On 12 November, the government announced new measures aimed at stamping out the reselling of driving tests. The announcement followed a wider update on driving test waiting times to the Transport Select Committee on the same day.
I know there has been a mixed reaction from industry about the consultation outcome, and I wanted to address some of the concerns raised and be transparent about our next steps.
Putting customers at the heart of the service
As we take a service-led approach to managing the learn to drive a car service, we're always looking to improve the learner's customer journey. This is about making it a seamless experience for everyone involved – including instructors. This journey starts when learners research what action they need to take to apply for a provisional licence and leads to them becoming a safe and sustainable driver.
Updating the driving test booking system is an essential part of modernising our services to deliver a safer, fairer experience for all learners and instructors.
What these changes are really about
One of the main issues we’re facing is the exploitation of the booking system by third-party businesses and automated bots. We know the features that allow tests to be swapped between learners and let instructors book tests for pupils are no longer always being used as intended.
Third party business and automated bots aren't legitimate driving instructors – they're commercial operators who game the system, snap up test slots, and charge learners premium fees to access tests, which they should be able to book themselves at the standard rate.
Previous findings from responses to our call for evidence run ahead of the consultation showed 90% of learners who responded said they already book their own driving tests, with 25% saying they had made use of a third party service or app to book a test.
The aim of the consultation was to look at how we could prevent test reselling in the future, making the booking system fairer and simplifying the process for learners. We recognise that the decision announced last week will impact how some instructors manage their driver training going forward. But I want to reassure you that the views of driving instructors were fully considered before we reached a final decision.
The changes coming into effect from Spring 2026 mean:
- your pupils will have direct control over their personal data and driving licence information
- third party services won’t be able to exploit learner drivers financially by booking and selling tests on to them at inflated prices
- the system will be fairer, with less competition from bots and unofficial services
The decision we’ve taken is not about instructor conduct or blaming you or customers for the long waiting times. We know the vast majority of you who use the Online Business Service (OBS) do so legitimately to provide an excellent service to your pupils.
Your role remains vital
You are vital partners in road safety, and we cannot deliver safer roads without your frontline expertise and professional judgement.
Your role becomes more important, not less. You'll continue to guide your pupils on when they're truly ready for their test – and we'll support you when you use your professional judgement to advise that a learner isn't ready yet.
We 100% support you if you make the decision that a pupil is not ready to take a test. If you advise a pupil that they are not ready and refuse to let them use your car for their test, we support this and will not count this as a complaint if the pupil contacts us.
We'll continue to use the Ready to Pass? campaign to encourage learner drivers to only take a test when they're ready and to listen to your professional advice.
You'll still be able to share your availability on the OBS, so your pupils can check you're available before they book or change their test.
Stronger security for a fairer booking system
To enable us to make the changes to the booking system we will need to explore how we include enhanced identity authentication to check the identity of the person booking or managing the test.
This will involve carrying out identity checks using driving licence details and secure credentials, real-time validation against DVLA records, and in-person confirmation at test centres.
These measures will help prevent misuse, protect learner data, and we are exploring how this can all be integrated with GOV.UK One Login – the government's single sign-on service. There are already over 100 government services using this service and we will tell you more about One Login will be used for driving test bookings in a future blog post.
This integration is part of delivering better, more secure digital services across government, but it has strict data protection protocols that mean only the licence holder can access their booking.
Understanding the impact on your business
We recognise these changes will impact some business models, particularly those who offer intensive courses and have built their services around managing the booking process for pupils and customers.
I want you to know we hear your concerns about the economic implications and the impact these changes will have on business models, and we're taking them seriously.
We're aware that some learners will need support to book tests, particularly those with accessibility requirements or learning difficulties. We're working through the details to ensure no one is disadvantaged, and we'll discuss practical solutions with you as we develop the implementation.
How the consultation process worked
I know many of you want clarity on how we reached this decision. Normally, we would publish the consultation results alongside the announcement, and we have been working hard over the last few months to do this at the same time.
As you know, the Transport Select Committee heard from the Secretary of State on 12 November, including an update on driving tests waiting times and the consultation on changes to the booking system. This is because the committee has taken a keen interest in this issue and want to know and understand the measures DVSA is taking to reduce driving test waiting times.
So, at the latest hearing, the changes being brought in as result of the consultation were confirmed publicly. Unfortunately, the full consultation outcome report was not published on the same day. I fully appreciate that not having access to the full consultation outcome report and the supporting messages has caused frustration, confusion and uncertainty for the driver training industry.
It’s right for you to expect to see the evidence which we’ve used to make our decisions, especially as vital partners supporting the learn to drive a car service.
The consultation was open to both the public and the industry because we need to consult with everyone who will be impacted by change.
We’re grateful that over 11,000 of you responded to the consultation, alongside learners, parents, and other stakeholders.
I want to reassure you that we reviewed responses by audience group – learners, ADIs, driving schools, parents – and considered the reasoning behind views, not just numbers.
When the full report is published, you’ll see the breakdown and detailed analysis that informed the decision. We’ll be publishing the report on GOV.UK and expect this to be before the end of the year.
I know you’d prefer to see it sooner, and I want to apologise that we couldn’t share data from the report at the same time as the announcement.
What happens next
Nothing changes until Spring 2026. You, your employees and customers can continue using the booking system exactly as you do now.
Between now and then, we are committed to working closely with you. This will include working with representatives from the driver training forum (NASP, AA driving school and RED) to make sure we get our engagement right and provide the guidance and support you need to prepare you for the change.
This will include arranging webinars and support sessions to help you and your pupils prepare.
A fairer system that values your role
Ultimately, these changes are about creating a booking system that protects learners from exploitation while maintaining and reinforcing your essential role as professional guides and educators. We're cracking down on the bots and unofficial services that create unfair competition for everyone – including you.
Thank you for your patience as we work through this and thank you for the hard work you do every day to prepare learners for safe driving.
I'll continue to update you as we move forward with implementation, and I hope we can continue with the collaborative relationship that's so important to all of us.
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