Learner drivers overpay for tests and struggle to find teachers after lockdown

Backlogs caused by the Covid crisis have meant disruption for about 500,000 pupils

Desperate learner drivers are paying double the going rate for tests on the secondary market, while others are struggling to find an instructor, as the industry grapples with a huge backlog of pupils owing to Covid.

Nino Shankischvili, a London-based learner, told the Guardian she paid an instructor 530 for three tests because she was unable to get an appointment at her local test centre. A practical exam booked through the official Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website costs just 62.