To consider flying to Scotland from London just for a driving test!!

We did similar in our house - when dd was ready to apply, our neighbour had been waiting over a year for a slot to apply for the test locally - not even the actual test.

Dd went online and booked the shortest queue - in the midlands. Once she was in the system, she was able to apply for cancellations (in the middle of the night) - after 3 weeks, she managed to get a test booking for "Navan" (we're in Ireland - it's a town on the East coast heading for Belfast) and went up with DH, but it was for "Old Navan Road" in Dublin! As a no show, she went back down the list, but still managed to apply and sit tests in Mullignar and Athlone (which she failed for different reasons) before passing in Kilkenny in mid January. Having first applied in mid-October. And before our neighbour had even been invited to apply locally.

She had been doing a lot of practise, as DH was getting her to drive to her hockey training and matches all over the city, and to cycling practise, and sharing driving down to DGPs at the far end of the country (I am away at the moment so couldn't give him a break). So he was getting a bit of a break (he still had to go as the licensed driver). And she was confident enough to drive to the new towns a couple of hours before test time and get the feel for the local roads, before heading in for the test using my car.

It was well worth it - and she knows a good few others who did similar to get their tests (especially among the sports players).

You can get a test at a local centre by getting up v early on a Monday - it will just be several months off.

You're right the system has collapsed and it's very unfair on people. But you do have less extreme options. Book something local-ish in tomorrow morning and then use a combo of the apps and your family member's support to try to swap it for something sooner, but perhaps further away.

Examiners supplying vehicles? Really? Now you're being ridiculous. Have you even taken lessons with an instructor? They would have told you what you need to do when booking your practical test.

Driving instructors usually supply the vehicles because use their students are used to driving that vehicle and will be comfortably used to where everything is, making the test less stressful, guarantees all vehicles standards have been met, car is properly insured and a quick, easy response for the "Show me" part.

Inverness only has 52% pass rate, you will be driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar place. That's before you consider no dual controls and dangerous roads. Maybe it should be made compulsory that you have had several driving lessons with a local instructor before you can book a test more than an hour outside of the place you sat your theory test. Examiners should also be able to refuse to allow people who don't know the local area to use their own vehicle or one without dual controls.

Most instructors don't allow people they haven't taught to use there car for a driving test. It can affect there pass rates! It's also lost business. If you want to do it I suggest you book a short intensive course with an instructor who will book you a test. Just be careful and Inverness has some tricky test routes and a couple of roundabouts that if you get them and have no experience of them especially at peak times you have a higher chance of failing.

This.... Why are you contemplating spending hundreds to get to a distant center, when you just pay £20 to Testi to get one for you at your local center. Cancellations come up all the time, you get a notification and accept immediately. Sometimes for the next day. Job done.

DD eventually did hers in her Uni town. Much easier than Surrey.

ah, just read this, thanks!

Whoever is running the bots / selling at inflated prices should be criminalised! Ridiculous situation 😡

Just pay the 15 quid for Testi or Driving Test Now and get a cancellation slot sooner somewhere local

You know exactly what I meant.
Also, the A9 isn't the best of roads, even for experienced drivers.

Side issue, but I don’t understand how and why ‘bots’ would be taking up driving test spaces??

She didn’t, she thought it was provided by the centre. Hence the recommendations, second post in “To be honest I hadn’t even thought about what car I’d drive during the test. I actually thought the examiner provided the car! Ooops.”

My DD tried this.

We couldn't get a local test so went somewhere about 2 hours drive away.

She wasn't familiar with the local roads and it showed. She didn't pass.

We've just given up now. She's ready to do the test again but it's just impossible to get slots. We don't want to move to Inverness or somewhere for a month to get it either (she does need time to learn the local roads)

I'm pretty sure the OP knows you need a car to take a driving test 😂

But as others have pointed out you don't need to own it yourself, there are suggestions of borrowing from a friend or relative or hiring one or finding a local driving instructor .

They need a car to take a test and it very, very unlikely any instructor will let her use their car without having taken lessons with them. Also unlikely their vehicles would be available for the test at short notice.

@Wouldbedriver There is a list on the Gov website that tells you everything you need to do to use your own (borrowed) vehicle to sit your driving test. Including making sure the insurance company will cover it for a driving test. Failure to comply with any of them will result in your test being cancelled (no refund) so make sure you have triple checked before travelling to Inverness. You will need a cover note from insurance stating the clause btw or know where it is on policy.

Hiring a dual control car might be easier (in terms of meeting all the maintenance requirements) but again you would need to confirm that they would cover insurance for a driving test, which they may not.

You don't need to buy a car to take a driving test anywhere, not sure what that PP means. Surely most people don't own a car when they take their test

I’m well aware there are cars in Scotland! I just have personal experience of the struggle of booking a driving test without an instructors car and also how difficult it is to book lessons with an instructor in some places!!

You should do at least some of the driving on the way there, it would be superb practice.

Interesting post from the Goverment

How we’re dealing with bots and the reselling of driving tests – Despatch for driver and rider trainers

And the comments are looking at the system instructors use to book tests and how it's exploited.

They are trying to ban them, but government old
IT makes it difficult to keep up with these apps

Presumably there's somewhere closer than Inverness though.

We have cars in Scotland.