‘They have you over a barrel’: how scammers, touts and bots took over driving tests
It can take you six months to get a driving test in England – unless you’re willing to pay a middleman up to £350. What’s behind this black market? And is there any way to avoid it?
March 2024
Consumer champions
After 40 years driving, DVLA now says my mother never passed a test
Who will miss the manual car when it’s gone? Only the very smuggest drivers
Zoe Williams
December 2023
Facial recognition helps fight serious crime, but for minor UK offences it should be off limits
Asress Adimi Gikay
With the right safeguards in place, the police’s use of AI can make us safer without violating our privacy
October 2023
Your problems, with Anna Tims
Car tax mix-up led to us being stranded at the roadside
Our rescue service refused to help us with a flat tyre after it discovered that our vehicle excise duty had expired
September 2023
Technical error at DVLA adds £7.50 and weeks’ delay for driving licence renewal
Drivers have to use more costly post office or postal options because of online identity verification problem
Your problems, with Anna Tims
DVLA’s ‘temporary glitch’ means a 54% surcharge to renew my licence
I can’t do it online because of a year-long technical problem
‘An absolute mess’: learner drivers forced to buy tests on black market as companies block-book slots
As brokers exploit the hunt for tests with an automated ‘bot’ system, many are paying extortionate fees to ditch their L-plates
August 2023
Bailiffs making record profits collecting debt for councils in cost of living crisis
Charities call for an end to the outsourcing of public debt as firms’ turnover rises 50% in a year
March 2023
Your problems, with Anna Tims
DVLA sent me on a wild goose chase in search of my driving licence
As a wheelchair user I was given a string of inaccessible appointments for an eye test
November 2022
DVLA admits 168,000 drivers with health conditions waiting for licences
Consumer champions
DVLA fined us £354 after we scrapped our Nissan
September 2022
Your problems, with Anna Tims
AA hasn’t told anyone it is insuring my car
That means it’s on the Motor Insurance Database as ‘uninsured’ – and police might seize it
August 2022
Consumer champions
DVLA’s driving licence delay is costing a fortune
My employer has had to hire taxis and the courts service is providing transport to get me to court
July 2022
Supercar sales accelerate in the UK
Learner drivers overpay for tests and struggle to find teachers after lockdown
June 2022
Parking fines: DVLA breached law over sharing drivers’ details
Agency could face compensation claims after data watchdog rules it applied wrong part of the law
May 2022
Backlog Britain: how civil service job cuts could cause chaos
From passports to driving licences, from visas for Ukrainians to tax processing, the system is already creaking
March 2022
Driven to despair by disarray at DVLA
Letter: Angela MacTavish wonders how two departments of the same agency can operate with totally different levels of efficiency
December 2021
Year of delays: how UK government services seized up in the Covid crisis
From driving licences to passports, the pandemic has worsened waits for Britons
