Guides

Moving your test

How to change your driving test date or centre

Changing a car test takes a few minutes on GOV.UK. The rules around it are what catch people: how many changes you get, how much notice keeps your fee, which centres you can move to, and what to do when the date you need is not on offer.

Changing it, step by step

1. Open the change service on GOV.UK. It is open from 6am to 11.40pm.
2. Enter your driving licence number, and either the booking reference from your confirmation email or your theory test pass certificate number.
3. Choose what to change: the date and time, the centre, or both. Both at once still counts as one change.
4. Pick a new slot from what is free. An evening, weekend or bank holiday slot costs more and you pay the difference; a cheaper weekday slot refunds it.

Two changes, then that is it

A car test can be changed twice. Each move, earlier or later, uses one. A swap with another learner also counts as one, because DVSA records it as a change on both bookings. After the second there is no third: you would have to cancel and book a new test, which puts you at the back of the queue. So spend them on the date you actually want, not the first one that happens to be free.

Ten full working days

With at least ten full working days' notice, a change is free. Inside that, the fee is gone. Monday to Saturday count; Sundays and public holidays do not. Your booking confirmation gives the exact last date for a free change: find it now rather than on the day it passes. GOV.UK lists the few cases where a short-notice cancellation is still refunded, such as illness or a bereavement, with proof.

Changing the centre

Since 9 June 2026 a booked test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one it is booked at, or to a centre you first booked at. Every centre page here lists the ones yours can move to and how far away they are. Before you move, think about the roads: a test somewhere you have never driven is a bigger risk than a few points of pass rate.

Moving it earlier

New appointments go on the service every Monday at 6am, up to 24 weeks ahead, and cancellation slots come back at any time. There is no waiting list, so people who check often do better than people who check once. You are not allowed to use any service that scans the booking system for you, and DVSA can cancel a booking over it. What happened to the cancellation apps.

Moving it later

The same service, the same two changes, the same ten days. The catch is what is on offer: when the window is nearly full, the next free date can be months further off than you wanted. How to pick a later date that is actually right, rather than the furthest one.

When the date you want is not there

The change service shows what nobody holds. The date you want is usually held by somebody, and that is what a swap is for: two learners who want each other's dates agree, and DVSA moves both bookings over the phone. It counts as one change each, needs ten working days before the earlier test, and the swap only happens if both of you confirm on the call. How a swap works, start to finish, or sign up with your centre and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. Waiting times by centre show how far out the free dates are.

Questions people ask

How do I change my driving test date?

Through the GOV.UK change service, open from 6am to 11.40pm. You need your driving licence number and either your test booking reference or your theory test pass certificate number.

How many times can I change my driving test?

Twice, for a car test. Changing the date and the centre in one go counts as one change. After the second, the only way to move it is to cancel and book again.

Does changing my test cost anything?

Not with ten full working days' notice. Inside that, you lose the fee. Monday to Saturday count as working days; Sundays and public holidays do not. Moving to an evening, weekend or bank holiday slot means paying the difference, and moving to a cheaper weekday slot refunds it.

Can I change my driving test centre?

Yes, on the same service, and it counts as one change. Since 9 June 2026 a booked test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one it is booked at, or to a centre you first booked at.

Can my instructor change my test for me?

No. You have to change a car test yourself, and that includes instructors and driving schools.

What if there is no date I want?

The change service only offers what is free to book. A date another learner already holds never appears there, and the only way to reach one is a swap, which DVSA does over the phone once the two of you have agreed.