Rebook or Reschedule Your Driving Test

Have these to hand before you start

Rebooking a driving test takes about five minutes, as long as you have the right two numbers in front of you.

Here's exactly what you need, what the rules let you do, and the mistakes that cost people their test fee.

Your UK driving licence number
Your test reference number, from your booking confirmation
A date and centre in mind, so you're not deciding on the spot

How to rebook a driving test, step by step

Check how much notice you have. Count 10 full working days between today and your test. Saturdays count, Sundays and public holidays don't. Inside that window, changing or cancelling normally means paying again.
Decide what you actually want. A different date, a different centre, or out altogether. Moving centre counts as a change, so it's worth deciding once.
Sign in to the official booking service with your licence number and test reference number.
Pick the new date. You'll only be offered what's free at that moment, which at a busy centre can be months out.
Check the confirmation. Make sure the centre and time are what you expected, especially if the centre has more than one site.

The three limits worth remembering. 10 full working days' notice to avoid paying again. 2 changes per car test. 1 test booked at a time.

These come from GOV.UK and can change, so check there before you change your booking.

Amending a driving test booking: what counts as a change

All of this is handled by the DVSA rather than the DVLA, which trips a lot of people up. Our page on changing your test with the DVSA sets out the split.

An amendment to a driving test booking covers three things, and each one counts towards your 2 changes:

The date, as long as you're outside the 10 working day window.
The time of day, if another slot is free at that centre.
The test centre, but only one of the 3 centres nearest to where your test is currently booked, or back to the centre you first booked at.

What you can't do is pass a test on to somebody else. A booking is in your name and your licence number, and booking a test for another person is against the law. If your licence details change before the test, sort those out separately rather than through the booking service.

Rebooking after a failed test

You can book again straight away, but the new test has to be at least 10 working days later. Your instructor will often suggest longer, to work on whatever went wrong.

The frustrating part is that after a fail you're back in the same queue as everyone else, and at a busy centre the next free date can be months away. That's where an earlier date coming free makes the difference between a few weeks and half a year.

Rebooking at a different test centre

Waits swing by months from one centre to the next, and the typical wait booking on your own is around 23.4 weeks. Moving is worth considering, but there's now a limit on where you can go.

You can only move to one of the 3 centres nearest to where your test is booked, or back to the centre you first booked at. Move once, and your next move is judged from the new centre, not the original one.

A fresh booking is different: when you book a new test you can choose any centre, so book at one you actually intend to use.

Weigh up unfamiliar roads too, and remember moving uses one of your 2 changes. Our waiting times table covers all 316 centres so you can compare before you commit, and each centre page lists the ones nearby.

Mistakes that cost people money

Counting calendar days instead of working days. Sundays and public holidays don't count, so the deadline arrives sooner than people expect.
Cancelling before finding a replacement. You give up the date you have with nothing to move to.
Using up both changes early. After two, it's cancel and rebook, and that can mean paying again.
Assuming an instructor can do it. Changes have to be made by you.

If there's nothing earlier showing

That's normal at most centres, and it doesn't mean nothing will come free. Dates appear all day as other learners move or cancel theirs. Rather than checking morning and night for weeks, tell us your centre and the months you can do, and we'll alert you by SMS and WhatsApp as soon as we find something earlier. Nothing to pay upfront.

Would rather not keep checking yourself? Keep your test and let us look for an earlier date. We text you when we find one and only move your test if you reply YES. Move my test earlier

Find me an earlier testTakes about two minutes

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Questions about rebooking

How do I rebook my driving test?

Sign in to the official booking service with your driving licence number and your test reference number, pick a new date and confirm. If you've run out of changes, you cancel and book again instead.

How many times can I change my driving test?

A car test can be changed 2 times. After that you'd have to cancel and book a fresh one, which means paying again unless you cancel with enough notice.

How long after failing can I retake my test?

You have to choose a date at least 10 working days away. You can book it straight away, but the test itself cannot be sooner than that.

Will I get my money back if I cancel?

Only with at least 10 full working days' notice. Less than that and you'll normally pay again, though there are exceptions for illness, bereavement, a clashing school or college exam, or a stolen licence, with evidence.

Can my instructor rebook it for me?

No. Changes have to be made by you. If you'd like us to look for an earlier date, we only move your test when you reply YES, so you stay in control of your booking.

How do I change my practical driving test date?

Same way as any other change: sign in with your licence number and test reference number, pick a new date and confirm. The words differ from one website to the next, but changing, amending, rescheduling and rebooking all mean the same thing here.

Can I amend my driving test booking online?

Yes, and it has to be done online by you. You can amend the date, the time or the centre, up to 2 times on a car test.

Can I move my test to a different test centre?

Only to one of the 3 centres nearest to where it is booked now, or back to the centre you first booked at. Waits vary by months between centres, so check the waiting times table before you pick, and remember it uses one of your 2 changes.

Find me an earlier driving testNothing to pay upfront

Rebook or reschedule your driving test