Cancel your driving test
Cancel your driving or riding test if you no longer need your appointment.
You must cancel your car driving test yourself. Your driving instructor is not allowed to cancel it for you.
How much notice you need to give
Get an automatic refund if you cancel with enough notice
Your test will be refunded automatically if you give:
- 10 full working days’ notice for car driving tests
- 3 full working days’ notice for all other tests
Monday to Saturday count as working days but Sundays and public holidays do not.
To find the date you need to cancel by:
- check the confirmation email you got when you booked your driving test
- sign in to the driving test booking service
If you need to cancel at short notice
You can apply for a refund if you’ve had to cancel your driving test at short notice due to something unavoidable, like a school exam or injury.
Even if you cannot get a refund, you can cancel up to the time your test starts. This can help other learners whose examiners are no longer available (for example, due to illness).
Cancel your appointment online
This service is available from 6am to 11:40pm.
There’s a different way to cancel your driving test in Northern Ireland.
Before you start
To cancel your test, you’ll need:
- your UK driving licence number
- your driving test reference number or theory test pass certificate number (from the letter you got when you passed your theory test)
If you’ve lost your letter, you can find your theory test pass certificate number.
Apply for a refund if you had to cancel your test at short notice
If you’ve had to cancel your test at short notice, you can apply for a refund if you have:
- an illness or injury that means you cannot take your test
- suffered a bereavement
- to take an exam at a school or college
- had your driving licence stolen
Email the Driver and Vehicles Standard Agency (DVSA) with the subject title ‘Unavoidable short notice cancellation’.
Attach proof of the reason you’ve had to change or cancel your appointment. This can be:
- a letter from your school or college confirming you have an exam at the same time as your appointment
- a crime number and contact name of the police officer if you’ve had your driving licence stolen
- a fit note or medical certificate from a healthcare professional such as your GP
If you were sick for 7 days or fewer, you might have to pay for a private medical certificate.
As well as attaching the proof, you’ll need to include your full name (as it appears on your driving licence), address, postcode and date of birth in your email.
You must also include at least 2 of these in your email:
- driving licence number
- theory test pass certificate number
- driving test booking reference
DVSA customer services
customerservices@dvsa.gov.uk
DVSA will tell you when you’ve been refunded the fee and can help you find a new test appointment.
Get help cancelling your driving test appointment
You must cancel your driving test appointment online. Find out what to do if you’re having problems accessing the online service.
You can also contact DVSA to get help.
You’ll need to give DVSA at least 2 of the following:
- driving licence number
- theory test pass certificate number
- driving test booking reference