The RAC has issued a strong warning to learner drivers across England and Wales to avoid falling prey to websites offering inflated fees and alert services for practical driving test slots, advising them to use only the official Government booking site. The caution comes as waiting times for driving tests remain at around four-and-a-half months post-pandemic, creating opportunities for scammers to exploit desperate learners.
Since January 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has issued 283 warnings, suspended 746 accounts, and closed 689 businesses for misuse of its booking system. Despite this, the RAC reports that many unofficial sites continue to profit from learners by reselling test slots or offering costly alerts for cancellations.
These third-party services often use bots to book test slots faster than any human could. The slots are then resold for up to £195—more than three times the official price of £62. Others charge users fees for receiving alerts when test cancellations arise in their local area, with ‘VIP packages’ advertised for as much as £117.
RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, expressed concern: “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. Technology is being used to cheat the system, and this leads to genuine slots being wasted, forcing learners to wait months to take their tests.”
The RAC has also raised concerns about the risk of personal data theft, citing the experience of freelance journalist Lara Olszowska. After paying £169 for a test, Olszowska found that her personal details had been used by scammers to book multiple tests in her name, which led to her account being blocked by the DVSA.
The DVSA is taking action to curb these fraudulent practices, but the RAC advises learners to book directly through the Government’s official site to avoid being overcharged or having their personal details compromised.
Williams added, “The best course of action before the DVSA finds a solution to this problem once and for all is to book only via the official Government website and not pay over the odds by using a so-called broker’s site.”
The RAC urges drivers to avoid third-party websites and to report any suspicious activity to the DVSA.
