Desperate learner drivers fall victim to £200 driving scam tests

Scammers are capitalizing on the extended wait times for driving tests, with reports of a growing number of young drivers being lured into paying hundreds of pounds in “arrangement fees” to bypass the queue.

An MP has raised concerns over this alarming trend as learners face wait times stretching from 14 to 24 weeks across Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Dorset.

In the Thames Valley area, fraudsters are offering quicker access to driving tests for £200, in addition to the standard £62 DVSA fee. Bracknell-based driving instructor Chris Riley empathizes with learner drivers, acknowledging the pressure they feel amid a six-month wait period for tests in the Thames Valley, where new appointments are snapped up within minutes.

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Reselling of driving tests is rampant on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Marketplace, where dozens of ads are posted for immediate tests at prices up to five times the standard rate. Riley stated, “I’m sure my pupils are tempted, and I can’t blame them. If your job depends on a driving licence and you’re faced with the cost of extra driving lessons for six months, people are just getting desperate, and they are turning to whoever’s selling.”

He cautioned students that sharing their provisional licence number can lead to scammers booking tests across the country using their details, often without the learners’ awareness. “I don’t know how widespread or how many, but it does feel like people are making a mini-business out of it,” he added.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is urging learners to book tests exclusively through the official government website, explaining that while reselling tests isn’t illegal, it “exploits” learners. Many brokers employ automated software to quickly secure test slots on the government site, allowing them to sell these coveted dates at a premium.

Statistics from the DVSA indicate a sharp increase in waiting times for driving tests from 2020 to 2024 across various locations. For instance, Basingstoke has seen a jump from a 13-week wait in October 2020 to a staggering 24 weeks in September 2024. Similar trends are evident in other areas, highlighting the urgent need for action.

Bracknell MP Peter Swallow has called for a crackdown on scammers and an increase in available driving tests. He voiced his concerns in parliament, stating, “My constituents are scraping together hundreds of pounds to pay double or triple the test price, only to have their details cloned and these black market operators then use them to squeeze others out of the market.”

Post-debate, he emphasized that he doesn’t want to limit opportunities for young people by raising the £62 test fee. “We all remember that feeling of liberation when we first got behind the wheel after passing our test. For too many young people in my constituency that is just not a reality at the moment, and pricing working people out of the test market is not really the solution I’m looking for.”