DVSA issues warning to UK motorists ahead of driving licence changes launching next week

Posting on X, the DVSA shared: "From June 9, 2026, learners will only be able to move their booked test to nearby centres. By changing who can book a car and change driving tests, we're making the booking process fairer."

The move follows existing measures unveiled earlier this year for booking and managing car driving tests, which were being introduced in stages.

The first stages unveiled in March saw learners limited to only six changes to test, while third-party sites were blocked from booking driving tests in May.

In the upcoming update, the DVSA will look to limit the number of places learners can book their test to their three nearest test centres.

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."

The DVSA has come under pressure to reduce waiting times for driving tests, despite 158,000 extra tests being delivered in the last year.

Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, added: "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."

The Government has consistently come under scrutiny over the backlog, which hit 22 weeks in September 2025, impacting an estimated 1.1 million Britons.

In December, Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office, warned that the system for providing driving tests in England, Scotland and Wales was "not working satisfactorily, with long waiting times and exploitation of learner drivers by resellers of test slots".

He stated that the DVSA and Department for Transport should take "decisive action" to restore a fit-for-purpose driving test service.

William Fletcher MBE, CEO at Car.co.uk, explained that there could be "knock-on effects" from these changes that could actually make learning to drive feel even more unfair and expensive for young people.

He shared: "The DVSA is essentially encouraging learners to only book when they feel completely confident they'll pass, which sounds sensible on paper, but in reality it probably means people paying for more lessons than they really need just to avoid failing and getting stuck with another huge wait."

Due to drivers being limited to their nearest three test centres from next week, "some regions are naturally going to end up under more pressure than others," the expert warned.

Mr Fletcher warned that this could fuel a black market as learners look for quick ways to get a test to avoid waiting times.

He said: "Not only are driving tests becoming more awkward to book, with drivers spending more time and money on driving lessons than ever before, but once new drivers actually pass their test, they're in a doubly unfortunate position.

"It's a double-edged sword for new drivers, costing more in time, effort and money to finally be independent on the road, let alone with a decent, reliable motor."