Driving test booking scams are something I hear about often.
What it comes down to is this: only book your driving test through the official DVSA website. The DVSA themselves say not to use external driving test booking sites.
That counts for both the theory test and practical driving test.
Do not use any other site promising you extra services, faster tests or guaranteed passes. You’ll see why when you read this page.
Watch this video about driving test booking scams because it can save you from being scammed. It may be a some years old but it’s still as relevant as the day I made it.
Driving test booking scams
Let me tell you about some of the scams I’ve heard of and witnessed at driving test centres.
We can get you a test sooner
Fake driving test booking websites often prey on your need to get a driving test sooner. They’ll tell you that they can get you a test earlier than when you use the official booking system.
No they can’t.
The booking system is the same for everyone. Even as a driving instructor I have no special access to early tests. What I see is what you see and what the people working in the DVSA call centre see.
I have even seen some driving schools claim they have access to a special hotline for early tests. Rubbish!
There is no way to get a test sooner other than to keep checking the system.
All these websites do is scan the system, block book tests and then sell them on to you, often at an inflated price.
This got so bad that some time ago the DVSA implemented a system which only lets you log in a certain number of times a day to check for new tests.
Some profiteers were making programs that scanned the booking system every few seconds and block booked tests for months ahead. They’d then sell the tests on at raised prices to profit from people that just wanted a driving test.
Selling driving tests that don’t exist
Some driving test booking scam sites will try and sell you driving tests that don’t even exist.
I saw this happen once at a driving test centre when I took a pupil of mine for a test.
Someone had booked a driving test, got a reference number in a confirmation email and turned up at the centre. The examiners came out and noticed that there was one more pupil than examiner.
When they took the pupils name and looked at the confirmation email on their phone they saw it was fake and they’d paid for a test that didn’t exist.
The pupil clicked the link in the email to go to the website and it no longer existed.
Imagine how you’d feel if that happened to you.
Paying for extra services
Some scam driving test booking sites sell you add-ons that are false because they don’t exist.
They have been known to offer you a guaranteed pass for paying extra!
Err…yeah.
Other extras have known to be a choice of male/female examiner, a choice of easy/hard test routes and a choice of car.
These may sound silly but some people are vulnerable and wouldn’t think that it was wrong.
How to avoid driving test booking scams
To avoid driving test booking scams just book your driving test through the official .gov website.
Discover more scams by reading my pages on driving school scams and driving school secrets.
