To be livid at the Govs lack of action over the shambles around driving tests

[WynterQueen]

longer than expected

DS passed his theory test, and we booked his practical test. The first test was five months away at a random location, and I watched DVSA like a hawk to get a change to our preferred centre; the date was about the same.

In desperation, as he was nearer to ready to take a test, I used a black market site to get a change and nearly lost my money. These sites will only let you pay via PayPal and using friends and family, so there is no buyer protection. I refused, used goods and services and they wouldn't deal with me. Paypal paid me back after 28 days.

I tried another site and got a change, in my preferred centre for 6 weeks earlier. Cost £120 + £62 original test cost.

He failed, not through a lack of lessons, just an idiot van driver ... anyway he failed. That's life, only 47% pass first time. The odds were against him that morning.

I rebooked on DVSA. The first test anywhere in the country wasi halfway up the country in mid-April 2025. I took it.

Now I'm back on the black market again, the 'safe' place I used before has nothing until early March.

I found another site, but again, they will only accept payments from friends and family (no buyer protection). I am now sitting here with bated breath to see if I have been scammed out of another £122. I have 20 mins before I know

Anyway, my AIBU is, why are the Government doing nothing about this? Why can't they go back to the system of one learner who can book one test at a time and stop the bot's bulk buying tests using the Driving Instructor system bypass?

The place I have just used has offered me four different PayPal addresses and a bank account, all in different names. I hold little hope they are genuine. Particularly las they kept calling me Ma'am. WTF. Nobody in the UK addresses me like that.

Perhaps we need an MN list of black market sites with which we have had genuine transactions to help others feel more secure when working on the underbelly of the driving test market to get our children's tests.

Your are NOT BU
The Gov need to act

You are BU
Its a free market let scammers make money

No child "needs" a test. They want a test. They are hardly the same thing. And by your actions you are part of the problem.

Much as I am not a fan of the current government - and not remotely a fan of the last one - I think they have more important things to do than ensure teenagers can have driving tests when they want one. I'm sure they'll get around to it after sorting out the NHS, schools, GP places, affordable housing, sick pay, the economy...

It hasnt always been like this! i only needed 10 lessons before my test, and only had a 3 week wait until my test

My friends just been through this with her daughter, but they used an app that showed them cancellations each day/week and she got her test then retest quite quickly

As long as people continue to use the re-seller sites, the problems will continue. If everyone stopped using them, they would soon go out of business.

Try the app Testi. Used it for my daughter, after she failed her first test, and got a cancellation within 4 weeks. You pay one upfront fee of about £15 and it notifies you when a cancellation comes up. You can select several test centres. Much better than losing money to some dodgy site.

By using the "dodgy" sites you are part of the problem.

Whilst the reason for this is undoubtably the Tory government I do think the new Gov should crack down on re-selllers. There should be no need and anyone cancelling a test should only be able to put it back on the main system. Everyone booking has a unique driving licence number and you should only be able to book one at a time

But you're using the sites, it's supply and demand.

I passed two years ago and just checked the website a couple of times a day to get one of the test centres I wanted. I did have to get it a couple of months in advance.

Well there are children starving and they don’t give a shit. There’s way more important things to be livid about, I couldn’t say driving tests are the priority.

Your post is ridiculous. You condemn the black market sites but you use them thereby perpetuating the problem. It's due to people like you that they flourish. If no-one used them then they wouldn't bother. YABVU.

Oh and by the way, your son didn't fail due to an idiot van driver, he failed because he dealt poorly with the situation arising due to the idiot van driver. He needs to be able to deal with all sorts of situations that he encounters on the roads. A few more months of practice will be good for him.

I agree @romanfriendsandcountrywomen this is an age group that (multiple) govts don’t give a toss about. They are short-sighted in that, imo

We were aware of the driving test issue (and a lack of instructors) when DD turned 17 so she took the theory test asap, booked a test seven months ahead and we found an instructor more easily because there was an end date.

We didn’t need the apps, fortunately, but it’s mean to blame the people that need to use them. And very mean for an adult to begrudge a teenager learning to drive!

@EmmaMaria plenty of young people in rural areas need a test so that they can get to work / education sites without relying on family or friends driving them or awful / non-existant public transport.

Think about who you are giving your details to when you give your licence details to these random people. Who knows what they are going to do with your private data and how it will be stored.

You can't book a test at all in any of the centres near me, bots buy up any that do appear instantly. You can check religiously 3 times a day for months and never see a single test. I did mine 300 miles away in the end. It's unbelievably bad in some areas.

I think the whole thing needs an overhaul. Instructors should be able to pass their students once they have met a standard. If those students go on to have accidents - the instructor looses their ability to grant licences.

I had no idea this was going on.
My Dd is having a block of lessons for her birthday. She won't be able to use the lessons till summer, I was hoping she could take the test before going back to Uni.
Is there this long wait for the theory test too?

This sounds terrible. Thinking back to when I was learning to drive, it would have been very disheartening to have to wait many months to be able to get a re test date.

Is there any petition active that we could sign to push the government to take action?I’d happily sign it.

Theory tests are fine. But get her to do it ASAP so she can start looking for a practical test ASAP.

This sounds a sensible idea, especially for very experienced driving instructors.

Or some kind of arrangement where an instructor can refer a pupil to a registered and approved fellow instructor to be assessed for the test.

Wasn't.

I took my test in 2007, booked about a fortnight in advance with lots of choice.
Dd1 took her test in 2018, again booked when she wanted with lots of choice. She only started looking at tests when she was pretty much ready, and certainly had a test within 2 months, but that was her choice.
Dd2 in 2022, no problem getting a test, but not a huge amount of choice, again about a couple of months.
Ds 2025, had to go on website at 6am on Monday, nothing left the first time, one test got the second time, 6 months ahead only option.

All are the same test centre.

I think this is a bad idea. Putting passes in the hands of those who want a great success rate is not the way to go.

I agree it's awful. My eldest dd passed on tbe second go and had to wait six months to re sit. My youngest took her test this week and I was dreading a fail and a long with more money being spent but she passed first time! Both girls had long waits for tests

I can see the drawbacks, especially if the pupil has the kind of parent who sees failure as other "idiot drivers' " fault.

Why are you spending so much on dodgy sites. Everyone I know has just used the Testi app. All got cancellations pretty quickly. You just plug in dates you can do and it books it automatically for you.

I used Driving Test Now Cancellations for mine, two years ago. You just have to be patient but it does work. I’m sure that it won’t be the end of the world if they can’t pass straightaway….I was in my late 20’s!