FOI Data Shows Budding Moped & Motorcycle Risers Lost Almost £100K In 2020 Due To Suspended Tests.

New data reveals that hopeful riders across the UK could foot the bill of almost £200,000, from a combination of expired theory test certificates over the two national lockdowns in 2020 combined with the cost to retake the test again in the future.

Data obtained through multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) by insurance provider, Marmalade showed 4,247 bike theory test certificates at a cost of £23 each expired over the UK’s two national lockdowns in 2020, amounting to a loss of £97,681 for learners.

Assuming all riders pay to retake the test, a cost of £46 for the expired certificate and a new test – means this set of lockdown learners would have spent a whopping £195,362 on theory tests in total. If just half retake the test, the cost is still a huge £146,522.

With test centres now closed and no extension to the expiration dates of certificates announced by the UK government, learners now face the same problem as they did in 2020.

Over the 149 days of delays in 2020, an average of 29 certificates expired each day. Using this average figure, over the next six week lockdown if it ends mid-February, it is estimated that 1,218 certificates will expire, equating to an overall loss of £28,014.

Commenting on the data and what this means for learners, CEO of Marmalade, Crispin Moger said:

“I don’t doubt that there will have been many learners that would have planned to take their test during the time periods affected by the multiple UK lockdowns and will now have lost through no fault of their own. Learners whose certificates have expired will need to take the test and pass it again before they can take their practical test adding yet more time to their wait, adding to the backlog we are already expected to see in 2021.

“For some this is just another roadblock to gaining freedom and will be a hindrance to many where a test pass was at the centre of their plans. We have previously launched a petition to ask the Government to extend these certificates by three months to allow learners the chance to qualify as soon as it’s possible, something which will also ease waiting times and pressure on theory test centres once they reopen. Northern Ireland has announced an extension, while the UK government has said they will not be extending the period, something which will have certainly come as a blow to learners.”

In 2020, May was the biggest month for losses, with £35,466 in theory tests alone all lost due to certificates expiring.

Find out more information and see the full dataset here.