Learner drivers being exploited by brokers charging over DOUBLE the price for earlier tests
Endless waiting lists as long as six months to sit practical tests means the slots have become hot commodities.
Given the huge demand, a driving test black market has been created as test bookings are now being sold at inflated prices of around £200 through third party websites, Facebook groups and WhatsApp.
Unofficial broker companies are selling the appointments by using instructors' official Personal Reference Numbers to access available slots, then selling them at an extortionate price where they take the profit off the original fee.
The details are then changed to match that of the buyer.
The service allows learners to get a test in a matter of days or weeks.
Most test slots are being booked through a portal only accessible to qualified instructors. One revealed he was even approached by a broker who offered to pay him in exchange for his details to access the appointments.
One report revealed a slot in just nine days was sold for £137 by an instructor - instead of the flat rate of £62 on weekdays or £75 for weekends and evenings.
In a WhatsApp group seen by Manchester Evening News, several dates for last minute slots across different locations were being offered within days notice.
In another, a sooner slot was being sold at £100 to give the broker a £38 profit.
While there are also dedicated Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members desperate to find last-minute test dates or swap slots.
One driving instructor said test slots being block booked means there is often no availability for his own legitimate students.
'They are making so much profit,' the instructor told the M.E.N.
'This is a public service. It's not like they can go somewhere privately. They are selling these tests at £250 or even £300 so it's become big business. I look at it as though the students have paid enough to learn to drive, and the test is the final part of it all.'
Some desperate learners are going to huge lengths to get earliest test slots possible – even if that means driving the length of the UK to sites that are more remote and in lower demand.
In August This is Money reported that multiple freedom of information requests to the DVSA by Marmalade car insurance over a six-month period revealed learners travelled an extra 48 per cent further to take their driving test in 2023 compared to 2019.
One learner travelled a staggering 647 miles from Exeter to Shetland to take their practical exam, while another travelled 633 miles from Folkestone to Shetland.
The process of paying to complete a theory test, driving lessons and the practical test is a huge financial commitment running up to hundreds of pounds, making the pressure to pass higher than ever.
The Online Business Service - what driving instructors use to book and manage tests for their pupils - said: 'Because learners are desperate and know they are going to wait 20 weeks for a test, they book it early and try and go for it. But the pressure to pass is then higher than ever before, because if you fail, you then have to either pay an extortionate amount or wait another 23 weeks.
'They then may need more lessons in that wait time, at a cost of £35 or £40 an hour. The cost implications of failing are lot higher, so this is just desperation. They become stuck in this vicious cycle.'
In January 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) banned anyone from selling tests at profit.
But since then they have has issued 350 warnings, 792 suspensions and closed 813 businesses for misuse of its booking service.
The The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has also found many unofficial sites offering booking slots for around £200 each.
A DVSA spokesperson said: 'DVSA's consultation on improving car driving test booking rules will be used to inform the next steps on improvements we can make to the test booking system so it's easier and fairer for everyone.
'GOV.UK is the only official way to book your practical driving test, and we urge people to report any social media channels or posts offering unofficial test slots or bookings to the social media network. We will take decisive action against those who misuse the booking system to exploit learners.'
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