Learner drivers, including many in my constituency of North West Leicestershire, are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds for driving tests that should cost £62 - Amanda Hack MP
Amanda Hack has written to the Minister for Local Transport, co-signed by 38 MPs, urging strong action to tackle the reselling of driving test slots – a practice that is forcing learner drivers to pay vastly inflated prices.
Recent reports have revealed that some learners are paying as much as £500 to secure a driving test, which should cost between £62 and £75. The issue has grown significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, with automated bots and third-party resellers exploiting loopholes in the system to corner the market.
In the letter to the Minister, Amanda Hack and her colleagues highlight that around one in four driving tests are now swapped at least once, with 29,000 tests swapped ten times or more.
They are calling for urgent reforms to ensure only learner drivers can book and manage their own tests, and to remove the option for unlimited test swapping, measures suggested in the recent DVSA consultation on “Improving Car Driving Test Booking Rules.”
Amanda Hack MP said:
“Learner drivers, including many in my constituency of North West Leicestershire, are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds for driving tests that should cost £62.
This sharp rise in prices appears to be linked to the surge in test swapping since the Covid pandemic. While learners often have genuine reasons to change their test date, the system of unlimited swaps has been exploited by bots and third parties that hoover up tests as soon as they become available. Hardworking people who simply want a chance to take their test are being taken advantage of, which is both unfair and deeply damaging to learner drivers across the country.
Together with my colleagues, I am backing the Government in taking the strongest possible action to tackle this issue and bring test prices back down to normal levels, ensuring driving tests are as accessible and affordable as possible.”
The letter welcomes the Government’s recent consultation but urges swift implementation of reforms, as the problem continues to worsen, and young people are left struggling to find affordable test slots.
