Attempts to cheat on driving tests in Britain soared by 47% in a year, an investigation has found, sparking road safety concerns.
Some 2,844 cases were recorded in the year to the end of September 2025, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures show.
This has increased from 1,940 during the previous 12 months, and 1,274 in 2018/19.
Methods have included using wireless earphones connected to a hidden phone and hiring impersonators.
Cheats are “putting other road users at risk”, motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said.
The DVSA attributed the rise in recorded cases to a combination of more cheating and improved detection.
Technology-assisted cheating on theory tests – such as using an earpiece connected to a concealed phone via Bluetooth – comprised the biggest proportion of incidents in 2024/25, at 1,113.
The increase in cheating comes amid a large backlog for practical driving tests, though the DVSA said it has no evidence to link the two.
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Measures to uncover theory test cheats can include asking candidates to roll up their sleeves and show their pockets are empty, and staff patting them down, or using a metal detector.
Learners arriving at test centres are also checked to see that their face matches their ID.
The DVSA also uses intelligence to identify people and vehicles involved in previous cheating attempts.
Ninety-six people were prosecuted for trying to cheat driving tests or impersonate candidates in 2024/25, the DVSA said.
A prosecution case can include multiple incidents.
2024/25: 2,844
2023/24: 1,940
2022/23: 2,344
2021/22: 1,960
2020/21: 820
2019/20: 876
2018/19: 1,274
Man impersonated learners 12 times
Ali Rasul, now 22, from Exeter, was given a two-year prison sentence at Exeter Crown Court in November 2025 after being caught repeatedly trying to cheat the theory test over an eight-month period, using either a hidden earpiece or an impersonator.
Qounain Khan, now 23, from Birmingham, was handed an eight-month prison sentence at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2025 after pleading guilty to impersonating learners at theory test centres 12 times.
Impersonators could be paid up to £2,000 for passing a test, the court heard.
Learners and impersonators who use them could be banned from driving, imprisoned, or ordered to carry out unpaid work and forced to pay court costs.
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Marian Kitson, DVSA’s director of enforcement services, said the agency has enhanced its “fraud detection capabilities”.
She said: “It is essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge, and attitude to drive safely.
“Our counter-fraud team carries out robust investigations into suspected fraud, working with the police to bring fraudsters to justice and keep Britain’s roads safe.”
