Booking a car driving test - mission impossible?

I’ve already got my full bike license. Thought it be handy to get a car one as well. Passed my theory test just to get it out of the way. Decided to check availability for the test dates before arranging lessons with an instructor. Lo and behold, no test centres in London have any slots for any dates. I was aware there were some problems with this when the pandemic started, but naively assumed that’s all been done and dusted.

I was checking the government myself for the test dates. Would driving school instructors have some priority or secret backdoors into getting an early test date for their students?

Hey buddy, welcome to my world!

My missus failed her test about 3 weeks ago (after waiting the best part of 6months for it).

We have initially had to rebook in Lincoln, managed to move it to Eastbourne today and checking 6 times a day as well it’s beyond a joke.

There is an app you can use which will automate alot of it, but you have to have a test first.

Genuinely good luck as I feel you pain…

Yes they can book a block of slots well in advance. One did for my child.

I had the same with mine at the beginning of the year. From north herts I booked one in Winchester. After that it was simply a case of checking often for cancellation slots at local test centres and moving the booking.

My daughter had a similar situation. She had 2 tests cancelled during lockdown.

She eventually took her test in Reading which I still think she should not have been failed for (but that is another issue) and when she went to book a retest, the earliest she could get was October 2022. This was when she was booking in April 2021.

Her useless instructor gave her the app (only decent thing she did), she booked a test for March in Edinburgh. If I remember, there was a one off registration fee of about £15, but worth it as eventually took her test in September 2021 in Reading having been given a number of ongoing test dates and venues as cancellations became available.

I should point out that you have to have taken a test and failed before you can get the app.

Happy to say, she passed with flying colours 13 months earlier than had she waited for the original test date.

She has now done 16,000 miles since she passed and heading towards her first advanced qualification :slightly_smiling_face:

So if you can get the app off an instructor, it does help big time.

1 Like

I believe this is the same app I’m using for my wife, you don’t have to have failed a test but you have to already have a test booked.

Tbh though I’m finding it very hit and miss and a good ole manual check seems to be the best way at the moment.

I think it much depends on who you talk to. My daughter was told it could only be used by those who had failed at least one test.

But if it can be used for any test, then fair play…

My mates a driving instructor.

Given they have maybe 20 or so on the go at a time, then yeah, he books well in advance on the assumption someone will be ready at a given time.

He seems to post on social media a photo of someone passing every week.

Not sure if they have priority over peasants, but they defo take the vast majority of slots as/when they are made available.

Motorcycle training schools have the same facility and are able to make block bookings so they can forward plan their schedule.

I imagine it is the same for car schools as well, although my Brother in Law is an instructor, he makes his students book their own tests as it (in his words) encourages them to work and learn harder.

Cheers, gents. I’ll take this into consideration when looking for an instructor. Coincidentally, that is my next step. I’ve created a new thread to keep offtopic to a minimum here. If anyone has any tips on that, give me a shout: