Driving test booking rules 2026: how to book, change or cancel your test

What changed, and when

Only you can book and manage your test

It is against the law for anybody else to book, change or cancel your car driving test. That includes your driving instructor, a parent and any booking service. Somebody can still help you, as long as they are with you and you do as much of it as you can yourself.

You book on GOV.UK with your provisional driving licence. The test costs £62 on a weekday and £75 on an evening, a weekend or a bank holiday. That official fee is the only thing you should pay.

You have 2 changes

Each booking comes with 2 changes. These count as a change:

• moving the date or the time
• moving to another test centre
• swapping with another learner

Changing more than one thing at the same time still counts as one change. These do not count:

• updating your address or contact details
• adding or removing your instructor's reference number
• a change DVSA makes, for example because of bad weather, which also gives you your 2 changes back

If you need more than 2 changes, you have to cancel and book again. You get a full refund if you cancel at least 10 full working days before the test.

Moving to another test centre

You can move your test only to one of the 3 centres nearest to where it is booked, or back to the centre you first booked for that test. So book at a centre you mean to use.

Centres close together can have very different pass rates. In the London Borough of Bexley, 58.7% of car tests were passed at Sidcup in the year to March 2026, and 40.5% at Belvedere, about 4.5 miles away. Our guide to the Sidcup, Belvedere and Erith test centres has the figures for all three.

Swapping with another learner

You can swap tests with another learner who already has one booked. A swap counts as one of your 2 changes, and only you can arrange it.

What your instructor can still do

Your instructor cannot book or move your test, but they still play a part. They keep their availability up to date with DVSA, and you add their reference number to your booking, so the system checks they are free to bring you on the day. Tests an instructor booked for a pupil before 12 May 2026 still go ahead.

Cancellation finder apps are not allowed

Since 12 May 2026 you cannot use services that scan the booking system for earlier tests. DVSA watches the system, and can stop you booking online or cancel your test if the rules are broken.

Before you book

1. Ask your instructor whether you are ready, and choose a date you realistically expect to be ready for.
2. Pick a test centre you will use, because moving it later is limited to the 3 nearest.
3. Add your instructor's reference number, so the booking checks they are free.
4. Keep your 2 changes for when something really changes.

Find an instructor with space

If you are still looking for an instructor, Doovor shows instructors near you that we have checked, with their prices and free times. See how it works for learners.