A BBC investigation has presented evidence of organised resellers offering approved driving instructors monthly payments to obtain access to DVSA’s Online Business Service accounts. The accounts were then used to secure practical test slots in bulk and resell them to learners at significant mark-ups, often advertised via WhatsApp and Facebook. The DVSA said it does not comment on individual complaints but stated it has zero tolerance for exploitation of learner drivers.
Reporters posing as instructors were offered up to £250 a month for credentials. Named resellers claimed relationships with large numbers of instructors and described using always‑on booking to capture slots, though some of those claims could not be independently verified. Listings seen by journalists showed prices of £222 to £242 per test, rising to £400–£500 in peak periods, despite the official DVSA fee being £62 on weekdays and £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The investigation linked one profile known as “Ahadeen” to a named individual in Luton who, when approached, denied involvement and described the allegations as a fabrication. The reporting also identified alleged operations in London, Birmingham, Manchester and the Home Counties. These references are attributed to the BBC’s evidence gathering; Policy Wire has not independently verified identities or volumes.
Context is a severe backlog. DVSA figures cited to MPs show 642,000 people in Great Britain had a future practical test booking at the end of October 2025, with the average wait in October recorded at around 22 weeks. Ministers have acknowledged that the government will miss the previously stated aim of cutting waits to seven weeks by summer 2026.
The Department for Transport has now confirmed changes following its consultation on improving car driving test booking rules. From spring 2026, only learner drivers will be able to book and manage car tests; a learner will be restricted to making at most two changes; and moves will be limited to centres within a defined geographical area. The policy is explicitly intended to choke off resale schemes and simplify administration.
DVSA has separately tightened the terms and conditions for its instructor booking service. From 6 January 2025, only licensed instructors and businesses employing them may use the service; they must not book tests for learners they do not teach or create placeholder bookings for later swaps. From 1 July 2025, users whose accounts are closed for breaches can no longer manage swaps through the customer service centre.
Enforcement activity has escalated. In a recent parliamentary answer, DfT reported that since the January 2025 rule change DVSA has issued hundreds of warnings and suspensions and closed 894 online business accounts for breaches. Earlier FOI material seen by the BBC recorded 346 closures as at 17 November in a previous snapshot, indicating a rising total as investigations progressed.
Data protection risks are material. Resellers harvesting or re‑using licence numbers without proper consent may commit offences under section 170 of the Data Protection Act 2018, which criminalises the knowing or reckless obtaining or disclosure of personal data without the controller’s consent and the sale or offer to sell such data. DVSA has separately warned learners that many cancellation‑finder services reviewed lacked compliant privacy notices.
Professional standards are also engaged. DVSA’s Approved Driving Instructor register guidance requires instructors to be “fit and proper”; substantiated complaints of financially inappropriate or fraudulent activity can trigger suspension or removal from the register. Coupled with the strengthened service terms, any sale or misuse of login credentials risks regulatory action against individual instructors in addition to account closure.
Capacity measures sit alongside rule changes. The government will draw on 36 Ministry of Defence examiners for up to a year, with the Department for Transport expecting several thousand additional tests, while also targeting the use of automated bots and bulk resellers. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has fronted these interventions since her appointment in November 2024.
For driving instructors, the immediate operational impact is twofold. First, adherence to the January and July 2025 terms is mandatory; breaches risk loss of access and referral to the ADI Registrar. Second, when learner‑only booking goes live in spring 2026, DVSA has clarified that instructors will still be able to set their availability for accompanying pupils, but the booking action must be taken by the learner.
For learners and families, the practical advice remains to use only the official GOV.UK service, verify fees against published tariffs, and be sceptical of social‑media offers promising early tests. Until the spring 2026 reforms bed in, high demand and limited capacity are likely to sustain pressure on availability and price, reinforcing the case for official booking routes.