In the end, she booked a test for several months away, and then paid £18 for a mobile app that allowed her to change her test to an earlier date, in April 2024, so she wouldn’t have to keep paying for more lessons when she already felt ready.
Apps like these alert users when slots become available through other learners cancelling their tests. The DVSA says it does not endorse any apps that find cancellations.
“It just felt like the only way,” Ella says.
Lauren Devlin had put off using these apps, but she’s worried she will soon be left with little choice.
“It felt a bit scammy to me… but at this point, I may just have to try,” she says.
Lauren, 37, got her driving licence in New Jersey, US, when she was 16. When she first moved to the UK, she relied on public transport to get around – but she’s decided she would now like the freedom of being able to drive.
Lauren estimates she’s already spent about £2,000 on driving lessons, two theory tests and one practical test in summer 2024 that she failed.