Driving tests sold for whopping £200 as learners forced to wait for MONTHS to pass in massive backlog
UNOFFICIAL queue-jumping sites are selling driving tests for a whopping £200, as learners are forced to wait MONTHS in a massive backlog.
Learner drivers are forking out more than double the usual fee for a practical test to skip vast queues around the country.
Online operators are bulk buy driving tests to resell them for profit - and learners longing for a licence are willing to splash their cash for an earlier date.
Some sites use automated software to book masses of tests, others find learners cancellations in their area, according to the .
One dodgy company even encouraged driving instructors to sell tests for profit.
The eye-watering backlog is a result of the pandemic when learner drivers couldn't take any tests.
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Now cities like London, Birmingham and Cardiff are in so much demand there are delays of up to six months for a booking.
One 19-year-old Poppy Evans is fuming that she's had her test cancelled 11 times in 18 months even though she feels ready to pass.
The pandemic delay also means thousands of theory tests have expired before learners could take their practicals, costing budding motorists millions.
But, despite learners looking at 2023 test dates, the Driving Vehicle Standards Agency has urged applicants to only book tests on its official website.
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The standard fee for a weekday test is £62 or £75 for one in an evening, at the weekend or over a bank holiday, if booked through the DVSA.
One keen learner claimed she paid £210 for a cancelled test through her instructor in London.
The 23-year-old said: "It was very on-the-go. My driving instructor would call me and say, 'quick, there's a cancellation, do you want it?'
"The day we booked my test it all happened within a three or four-minute phone call."
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One unofficial operator like this claimed to be using "AI-powered software" to nab free test slots as soon as they became available on the DVSA website.
It claimed the software constantly refreshes the agency's booking website and uses virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide its computer's identity and avoided being banned.
Sneaky social media users have also tried to make a quick buck off the terrifying wait times.
Posts on Facebook Marketplace and in some Facebook groups offering a variety of tests for sale.
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One post labelled its scam a "short-notice driving exam business" which "can guarantee exam bookings within three weeks".
The advert even said approved driving instructors could "make upwards of £400-£600 a week" by reselling exams to pupils.
