
According to the automotive services company, the average wait for a practical driving test in England and Wales is over four months. This has led to some learners attempting to book tests sooner by using ‘black market’ websites.
These websites use bots to book test slots faster than individuals are able to, which are then resold at inflated prices or through paid services that notify users of cancellations in their area. The RAC is calling on learners to stick to using the official government website instead.
Since January 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has issued 313 warnings, suspended 766 accounts, and shut down 705 businesses for misusing its booking service. Despite these efforts, the RAC says many unofficial sites continue to exploit learners desperate to secure a test slot.
The official cost of a practical driving test is £62, but research shows some websites are reselling slots for up to £195 – more than three times the standard fee. Many slots are resold through encrypted WhatsApp chats, where conversations disappear to avoid detection.
Other ‘cancellation alert’ schemes and apps charge users a fee to provide a notification when a test slot becomes available sooner than their original date. These services require proof of a DVSA booking but can still cost learners up to £117 for ‘VIP packages.’
RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “Definitive action needs to be taken to prevent ‘bots’ booking tests and then selling them on to desperate learners for crazy amounts of money. This leads to genuine slots being wasted and learners, who are ready to take their tests, missing out and having to wait months for a chance to become a qualified driver. It’s no wonder some learners end up booking test slots before they’re ready.
“It’s also very wrong that real people who are genuinely trying to book their tests are being treated as if they are ‘bots’ because their data has been stolen by fraudsters.
“The best course of action before the DVSA finds a solution to this problem once and for all is to book only via the official Government website and not pay well over the odds by using a so-called broker’s site.”
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