- The number of candidates caught cheating in driving tests has risen sharply in the UK
- Examples include some caught using Bluetooth headsets connected to hidden phones
- It comes as learners face a huge driving test backlog that results in long waiting times
The number of learner drivers caught cheating in their driving tests has skyrocketed in the UK, rising by almost 50% last year with many relying on the use of hidden phones and Bluetooth headsets.
The data comes from a freedom of information request by PA Media (via the BBC) and reveals that 2,844 attempts to cheat were discovered during driving tests in the year to September 2025. This is a substantial 47% increase compared to the previous twelves months, with over a third of cases using some form of technology.
This included candidates that were busted with a Bluetooth earpiece connected to hidden phones during the multiple-choice theory test, while there were also more than 1,000 attempts of impersonators trying to sit the theory test in someone’s place.
Thankfully cheating in the practical test (which actually has you behind the wheel rather than sitting at a computer screen) seems less common, though there were still more than 640 instances where impersonators were caught trying to take a test on a candidate’s behalf.
Desperate times
The government warns that it is illegal to cheat at either a theory or practical driving test by using an impersonator or impersonating a candidate yourself. Those caught risk being sent to prison, banned from driving, ordered to carry out unpaid work, or made to pay court costs.
Those who suspect that someone has used an impersonator can file a report via the gov.uk website.
Why are candidates turning to underhanded criminal methods given the potential consequences are so severe? Experts blame the ongoing driving test backlog, with the government itself estimating that candidates have to wait nearly 21 weeks to secure a test in England compared to 15 weeks in Scotland and 13 weeks in Wales.
“It almost seems inevitable in an era of lots of demand, but very little consistent supply, that you are going to get people engaging in risky behaviours, like using a cheat service to try and pass,” Driving Instructors Association chief Carly Brookfield told the BBC.
My personal experience
Although I would of course never resort to crime, I do understand the frustration learner drivers face as someone who only passed a few months ago myself. Those backlog estimates seem quite low compared to my experience in a busy area of London, where it took almost half a year of waiting (with thousands of pounds spent on refresher lessons) to secure a test slot.
The rise of automated bots snapping up places and issues with the government driving test booking website make it an incredibly frustrating experience that forces you to race against hundreds of other learners to secure a small handful of slots as they release on a weekly basis.
I purchased a third-party booking app out of sheer desperation, which alerted me to short-notice test slots freed up by cancellations and finally managed to get a test booked in.
The UK government has set out measures aimed at tackling the shortage, including drafting in military driving examiners to conduct tests and preventing learners from snapping up empty slots in far away test centres, but the National Audit Office suggests that things are unlikely to be resolved before November 2027.
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
