Learner drivers paying as much as £242 as 'test-touts' cash-in on driving license delays

ITV News can reveal that driving test officials will face tough questions in Parliament over issues caused by long waiting lists for driving tests, Consumer Editor Chris Choi reports

Unofficial sellers of driving test slots in the UK are charging around four times the official rate, ITV News has found.

Official figures show learners are typically waiting more than five months to take their tests in some parts of the UK. Meanwhile, the test touts are cashing in on the desperation - and we’ve learned that MPs are soon to question officials on what can be done about it. 

For thousands of learner drivers, getting a test slot has become the most difficult maneuver. Their struggle has opened up an unofficial market of driving test touts, charging far more than the official £62 fee. 

We spoke to new driver, 19-year-old Tasha Grant, who told us: “Everyone my age…everyone’s trying to find a test, so I paid double the £60... I paid £150”. 

The latest official figures show the shortest test wait time is in Wales at just over three months, or 12.8 weeks. Scotland is now around four months, or 15.6 weeks. 

England has the longest waits clocking up from 14.5 two years ago to more than 20.5 weeks today - that is more than a five-month wait. 

ITV News found people re-selling test slots across social media and on individual websites, with prices ranging from around £125 up to £242.

A theory test usually costs £23 for cars, while a driving test costs £62, according to a government website.

It’s all brought dismay in driving schools across the UK as officials fail to bring down test waiting lists.

Driving instructor Duygu Ozcan told us: “I think it’s a shambles, it’s not fair that people have to pay extra to a third party that isn’t even recognised and some people are getting scammed”.

Ruth Cadbury MP, who heads the parliamentary Transport Committee, says driving test officials face tough questions, saying: “This should not be a private sector profiteering racket. This should be what’s really important to people.

"People need to take their driving test. I’m hoping that we will have the chief exec of the DVSA in front of us, if not before the end of this year or early in the new year. “

Officials at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency told ITV News tackling re-sellers is a priority, that they’ve taken down thousands of tout’s accounts  and are working hard to cut wait times.

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