Driving test cheat attempts soar 47% in a year

Attempts to cheat driving tests in Britain increased by 47% in a year, an investigation has found, sparking concerns about road safety.

Some 2,844 cases were recorded in the year to the end of September 2025, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures obtained by the Press Association news agency show.

That is up from 1,940 during the previous 12 months, and 1,274 in 2018/19.

Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said driving test cheats are “putting other road users at risk”.

The DVSA attributed the increase in recorded cases to a combination of more cheating and better detection.

Technology assisted cheating during theory tests, such as using an earpiece connected to a concealed phone via Bluetooth, made up the largest proportion of incidents in 2024/25, with 1,113.

People trying to take the theory or practical test while impersonating the registered candidate was recorded in 1,084 and 647 cases respectively, the figures obtained in response to a Freedom of Information request show.

The rise in cheating comes amid a large backlog for practical driving tests.

Learners faced an average waiting time for a test of 22 weeks in September, compared with about five weeks in February 2020 before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when testing was largely suspended.

The DVSA said it has no evidence linking cheating to waiting times.

Learners arriving at test centres are required to show their face to check it matches their photographic ID.

Measures to uncover theory test cheats can include asking candidates to roll up their sleeves and show their pockets are empty, and a staff member patting them down and waving a handheld metal detector around them.

The DVSA said it also uses intelligence to identify vehicles and individuals involved in previous cheating attempts.

Ninety-six people were prosecuted for attempting to cheat driving tests or impersonate candidates in 2024/25, the DVSA said.

A prosecution case can include multiple incidents.

Prison

Impersonators and learners who use them could be sent to prison, banned from driving, ordered to carry out unpaid work and made to pay court costs.

Qounain Khan, now 23, of Edmund Road, Birmingham was handed an eight-month prison sentence at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2025 after pleading guilty to impersonating learners at theory test centres 12 times.

The court heard impersonators could be paid up to £2,000 for passing a test.

Sorina-Ana Turcitu, now 42, of Sidney Avenue, north London admitted attempting to take a practical driving test on behalf of someone else, and was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court in September 2025.

Ali Rasul, now 22, of Alpha Street, Exeter, was handed a two-year prison sentence at Exeter Crown Court in November 2025 after being caught repeatedly trying to cheat the theory test over an eight-month period either by using a hidden earpiece or an impersonator.

Marian Kitson, DVSA’s director of enforcement services, said the agency has enhanced its “fraud detection capabilities”.

She went on: “It is essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge and attitude to drive safely.

“Our counter-fraud team carries out robust investigations into suspected fraud, working with the police to bring fraudsters to justice and keep Britain’s roads safe.”

Pressure

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “The longer people have to wait to get a test slot, the greater the pressure to pass, but that’s no excuse for cheating.

“Those looking to make money through impersonation and deception are putting other road users at risk.

“This data demonstrates the need for DVSA to be vigilant in spotting the cheats and for the penalties to be severe.”

Emma Bush, managing director of the AA Driving School, described the increase in cheat attempts as “staggering”.

She added: “It is even more worrying that while the numbers of those caught have risen a concerning amount, it is likely some people will have cheated successfully and be on our roads.”

Here are the number of recorded incidents of driving test cheating in the 12 months to the end of September each year since 2019:

2024/25: 2,844

2023/24: 1,940

2022/23: 2,344

2021/22: 1,960

2020/21: 820

2019/20: 876

2018/19: 1,274