Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Get driving test sooner?

35 replies

Freyagillian · 04/06/2025 14:57

DVLA cancelled my granddaughter’s test the day of her test with no explanation or an apology, they gave her another test date for months away, to say she was upset is an understatement. Her test was a Thursday so her instructor put her in for a lesson fir Tuesday/Wed/ and Thursday a lesson before her test so in total it was £160 with hire of instructors car for sitting her test, she saw the cancellation when she was sitting in the car waiting for examiner to appear when she saw the message cancelling her test. We have tried the apps that are available but they are offering even later than her new test date. Her instructor has said she is more than ready for her test so having to keep paying £40 a week for extra months is a struggle for her mum who is a single parent, her granddad has gave her loads of lessons as well but feel she still should be with instructor as she is use to her car. The DVLA seem to be a law unto themselves with no explanation why they cancelled. Constantly hearing about touts buying up block books of tests and selling for extortionate prices. She has added other towns to give a better chance to get a test soon but nothing coming forth. Her instructor is also trying to get an earlier date for her but she says this is so common of DVLA and doesn’t hold out much hope. This is a typically government run business who does not give two hoots how they treat people. Any advice would be greatly appreciated to put a smile on my granddaughter’s face! Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
pinkstripeycat · 05/06/2025 23:06

I am an Approved Driving Instructor.

It is unreasonable for a replacement test to be months in advance. Ring the DVSA and ask for a test date that is closer. They DO have them and definitely do provide them. Your granddaughter’s instructor will know this.

My town is one of the business test centres in the UK and replacement tests are never more than a month away.

Also lots of towns have test swap groups amongst instructors where they can swap pupils tests where some are more ready than others.

3isnotacrowd · 05/06/2025 22:57

I used testshift for my son's and paid for the automatic book upgrade. Got a test booked within days of doing that. Worked well.

Overshareswhendrunk · 05/06/2025 22:24

We had the app but found that tests were already taken. The only way my son got a test was to book one anywhere in the country at some future date. Once you have a test booked you can go on DVLA website and get a cancellation but you need to do this at 6am on Monday mornings when they get released. We were unsuccessful the first time we tried this but the following Monday we managed to get him a test for the following week at our local test centre. He passed, thankfully. Good luck!

Tomnooktoldmeto · 04/06/2025 23:44

We used driving test now, you can set it up to auto book for you. I used it 9 times for 2DC and never had to wait too long

I booked a test anywhere but far into the distance, then set the app to my chosen test centre, set up any exclusions of dates not wanted and let it auto book

The longest we ever waited was 2 weeks to rebook and averaged about a month between tests

FrangipaniBlue · 04/06/2025 23:27

She doesn’t need to have weekly lessons with an instructor if she has access to drive her own/family members car on a regular basis?

DS hasn’t had any for over a month now but has been driving with me and is booked in for one with his instructor just before his test.

We used Testi, you can set it to only give notifications before her test date but do make sure you have the notifications set up in the app AND enabled in your phone settings.

i know someone who got one for July through Testi only today.

There seems to be certain times of day the cancellations get released, usually mid morning so try and be near your phone to watch for the notifications around then.

MymateDave · 04/06/2025 23:05

I used driving test now. Filled in the dates & times I was available for a test and it automatically booked for me. I failed my 1st test. With that app I had another test for 15 days later.

Moonshine86 · 04/06/2025 20:01

Testi but I never got notified. I did have to log in a refresh upon occasion.

Original poster
Freyagillian · 04/06/2025 19:59

It definitely seems to have got much worse and nobody seems to be doing anything to rectify this huge problem. Makes me so angry they give no reason why they have cancelled it🤷‍♀️. My daughter has got Testi but as I said the date they offered was even later than the date she has got in place of her cancellation. We have 2 apps n the go but think they are a waste of money.

OP posts:
Skihound · 04/06/2025 16:07

We used testi and paid the £10 to notify you - managed to move it up by months got one in the end just 2 weeks away but you have to be quick.

jljlj · 04/06/2025 15:25

Impossible to get tests at the moment. My dd is also ready but hers is in Sept. I have had Testi installed for a couple of month - very few notifications and the two times I’ve tried to click, the earlier tests had already vanished. It’s been like this for years now, although lately it has got much worse. My eldest took his in 2023. Still bad, but not this bad.