The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has confirmed that drivers will face a £75 charge under new evening and weekend rules. Starting Tuesday, May 12, only learner drivers will be allowed to book and manage their own driving tests, as part of a crackdown on exploitation by third-party services.
New rules for car driving test bookings
The DVSA has introduced new regulations for car driving test bookings, putting learners firmly in control of their own appointments. The change makes it illegal for third parties, including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors, to make bookings on behalf of someone else.
Government response to waiting times
Simon Lightwood, Labour Party Minister for Roads and Buses, stated: "This government inherited record waiting times and a huge backlog of learners waiting for tests, with the system seeing too many people paying over the odds to third-party touts."
He added: "But we’re taking action and seeing results, delivering almost 2 million tests over the past year, more than 158,000 extra tests since June 2025, and military driving examiners now on the ground helping boost capacity across the country."
"These new rules put learners back in control by stopping others from snapping up tests and reselling them for profit, helping make the system fairer and ensuring tests go to the people who genuinely need them," Lightwood concluded.
DVSA chief executive statement
Beverley Warmington, DVSA Chief Executive, said: "Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices."
"These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others," she explained.
"These measures will help free up appointments for genuine learners who are ready to take their test. We’re determined to reduce waiting times further, building on the more than 158,000 additional tests delivered between June 2025 and March 2026 - supported by driving examiner numbers at their highest level since 2018 and the recent deployment of military driving examiners who are already carrying out tests," Warmington added.
Official DVSA fees
Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee: £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
