Learners paying impersonators £2000 to cheat the driving test
Fri, 23 Jan 2026
Cases of cheating in both theory and practical driving tests shot up by almost half last year, a Freedom of Information request to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has revealed.
The figures cover England, Scotland and Wales, reports the BBC, with industry leaders telling it the nationwide shortage of tests is behind the rise in driving test cheating.
The DVSA uncovered 2844 attempts to cheat during the year, with more than 1100 cases involving the use of Bluetooth headsets connected to a concealed phone.
There were 647 incidents of people pretesting to be the registered candidate for a practical test. A further 1084 were caught impersonating while trying to take the theory test.
Nearly 100 offenders were prosecuted for trying to cheat by impersonating driving test candidates.
The Press Association reports that one impersonator, Qounain Khan, was handed an eight-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to impersonating learner drivers 12 times at theory test centres.
During the court case, it was revealed that impersonators could be paid up to £2000 for passing a driving test.
Chief executive of the Driving Instructors Association, Carly Brookfield, said she was not surprised fraud was on the rise.
"It seems almost 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."
However, the DVSA said it has no evidence cheating was linked to long waiting times, claiming the increase is partly due to improved detection.
Steps taken go prevent fraud including matching a practical test candidate’s face with their photo ID – and asking theory candidates to roll up their sleeves and show their pockets are empty.
Late last year, the National Audit Office said the driving test backlog would not be cleared until November 2027.
