DVSA logins sold to touts; learners charged £500
If you or your pupils are stuck refreshing the DVSA booking page, you’re not imagining it. A BBC investigation found touts offering driving instructors up to £250 a month for their official logins, then bulk‑booking tests and reselling them on WhatsApp and Facebook for as much as £500. The official DVSA fee is £62 on weekdays or £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The reporters spotted sellers operating in London, Birmingham, Manchester and the Home Counties.
Here’s the system in plain English. There are two DVSA services: the public site where learners book their own tests, and the Online Business Service (OBS) used by instructors and training businesses to manage pupils’ bookings and set when they’re available to take them. Most professionals use OBS responsibly; the problem starts when access is sold on.
According to the BBC, resellers use borrowed logins to get into OBS, collect learners’ licence details from customers, and then place bookings under those details before flipping the slots to other buyers. That can put your personal data at risk, and sharing logins breaches DVSA terms for OBS accounts. DVSA says it has “zero tolerance” for anyone exploiting learners and can investigate instructors.
Inside the trade, the BBC heard big claims. One seller using the name “Ahadeen” allegedly promised monthly payments to instructors who shared credentials and boasted of signing up new instructors every week. When confronted, the man linked to that alias denied involvement and called the allegations a fabrication. The BBC could not independently verify all the claims.
How big is the queue right now? DVSA figures reported by ITV News show 642,000 people with a future practical test booking in Great Britain at the end of October 2025. Average waits hover around five months, and AA analysis found that by May 2025 more than four in five test centres were showing the maximum 24‑week waits.
Change is coming. On 12 November 2025 the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, confirmed that only learner drivers will be allowed to book and manage car tests; learners will be limited to two changes per booking; and moves will be restricted to nearby centres. The Department says these changes will start in spring 2026.
Other rule tweaks already in place matter too. From 8 April 2025, you must give 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel without losing your fee. And from 6 January 2025, DVSA tightened OBS terms so only legitimate instructors or their employers may use it, and not for pupils they do not teach.
Media‑literacy moment: numbers online often clash. DVSA told Parliament that around 10% of learners use third parties to book tests; industry surveys sometimes suggest higher use. Treat sweeping claims with care, and remember DVSA does not license any site or service to resell test slots. Book on GOV.UK only.
What this means for you as a learner. First, know the real price: £62 weekdays, £75 evenings/weekends. If someone quotes hundreds more, you’re likely paying a middle‑person to do what you can do yourself-and you could lose control of your licence data. If you want earlier dates, check the official site regularly and discuss timing with your instructor so you’re genuinely ready. DVSA’s Ready to Pass? pages explain what “test ready” looks like and why moving a test back can save time and money.
If you’ve paid a reseller or suspect your details were misused, keep screenshots and bank records, contact your bank, and report it to Action Fraud. If your DVSA account has been blocked or bookings appear that you don’t recognise, contact DVSA for advice; their guidance also explains the risks of cancellation‑finder tools.
For instructors, this is professional conduct. Offers to “borrow” your login are a red flag. DVSA has warned and suspended users for misuse and has closed hundreds of business/OBS accounts under tougher rules; in a response cited by the BBC, 346 OBS accounts had been closed as of 17 November. Selling access can put your pupils’ data at risk and your licence at stake.
The policy shift to learner‑only booking should choke off the resale route through instructor accounts, but capacity is still the pressure point. The government has also drafted 36 military examiners to deliver up to 6,500 extra tests over the next year. That will help, but it will not clear the queue overnight.
Parents and carers can help by planning around realistic timelines-remember the new 10‑day cancellation rule-and by steering young drivers away from “too good to be true” offers. Encourage practice, honest mock tests, and booking only when instructors agree they’re ready. The fairest route is still the official one, even if it takes patience.
One last note on place. Northern Ireland runs a separate system with different fees and processes via the DVA, so guidance above applies to Great Britain. Always check official pages for where you live before booking.