The RAC is warning learners not to be exploited and “sucked in” by websites offering a shortcut around the current long waiting lists.
The average post-pandemic waiting list for an official practical test currently stands at around four-and-a-half months across England and Wales.
Unofficial websites use bots to book test slots faster than any human could – and then charge inflated prices when reselling them to desperate learner drivers.
While the official driving test costs as little as £62, the RAC’s research reveals that some sites are reselling tests for up to £195, more than three times the official price.
Since January 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) – which is responsible for the driving test – has issued 283 warnings, 746 suspensions and closed 689 businesses for misuse of its booking service.
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Unfortunately, the RAC has found that many unofficial sites are still trying to exploit learners struggling to become qualified drivers.
The DVSA is taking steps to clamp down on the black market for booking driving tests.
However, the RAC has found many slots can still be bought through third parties online as they are sold via encrypted WhatsApp chats.
On these channels, sellers will often use the ‘disappearing message’ function so conversations aren’t traceable.
Other third parties are profiting from the backlog through ‘cancellation alert’ schemes and apps, which charge users a one-off fee to receive alerts every time a slot becomes available sooner than their original test.
While these sites require legitimate proof of a DVSA test, sign-up fees can still set drivers back nearly twice the amount of an official test, with ‘VIP packages’ advertised for up to £117.
Stolen information
The RAC is also warning about the dangers of handing out personal details to unofficial sites.
Freelance journalist Lara Olszowska is a victim of such a website.
She explained: “I bought into the driving test black market at £169 for a test worth £62, just to avoid having to retake my theory and delay my practical exam.
“I gave them my driving licence number, my theory certificate number, and my home address without batting an eyelid.
“After failing that test, I went online to try to book my next attempt, but the DVSA website kept popping up with an ‘error’ message.
“That led to a fateful phone call with the DVSA where I learned my account was blocked for having ‘too many’ tests booked using my details – even though I was blissfully unaware for the years it was going on.
“A company had used my details to repeatedly book tests under my name 52 times and swap[ped] them with other candidates who wanted the slots for triple the price.”
The RAC advises drivers to book directly through the Government website rather than through third-party black market sites, which often contain false information such as how frequently you can book your driving test.
Simon Williams, head of policy of the RAC, said: “It’s terrible that ‘brokers’ using software to reserve tests faster than a human possibly could are making it so hard for learners to book test slots.
“It seems as though technology is constantly being used to cheat the system, as we’ve been told someone’s driving licence number was used to book multiple tests.
“Definitive action needs to be taken to prevent ‘bots’ booking tests and then selling them on to desperate learners for crazy amounts of money.”
He continued: “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 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.”
