‘Dodgy’ websites re-selling driving tests for profit

Teresa Allen, 67, a driving instructor of 17 years from Tonbridge, said the government should change the rules so only instructors can book tests on behalf of their pupils.

She said: “It’s demoralising. People are using brokers and apps and they are paying well over the odds for a test and then they can’t take the test because they’ve got no one to take them, so the test goes to waste.”

She says attitudes towards booking a practical test have changed.

“I have a pupil who is very early in his driving training, I would never normally suggest he look for a test but we know we must because I know we’ll be waiting five or six months,” she added.

Ms Allen said not being able to offer learners a solution is “really really heart-breaking”.

“It’s extremely stressful, I’m emotionally invested in every single person that I teach. they need that licence to get to their job or their education,” she said.

DVSA’s chief executive Loveday Ryder said nearly two million tests were provided in the last financial year.

She said the DVSA would continue to recruit more examiners and tackle bots who “exploit learners”, adding that the government agency doesn’t run, approve or endorse any other booking apps or platforms.