Closed call for evidence

Experience of booking and managing car driving tests

Published 18 December 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Introduction

A call for evidence lets you share your experience and views on how government policies or processes affect you. They help the government to create recommendations based on the findings.

This call for evidence is about booking and managing car driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for running the driving test booking service and for doing driving tests.

DVSA will review and improve the driving test booking system to make sure that learner drivers can book their driving test easily and efficiently. We want to:

• improve the customer journey
• formalise the rules for the online booking services
• futureproof our driving test booking services

To do this, we have to follow these steps.

1. Launch this call for evidence about the current rules and processes.

2. Analyse the evidence and develop proposals to improve the rules.

3. Run a public consultation on the proposed improved rules.

4. Introduce the improved rules - changing the law if necessary.

How the driving test booking system works now

There are 2 main ways to book a driving test:

• online - using one of DVSA’s online services
• by phone - by calling the DVSA customer service centre

Booking driving tests online

There are 2 online services to book driving tests:

• book your driving test - a service designed for learner drivers
• book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils - a service designed for driving instructors and trainers

Features that have been added over time

To help make it easy and efficient to book and manage driving tests, DVSA has introduced these features over time:

• allowing driving tests to be moved from one location or date to another for the same learner driver up to 6 times
• allowing driving test appointments to be swapped between learner drivers
• allowing driving instructors to book, manage, and swap tests on behalf of their pupils

Why these features were added

These features were introduced to:

• recognise the vital role that driving instructors play in preparing learner drivers for their driving test
• provide flexibility and options to make sure only those learner drivers who are fully ready for their driving test take one

How the features are being used now

Although these features were introduced for driving instructors, we know that there are now other third-parties using them to book driving tests.

This includes the emergence of a number of commercial websites who offer to search for, and book car driving tests on behalf of learner drivers.

How to respond

The call for evidence opened on 18 December 2024 and will close after 8 weeks at 11:59pm on 11 February 2025.

Fill in the online questionnaire to share your experience and give your views.

When you answer the questions, give any practical examples you have, relevant data or research evidence.

You do not have to answer all of the questions.

When you respond, tell us whether you’re doing this for yourself or for an organisation.

If you’re responding for a larger organisation, tell us:

• who the organisation represents
• how you gathered members’ views (if you can)

Email DVSA if you have any questions about this call for evidence, including if you:

• want to send your response by email
• need alternative formats of this document, for example, paper copies or audio formats

DVSA Policy team
consultations@dvsa.gov.uk

What will happen next

DVSA will follow these steps when the call for evidence closes.

1. Analyse the evidence and develop proposals to improve the rules.

2. Run a public consultation on the proposed improved rules.

3. Introduce the improved rules - changing the law if necessary.

Privacy and Freedom of Information

We collect, use and store your personal data so that we can record and analyse your response to the call for evidence. We may share your personal data if we have a lawful reason, for example, as part of a criminal investigation or to prevent fraud.

Read the DVSA consultations and call for evidence privacy notice to find out how we collect, use and store your data.

DVSA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The data controller for DVSA is DfT - a data controller determines the reasons and how personal data is processed.

For more information see the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Protection Public Register. DfT’s registration number is Z7122992.

Freedom of Information requests

We might need to publish or share some or all of your response to this call for evidence in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Under the FOIA, there is a statutory code of practice that we have to comply with. It covers how we deal with confidential information.

Tell us if you think any information you have given us is confidential. If we get a request to see all or part of your response, we’ll consider what you have told us before we decide whether to release it. We cannot promise to keep all the information you have given us confidential.

Some IT systems produce an automatic confidentiality disclaimer. We do not always recognise them.

Annex A: full list of questions

This is a full list of the questions that you’ll be asked when you fill in the online questionnaire to respond to the call for evidence.

You will be asked if you’re responding as:

• a learner driver
• a driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test
• a parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner
• an approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor
• a driving school
• a business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services

Questions for learner drivers, newly qualified drivers and parents or guardians

1. How did you book your last driving test?

• My driving instructor booked it for me
• I called the DVSA booking service
• I booked online on GOV.UK
• I used a company that offers to book driving tests

2. Have you ever had any difficulty in booking a suitable date for a driving test due to test availability?

• Yes
• No
• Cannot remember

3. How long did you have to wait before a suitable date was available for you to take your test?

• Less than a month
• 1 to 2 months
• 3 to 4 months
• 5 to 6 months
• 7 months or more
• Cannot remember

4. Were you able to book your test at your nearest driving test centre?

• Yes
• No
• Cannot remember

5. Have you ever used a third-party booking service to book your test?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

6. Why did you use a third-party booking service?

• To get an earlier test
• I was no longer able to attend my original test date
• It was included as part of a complete learning to drive package purchased from a driving school
• My driving instructor recommended it
• Other (please specify)

7. Did you have to pay a fee that was higher than the standard test fee (between £62 and £75) to book your driving test?

• Yes
• No

8. If yes, how much did you pay in total to book a driving test?

(Free text)

9. If yes, did you pass or fail your driving test?

• Pass
• Fail

10. Would you use a cancellation checker to find a test if this service was offered by the DVSA?

• Yes, only if it was free
• Yes, and I’d be willing to pay
• No
• Unsure

Fill in the online questionnaire to respond to the call for evidence.

Questions for driving instructors

1. How many pupils are you currently teaching to drive?

• 0 to 5
• 6 to 15
• 16 or more

2. How frequently do you use the book your driving test service to book or manage car driving tests?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

3. In the timeframe chosen, how many times do you use the book your driving test service to book or manage car driving tests?

• 0
• 1 to 25
• 26 to 75
• 76 or more

4. Do you book tests on behalf of your pupils using the book your driving test service?

• Yes
• No

5. How frequently do you use the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service to book or manage car driving tests?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

6. In the timeframe chosen, how many times do you use the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service to book or manage car driving tests?

• 0
• 1 to 25
• 26 to 75
• 76 or more

7. Why do you use the book your driving test service instead of the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service?

(Free text)

8. Do you use an administrative service to find and book tests on your behalf?

• Always
• Sometimes
• Never

9. Do you ever book driving tests for anyone other than for your own pupils?

• Yes
• No

10. Do you charge an administrative or resale fee for the tests that you book?

Administration fee: a charge to solely cover the costs associated with booking and managing a driving test.

Resale fee: an additional charge added when reselling or swapping a driving test, separate to any administrative costs.

• Administrative
• Resale
• Both
• No

11. How much do you charge in total?

Please include any admin or resale fees that you charge.

• Up to £25
• £26 to £50
• £51 to £100
• 101 to £150
• £151 or more

12. Do you ever swap booked driving tests?

This could be between your own pupils or with another instructor’s pupils.

• Yes
• No

13. How often do you swap booked tests between your own pupils?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Other (please specify)

14. Within the timeframe chosen, how many times do you swap tests between your own pupils?

• 1 to 5
• 6 to 10
• 11 to 25
• 26 or more

15. How often do you swap tests with another driving instructor’s pupils?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Other (please specify)

16. Within the timeframe chosen, how many times do you swap tests with another driving instructor’s pupils?

• 1 to 5
• 6 to 10
• 11 to 25
• 26 or more

17. How do you find available tests to swap with?

Select all that apply.

• Book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils online service
• Talking to other driving instructors
• Social media groups or messaging apps with other driving instructors
• Through other driving instructors associated with the same driving school
• Other (please specify)

18. Why do you swap driving tests?

Select all that apply.

• Pupil may not be ready for the test
• A test at a preferred location may have become available
• A test on an earlier date may have become available
• To secure a test to hold a potential test date
• To resell a test

Fill in the online questionnaire to respond to the call for evidence.

Questions for driving schools

1. How many pupils are currently learning to drive at your driving school?

• 1 to 50
• 51 to 100
• 101 or more

2. How frequently do you use the book your driving test service to book or manage car driving tests?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

3. In the timeframe chosen, how many times do you use the book your driving test service to book or manage car driving tests?

• 1 to 25
• 26 to 75
• 76 or more

4. Do you book tests on behalf of others using the book your driving test service?

• Yes
• No

5. How frequently do you use the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service to book or manage car driving tests?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

6. In the timeframe chosen, how many times do you use the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service to book or manage car driving tests?

• 1 to 25
• 26 to 75
• 76 or more

7. Why do you use the book your driving test service instead of the book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service?

(Free text)

8. Do you use an administrative service to find and book tests on behalf of your company?

• Always
• Sometimes
• Never

9. Do you charge an additional administrative or resale fee for any tests that you book?

Administration fee: a charge to solely cover the costs associated with booking and managing a driving test.

Resale fee: an additional charge added when reselling or swapping a driving test, separate to any administrative costs.

• Administrative
• Resale
• Both
• No

10. How much do you charge in total?

Please include any admin or resale fees that you charge.

• Up to £25
• £26 to £50
• £51 to £100
• £101 to £150
• £150 or more

11. Do you ever swap booked driving tests?

This could be between instructors who are connected with your company or instructors who are not connected to your company.

• Yes
• No

12. How often do you swap tests between the driving instructors connected to your company?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly

13. Within the timeframe chosen, how many times do you swap tests between those driving instructors?

• 1 to 5
• 6 to 10
• 11 to 25
• 26 or more

14. How often do you swap tests with the pupil of another driving instructor not connected to your company?

• Never
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Other (please specify)

15. Within the timeframe chosen, how many times do you swap tests with the pupil of another driving instructor?

• 1 to 5
• 6 to 10
• 11 to 25
• 26 or more

16. How do you find available tests to swap with? (select all that apply)

• Book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils online service
• Talking to other driving instructors
• Social media groups and messaging apps with other driving instructors
• Through other driving instructors associated with the same driving school
• Not applicable - I do not swap tests
• Other (please specify)

17. Why do you swap driving tests?

Select all that apply.

• Pupil may not be ready for the test
• A test at a preferred location may have become available
• A test on an earlier date may have become available
• To secure a test to hold a potential test date
• To resell a test

Fill in the online questionnaire to respond to the call for evidence.

Questions for businesses that provide unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services

1. How many employees do you have working for you?

• 1 to 5
• 6 to 10
• 11 to 15
• 16 or more

2. Do you have any driving instructors who work directly for your company or who have given you access to their DVSA registration details to enable you to book driving tests on the book your driving test service or book and manage driving and riding tests for your pupils service?

• Yes
• No

3. Do you or have you ever used a provisional driving licence holder’s licence details to book a driving test on the book your driving test service with the intention of making that booking available to one of your customers?

• Yes
• No

4. Did you pay them to use their details?

• Yes
• No

5. How much do you or did you pay on average?

(Free text)

6. Did they know that you were using their details to book a driving test?

• Yes
• No

7. How many customers do you book driving tests for per week?

• 1 to 50
• 51 to 150
• 151 or more

8. Do you charge an additional administrative or resale fee for the tests that you book?

Administration fee: a charge to solely cover the costs associated with booking and managing a driving test.

Resale fee: an additional charge added when reselling or swapping a driving test, separate to any administrative costs.

• Administrative
• Resale
• Both
• No

9. How much do you charge in total?

Please include any admin or resale fees that you charge.

• Up to £25
• £26 to £50
• £51 to £100
• £101 to £150
• £151 or more

10. Do you provide a complete learner driver course to customers that includes both their driving lessons and a driving test?

• Yes
• No

11. How much do you charge for these courses, on average?

(Free text)

Fill in the online questionnaire to respond to the call for evidence.