Improving car driving test booking rules: response to consultation
Updated 9 December 2025
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Introduction
A consultation lets you give your views on new or changing government policies. We take your responses into consideration before government ministers make any final decisions.
We ran a consultation between 28 May and 23 July 2025 about changing some policies that affect car driving test booking rules. We wanted to get your views on ideas to:
- make the driving test booking system fairer
- give learner drivers greater control and confidence when booking their test
This document is a summary of the responses given by those who chose to share their views and does not necessarily represent the views of the whole population.
Ministers would like to thank everyone who contributed their views to this consultation.
How many responses we received
102,224 responses to the consultation were received.
A further 68 responses to the consultation were received by email.
Automated or ‘bot’ responses
In total 8,803 responses (8.6% of the total responses) were identified as automated or ‘bots’ and have been removed from the results.
Following data cleaning to remove the automated or ‘bot’ responses, 93,421 responses were analysed.
Who responded to the consultation
This chart shows a breakdown of who responded to the consultation.
| Type of respondent | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Learner driver | 72.0% |
| New driver | 6.1% |
| Parent or guardian | 7.7% |
| Driving instructor | 9.9% |
| Driving school | 2.3% |
| Third party | 0.0% |
| DVSA staff | 0.9% |
| Other (please specify) | 1.2% |
We received 18 responses from businesses that provide unofficial driving test booking or cancelation finder services. As this is a small proportion of the overall responses, it equates to 0%.
Respondents who selected ‘Other (please specify)’ included, but were not limited to:
- foreign licence holders seeking to obtain a UK licence
- experienced UK drivers
- family members of learner drivers
- members of the public
How responses were analysed
We analysed:
- closed question responses by calculating summary count and percentage statistics
- free-text responses using the Consultation Analysis Tool (CAT)
CAT is an AI-powered tool that can perform thematic analysis against human-reviewed themes.
It was developed by the Department for Transport (DfT) in collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute.
You can read more on how we analysed the responses in Annex A: Consultation analysis
Summary of options and decisions
These tables summarise the options we asked for your views on and the decisions that have been made. You can read more detailed information and analysis in the following sections after this summary, including how different groups of people responded.
The consultation asked respondents to what extent they agree or disagree with each option on a 5-point scale from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’. Responses for ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’ have been combined into an overall figure, as have those for ‘strongly disagree’ and ‘disagree’. These were closed questions, and the responses for all respondent types are summarised below.
1. Who can book and manage driving tests
| Option | Feedback | Decision and next steps |
|---|---|---|
| Option A: Only learner drivers can book and manage tests | 70.7% agree | We will implement this proposal. These changes will be introduced from spring 2026. |
| Option B: Both learners and instructors can book, but only learners can make changes | 38.8% agree | We will not implement this proposal. |
| Option C: Keep the current system | 40.0% agree | We will not implement this proposal. |
2. How tests can be managed
| Option | Feedback | Decision and next steps |
|---|---|---|
| Option A: Remove the ability to swap tests or change test locations | 20.1% agree | We will not implement this proposal. |
| Option B: Limit test swaps and location changes | 42.5% agree | We will implement this proposal. These changes will be introduced from spring 2026. |
| Option C: Keep current swapping rules and location change rules | 46.0% agree | We will not implement this proposal. |
What has been decided
Ministers have decided to implement the following proposals:
- only learner drivers can book and manage tests
- limit test swaps and location changes
They have decided to make it so that only learner drivers can book and manage tests because this will:
- give learner drivers greater control and confidence when booking their test
- ensure learner drivers can book their test at the prescribed fee as unofficial businesses providing third-party services will no longer be able to book and resell tests
- ensure more driving test slots will remain available for learner drivers to book directly via the official booking service
They have decided to limit test swaps and location changes because this will:
- support the effective management of the booking system and provide greater accuracy in deployment and planning for driving tests due to decreased speculative bookings
- take into account the preferences of learner drivers and driving instructors, who are most affected by this issue and favour this option
- ensure learner drivers will still have the flexibility to manage their test booking, by making up to 2 changes or swaps
We understand that these changes will affect driving instructors and driving schools who book tests on behalf of their learner drivers. Driving instructors and driving schools will still be able to work with their learner drivers to agree test readiness and offer advice and support throughout their learning and booking journey.
Support for learners who need help with booking
We know that some learners might need help with the online booking process.
When we make the change so that only learner drivers can book and manage tests, we will:
- make sure the booking system is accessible and continues to meet government digital accessibility standards
- provide clear, step-by-step guidance on how to book and manage tests
- offer telephone support through our customer service centre
We will also:
- consider how friends or family members could still help with bookings
- review what additional support may be needed for learners with disabilities or limited digital skills
We will provide further information on this before the change is introduced.
What will happen next
These changes will be introduced from spring 2026.
We are currently evaluating what we need to do to implement the new rules. The exact date the changes will take effect will be confirmed closer to the time.
Feedback received on who can book and manage tests
Option A: Only learner drivers can book and manage tests
In this option:
- driving instructors and unofficial businesses providing third-party services would no longer be able to book or manage car driving tests for learners
- instructors could still use the online business service to set dates and times when they are available and unavailable to take their pupils for driving tests - this stops learners booking a time when their instructor is not available
We asked 2 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,247 respondents answered this question.
70.7% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
22.2% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 55.4% |
| Agree | 15.3% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 6.5% |
| Disagree | 11.1% |
| Strongly disagree | 11.1% |
| Do not know | 0.5% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondents answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 79.6% | 7.5% | 12.3% | 0.6% | 100% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 28.4% | 1.5% | 70.0% | 0.1% | 100% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 65.2% | 5.6% | 29.0% | 0.3% | 100% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 47.8% | 5.1% | 46.9% | 0.3% | 100% |
| A driving school | 31.1% | 1.4% | 67.0% | 0.5% | 100% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 56.3% | 6.3% | 37.5% | 0.0% | 100% |
| DVSA member of staff | 35.6% | 2.0% | 62.2% | 0.2% | 100% |
| Other | 76.1% | 7.6% | 13.1% | 3.2% | 100% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,247 respondents to this proposal, 36,938 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Prevent additional test costs and unfair practices | 41.1% |
| Improved test availability | 39.6% |
| Creates a fairer and more equitable system | 38.4% |
| Enhances learner control and responsibility | 23.6% |
| Prevents driving instructor (ADI) misuse | 22.6% |
| Booking process is difficult and stressful for learners | 14.7% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 13.8% |
| Reduces negative consequences of test delays | 13.4% |
| Driving instructor (ADI) judgment on test readiness is crucial | 8.7% |
| Improves candidate test-readiness | 5.8% |
| Hinders driving instructor (ADI) led test swapping | 4.9% |
| Support for vulnerable learners | 3.8% |
| Removes practical support from family and guardians | 3.3% |
| Protects learners’ personal data | 1.6% |
| Reduces driving instructor (ADI) administrative burden | 1.6% |
| Proposal is ineffective and can be circumvented | 1.4% |
| Unfairly penalises legitimate driving instructors (ADIs) | 0.6% |
| Negative impact on intensive driving courses | 0.3% |
Comments from those who agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal included:
It would help stop driving instructors and bots booking tests.
Give more power in the hands of the learner.
Would make it much easier to book a test at a not extortionate price for a real learner driver and not some company buying all of them with bots and reselling for ridiculous prices.
This will stop an abusive system where companies are to sell dates.
Would make the system fairer.
Comments from those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal included:
My instructor can manage his availability better having control of the booking.
Some learners do not have the knowledge or access to book their own test and do not have a support system in their home to help or advise them. I think it shouldn’t be allowed that the learner has to pay a large fee to have their instructor book it.
If there is a case where the instructor has another learner with a test date who wants to swap then they should be able to do so.
Some learners need help doing this due to learning difficulties or struggling with computers.
No impact to my business.
Option B: Both learners and instructors can book, but only learners can make changes
In this option:
- learners could make up to 2 changes or swaps to their test in total (for example, one change and one swap)
- tests could only be moved to test centres within a certain geographical area of the original booking
- we could adjust these limits during busy periods if needed
We asked 3 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent to you agree or disagree with this proposal
- do you agree or disagree that driving instructors be permitted to move tests to a different time and/or date on behalf of their learner drivers
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,116 respondents answered this question.
38.8% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
48.3% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 19.6% |
| Agree | 19.2% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 11.9% |
| Disagree | 20.9% |
| Strongly disagree | 27.4% |
| Do not know | 1.0% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 45.0% | 13.8% | 40.1% | 1.2% | 100% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 11% | 2.6% | 86.1% | 0.3% | 100% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 33.8% | 9.8% | 55.7% | 0.7% | 100% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 23% | 8.2% | 68.5% | 0.4% | 100% |
| A driving school | 7% | 2.25 | 90.3% | 0.5% | 100% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 33.3% | 13.3% | 53.3% | 0% | 100% |
| DVSA member of staff | 25.2% | 3% | 71.9% | 0% | 100% |
| Other | 46.4% | 13.5% | 37% | 3.1% | 100% |
Do you agree or disagree that driving instructors be permitted to move tests to a different time and/or date on behalf of their learner drivers?
Overall, 93,908 respondents answered this question.
42.6% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
56.3% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 22.8% |
| Agree | 19.7% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 0.0% |
| Disagree | 21.5% |
| Strongly disagree | 34.8% |
| Do not know | 1.0% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 34.3% | 0.0% | 64.3% | 1.4% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 76.0% | 0.0% | 23.7% | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 46.6% | 0.0% | 52.6% | 0.8% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 66.2% | 0.0% | 33.4% | 0.4% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 72.0% | 0.0% | 27.7% | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 57.1% | 0.0% | 42.9% | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 68.1% | 0.0% | 31.6% | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| Other | 34.1% | 0.0% | 63.6% | 2.3% | 100.0% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,908 respondents to this proposal, 27,620 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Enhances learner control and responsibility | 35.8% |
| Prevent additional test costs and unfair practices | 31.1% |
| Learner-only control of all booking and management | 27.8% |
| Driving instructor (ADI) judgment on test readiness is crucial | 16.7% |
| Improved test availability | 13.8% |
| Prevents unauthorised test charges | 13.0% |
| Removes beneficial driving instructor (ADI) led test swapping | 11.2% |
| Driving instructor (ADI) advises, learner acts | 10.9% |
| Reduced driving instructor (ADI) flexibility and business impact | 7.4% |
| Allow driving instructor (ADI) changes with secure learner consent | 7.1% |
| Focus on tackling bots and resellers, not driving instructors (ADIs) | 6.2% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 5.4% |
| Support for vulnerable learners | 5.0% |
| A balanced and sensible compromise | 4.6% |
| No impact as learners already self-manage | 4.6% |
| Acceptable trade-off to stop system abuse | 4.4% |
| Proposal is ineffective and can be circumvented | 4.1% |
| Distinction between booking and managing tests | 3.1% |
| Unfairly penalises responsible driving instructors (ADIs) | 1.1% |
| Data protection and privacy risks | 0.9% |
Comments from those who agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal included:
I think it should depend on the circumstances of the learner driver and whether they need that extra support.
Every decision should be according to the learning driver.
Learner drivers are capable of moving test dates themselves. Instructors can recommend it but not enforce it. Ultimately, is it the learner’s decision.
A system where instructors can manage learner’s driving tests is very easily exploitable.
Preventing driving instructors from moving tests would stop the minority of instructors that abuse the system.
Comments from those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal included:
The instructor knows if the driver is ready or not ready for the driving test so if he/she feels that they need a bit more experience before the test date or if something came up so the learner cannot make it, they should be able to move the date to a suitable date for the learner.
Having an instructor helping with booking will massively be helpful as many of us will not know what to do on our own.
It would be fair and save learners from exploitation.
Allowing the instructor to change the tests still allows for the misuse of the system.
Will make the booking system fairer.
Sadly, we are already seeing unscrupulous instructors selling on tests so the only way to stop this is to just allow pupils to book. This can change when things return to normal.
Option C: Keep the current system
In this option:
- learners could continue to book and manage tests
- instructors could continue to book and manage tests for their learners
- businesses that provide learner driver services and employ driving instructors could continue to book and manage tests for learners they are training
We asked 2 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent to you agree or disagree with this proposal
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,118 respondents answered this question.
40.0% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
49.6% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 23.5% |
| Agree | 16.5% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 9.3% |
| Disagree | 15.3% |
| Strongly disagree | 34.3% |
| Do not know | 1.1% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 34.0% | 10.6% | 54.1% | 1.2% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 74.6% | 2.4% | 22.7% | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 39.2% | 7.3% | 52.8% | 0.8% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 54.6% | 7.3% | 37.5% | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 69.8% | 2.1% | 27.8% | 0.4% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 65.3% | 2.0% | 32.2% | 0.5% | 100.0% |
| Other | 32.7% | 12.9% | 51.3% | 3.1% | 100.0% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,118 respondents to this proposal, 23,089 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Learner-only control of all booking and management | 35.4% |
| Negative impacts of booking system failures | 26.7% |
| Target system exploitation by bots and resellers | 22.9% |
| Need for safeguards to prevent driving instructor (ADI) misuse | 20.3% |
| Learner consent and control must be maintained | 18.3% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 16.3% |
| System flexibility supports learners and driving instructors (ADI) | 12.0% |
| Driving instructor (ADI) judgement on test readiness is crucial | 7.7% |
| Driving instructor (ADI) led booking to ensure test readiness | 5.6% |
| No direct business impact | 4.8% |
| Support for vulnerable learners | 2.6% |
| Explore alternative booking models | 2.0% |
| Business viability and employment | 1.3% |
Comments from those who agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal included:
It gives learners the best opportunity to sit their tests at the right time. It takes the pressure off knowing that tests can be changed with other learners if you aren’t quite ready.
It allows me control of when a learner is ready for a test.
This would still work for my situation but may not for everyone.
Provides flexibility of both parties to book a time & location most suitable.
Allow responsible ADI’s to do their job properly. Part of our responsibilities is to manage our students, to encourage them to help them be realistic with their expectations. It’s not only teaching them to drive!
This would still retain flexibility for instructor and pupil.
Comments from those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal included:
It would be easier to find tests if driving instructors weren’t allowed to book them.
There’s clearly many problems with the wait times and availability of tests currently, so something needs to change.
Only learners should be able to book their own test to avoid exploitation.
The system needs to change.
This would allow students to book without competing against all of the driving schools and stop the use of bots as they would not have the students Driver number!
The current system doesn’t work, hence why you are proposing change. It needs a radical change to stop the unfair reselling of tests for profit, even if it makes some people unhappy.
Feedback received on how tests can be managed
Option A: Remove the ability to swap tests or change test locations
In this option:
- learners could no longer swap tests with someone else
- learners could make 2 changes to their own test’s date and time at the same test centre
- learners could not change the location of their test
- learners could still cancel and rebook tests if they need a different location
We asked 2 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,169 respondents answered this question.
20.1% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
71.7% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 12.3% |
| Agree | 7.8% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 7.3% |
| Disagree | 21.4% |
| Strongly disagree | 50.3% |
| Do not know | 0.9% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 20.2% | 8.0% | 70.8% | 1.0% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 6.4% | 1.9% | 91.6% | 0.2% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 23.0% | 6.9% | 69.5% | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 26.2% | 7.0% | 66.3% | 0.5% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 7.4% | 2.1% | 90.0% | 0.4% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 11.8% | 11.8% | 70.6% | 5.9% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 31.0% | 3.2% | 65.5% | 0.2% | 100.0% |
| Other | 30.0% | 10.9% | 56.7% | 2.4% | 100.0% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,169 respondents to this proposal, 28,194 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Flexibility for unforeseen life events and relocation | 29.0% |
| Flexibility to align test date with learner readiness | 27.6% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 22.8% |
| Booking distant ‘placeholder’ tests as a necessary workaround | 14.7% |
| Creates a fairer and more equitable system | 13.5% |
| Preference for specific controls over an outright ban | 12.6% |
| Improved test availability | 11.3% |
| Importance of a familiar test location | 10.2% |
| Clarify and restrict who can change a test | 8.8% |
| Flexibility prevents wasted test slots | 8.2% |
| Distinguish between swapping and an individual changing their own test | 7.4% |
| Support for banning location changes while allowing date swaps | 6.3% |
| Encourages learner preparedness and responsibility | 6.2% |
| Financial impact of inflexibility | 4.9% |
| Increased management difficulty for driving instructors (ADI) | 4.0% |
| Preference for a cancel and rebook system | 2.5% |
| No negative impact on business | 1.6% |
| Enable accurate resource planning and demand data | 0.6% |
Comments from those who agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal included:
This removes the chance of reselling which is a huge problem for people like me who check in the morning but get no tests.
This will totally eliminate the bots and overpriced selling.
It would solve the issue entirely.
It will make more tests available for local communities.
I think we still need the ability to swap a test as I don’t want any student going for their test when they are not ready. However, I understand the need to stop these people block booking test slots.
This will ensure that organised test swappers for profit cannot operate.
Comments from those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal included:
Swapping test dates between two learners means an individual who believes they are test ready can take the test without having to wait and the individual who is not has more time to prepare.
People should be able to change their date locations and swap tests. Life is unpredictable and unforeseeable circumstances can impact this.
Emergencies happen where dates have to be changed.
Sometimes it is necessary to change details and learners shouldn’t face consequences for something that they didn’t do (sell tests). Learners only bought from third parties out of desperation.
I move regularly between home and university and have been trying to find a test in either city. Not being able to move test location would make booking a test very inaccessible for people in my situation, which I’m sure must be common for young people studying away at uni.
Option B: Limit test swaps and location changes
In this option:
- learners could make up to 2 changes or swaps to their test in total (for example, one change and one swap)
- tests could only be moved to test centres within a certain geographical area of the original booking
- we could adjust these limits during busy periods if needed
We asked 3 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent to you agree or disagree with this proposal
- if we introduced a limit to the distance that the test could be changed to from the original booking, which of the following distances would you prefer
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,096 respondents answered this question.
42.4% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
46.2% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 20.4% |
| Agree | 22.0% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 10.3% |
| Disagree | 18.4% |
| Strongly disagree | 27.8% |
| Do not know | 1.0% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 44.6% | 11.6% | 42.7% | 1.1% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 12.7% | 2.7% | 84.4% | 0.3% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 44.1% | 8.6% | 46.6% | 0.7% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 50.8% | 9.2% | 39.4% | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 12.7% | 2.7% | 84.1% | 0.6% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 40.0% | 20.0% | 40.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 32.1% | 2.0% | 65.8% | 0.1% | 100.0% |
| Other | 52.9% | 12.5% | 32.1% | 2.5% | 100.0% |
If we introduced a limit to the distance that the test could be changed to from the original booking, which of the following distances would you prefer?
Overall, 92,189 respondents answered this question.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 10 miles | 20.2% |
| 20 miles | 17.6% |
| 30 miles | 8.7% |
| 40 miles | 8.8% |
| None of the above | 32.4% |
| Do not know | 12.3% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | 10 miles | 20 miles | 30 miles | 40 miles | None of the above | Do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 21.7% | 18.9% | 9.6% | 9.0% | 25.8% | 14.9% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 4.3% | 5.1% | 2.6% | 5.9% | 79.2% | 2.9% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 19.6% | 18.5% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 39.0% | 7.1% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 22.7% | 19.1% | 8.9% | 7.0% | 36.0% | 6.3% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 6.7% | 4.4% | 2.0% | 13.1% | 71.6% | 2.2% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 26.7% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 20.0% | 26.7% | 6.7% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 11.5% | 10.3% | 3.9% | 30.5% | 41.0% | 2.7% | 100.0% |
| Other (please specify) | 25.1% | 16.2% | 7.1% | 6.4% | 30.6% | 14.6% | 100.0% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,096 respondents to this proposal, 20,394 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Prioritise local test candidates | 19.2% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 18.1% |
| Proposed swap and change limit is too restrictive | 14.2% |
| Combat unfair resale market | 14.1% |
| Flexibility needed for legitimate relocations | 13.4% |
| Policy unfairly punishes learners for system failures | 13.2% |
| Distant booking as a necessary system workaround | 11.9% |
| Geographic limits disadvantage rural and remote learners | 9.3% |
| Testing in familiar areas improves pass rates | 8.1% |
| Need for adaptive geographical limits | 7.9% |
| Proposal not strict enough | 7.0% |
| Encourage test readiness | 6.7% |
| Improved resource and demand planning | 5.5% |
| Distinguish between location and date swaps | 4.5% |
| Clear test backlog before implementing changes | 2.1% |
| Support for vulnerable learners | 1.3% |
Comments from those who agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal included:
Location is important as you know the area you’re driving in.
I think limiting the number of swaps will make sure that people only book when they’re ready rather than booking and continuing to swap.
This will help us with the availability of test dates.
I think this would benefit my pupils as it means less tests would be resold on 3rd party sites.
Would prevent tests being booked in low wait areas to be swapped using bots.
The availability should improve as less out of area place holding.
Comments from those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal included:
People’s circumstances can change and there should not be a limit on the distance a leaner can change where their test will take place.
Students came from various cities and distances and want to be trained from particular instructors but want to give the tests in their own choice of centre, so above restrictions will take this freedom from learner drivers.
Flexibility is essential in accommodating the diverse and changing needs of learner drivers. Personal circumstances, such as illness, work commitments, or sudden changes in availability, can necessitate adjustments to test bookings.
It’s easier for me if pupils don’t have the ability to keep changing test location.
Sometimes medical conditions of the learner or family members means that test times have to be changed.
Option C: Keep current swapping rules and location change rules
In this option:
- tests could continue to be swapped with no limits
- test dates and times or locations could be changed up to 6 times
We asked 2 questions about this option. They were:
- to what extent to you agree or disagree with this proposal
- please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal
Overall, 93,077 respondents answered this question.
46.0% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal.
38.3% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with this proposal.
This chart summarises how people responded overall.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 25.1% |
| Agree | 20.9% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 13.0% |
| Disagree | 11.9% |
| Strongly disagree | 26.4% |
| Do not know | 2.8% |
This chart summarises how different types of respondent answered this question.
| Type of respondent | Total who agreed | Neither agree nor disagree | Total who disagreed | Total that do not know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A learner driver | 41.6% | 15.0% | 40.1% | 3.3% | 100.0% |
| A driver with a full licence who has recently (within the last 2 years) passed their test | 85.2% | 3.1% | 11.0% | 0.7% | 100.0% |
| A parent or guardian who booked a test for a learner | 41.0% | 10.5% | 46.6% | 1.8% | 100.0% |
| An approved driving instructor (ADI) or trainee driving instructor | 48.4% | 10.1% | 40.5% | 1.1% | 100.0% |
| A driving school | 87.3% | 2.7% | 9.7% | 0.4% | 100.0% |
| A business that provides unofficial driving test booking or cancellation finder services | 47.1% | 11.8% | 35.3% | 5.9% | 100.0% |
| DVSA member of staff | 60.7% | 0.9% | 38.1% | 0.4% | 100.0% |
| Other | 33.7% | 14.9% | 45.9% | 5.4% | 100.0% |
Please tell us how these changes would impact you and/or your business
Of the 93,077 respondents to this proposal, 18,767 provided comments telling us how it would impact them and/or their business.
This chart summarises the estimated percentage of comments related to each theme identified.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Current system is fundamentally unfit for purpose | 33.5% |
| Insufficient test availability is the root cause | 24.9% |
| System exploitation by third-party resellers and bots | 23.0% |
| Negative impact on learners | 20.3% |
| Satisfaction with the current system | 20.1% |
| System creates unfairness and inequity | 18.3% |
| Flexibility for learner and driving instructor (ADI) needs | 17.8% |
| Implement specific technical and rule changes | 13.8% |
| Misuse of the system by driving instructors (ADI) | 11.3% |
| Support for limited and controlled flexibility | 7.4% |
| Restrict booking management to learners | 7.1% |
| Swapping as a necessary workaround for test scarcity | 6.8% |
| Restrict bookings to a local geographic area | 5.2% |
| Swapping Improves efficient use of test slots | 4.6% |
| Increase driving instructor (ADI) accountability in booking | 2.6% |
| Unaware of current swapping rules | 2.2% |
| System encourages unsafe practices | 1.5% |
| Negative impact on DVSA staff and reputation | 0.7% |
Annex A: Consultation analysis
The consultation survey included both closed and free text responses. We analysed closed questions, after some data cleaning choices, by calculating simple summary count and percentage statistics.
Responses were self-selecting so cannot be interpreted as representative of a broader population.
Qualitative data, particularly in instances where the sample is self-selecting, does not provide a statistically representative sample. Whilst numbers are provided to illustrate the prevalence of each theme, this engagement process cannot be seen as a ‘vote’.
We used the DfT AI Consultation Analysis Tool (CAT) to conduct the thematic analysis of free text responses. [footnote 1]
Cleaning the data
We took a number of steps to clean the data.
Responses which selected ‘Other’ and opted to provide free text responses to the question “How would you describe yourself?” were mapped to the main categories of respondent type using deterministic decisions rules where we could. This resulted in 780 responses being assigned to categories and 320 responses staying in the ‘Other’ category.
All questions were answered on a voluntary basis and respondents were able to “skip” questions throughout the survey. Because of this, the total number of responses (to both closed and open questions) varies between questions. If a respondent answered a free text question but skipped the associated multiple-choice question it was assigned to the ‘Neither agree nor disagree category’.
We removed 8,803 responses from the analysis as they were incompatible with the survey flow.
Multiple choice question categories were put into agree, disagree, and ‘neither agree or disagree (including don’t know’).
Thematic analysis using the consultation analysis tool
DfT data scientists and social scientists, in collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute, developed the CAT. CAT is an AI-powered tool for conducting thematic analysis of free text responses.
CAT was developed for DfT’s internal AI programme after carrying out research in 2023 [footnote 2]. It aims to harness AI to improve the efficiency of DfT.
The CAT is currently being piloted on live consultations. This consultation was used as part of this pilot. The evaluation of the CAT will be published in the future.
How CAT works
To generate themes and map themes to responses CAT uses:
- large language models (LLMs)
- social research knowledge on thematic analysis
- human-in-the-loop review
- data science approaches
The CAT’s analytical outputs are then provided to teams and used to inform policy.
Overview of CAT process
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Receive policy inputs. Survey and free text responses and context are provided by the policy team.
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Theme generation. The CAT generates ‘main themes’ and ‘golden insights’ from free text responses for every free text question.
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Human review of themes. Humans finalise generated themes after reviewing a sample of responses.
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Map validated themes. CAT maps human-validated themes to responses for each free text question. CAT provides summary analysis and raw data.
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Analysis. Humans use the CAT analysis to inform policy.
Theme generation
CAT takes context about a consultation and free text responses as an input and then extracts a set of themes per question. Each theme contains a title and description.
CAT makes multiple LLM calls (each representing a different “analyst”) to independently identify themes from the same dataset.
This leads to significant duplication of themes across analysts but a more diverse set of themes.
Subsequent LLM pipelines remove duplications and group themes to provide a final set of themes for human review. It also extracts “Golden insights” (rare themes).
Human review of themes
A random sample of responses for each question is then reviewed by a human.
This review process leads to:
- removal of themes that were deemed to lack policy utility
- adding new themes that the CAT was deemed to have missed
- confirming that the final CAT themes were accurately represented in the responses
- minor changes to the wording of themes
This human oversight makes sure that the final set of themes reflects both:
- the systematic analysis of the CAT -the judgment of human reviewers
This results in a final set of human-validated themes and golden insights.
Map human-validated themes to responses
CAT maps the human-validated themes to responses by using LLM pipelines to conduct multi-label classification.
This involves classifying which themes are represented in which responses (by question). More than one theme can be mapped to a given response.
The outcome provides a structured dataset that keeps the depth of qualitative insights while enabling the analytical power of quantitative approaches. This results in a dataset with every response classified with a:
- 1 (indicating presence of a theme)
- 0 (indicating absence of a theme)
Analytical descriptive statistics are also provided, including estimated theme prevalence rates with confidence intervals.
Inter-rater reliability scores
All theme prevalence percentages are estimates with some uncertainty.
Separate from the human review process, inter-rater reliability scores were created for a sample of mapped responses for this dataset to establish the extent to which a human analyst agreed with the theme allocated to the responses.
The inter-rater agreement between the CAT and human analyst was 98.61%, indicating a very high agreement.