A public petition to extend theory test certificate expiration dates by 12 months has picked up more than 61,000 signatures, but despite this the UK government has responded firmly against extending the two-year deadline for expirations on certificates.

However, in a bid to support learner drivers’ efforts to pass their driving test, young driver insurance provider Marmalade is offering its customers a full refund on their car theory test cost if it expired or expires during the UK lockdown.

The theory tests costs £23 for cars and is valid for two years, but Marmalade, based on Mallard Road, found that almost 50,000 people in the UK lost their theory certificate during 2020, costing £1.14m.

Marmalade estimates that 13,944 tests will expire in the current national lockdown if it ends mid-February, equating to an overall loss of £320,712 or £7,636 per day for UK learner drivers.

Learner drivers who have been unable to take their practical test between March 23 and the date at which practical tests resume will qualify for the payment from Marmalade, in a bid to ensure learners pass their test without additional stress.

CEO of Marmalade, Crispin Moger said: "There are thousands of learner drivers who were planning to take their test and have now lost out due to cancellations caused by the ongoing pandemic. These learners are required to take their test and pass again before they can move to their practical test, something which I don’t doubt is causing added stress for a lot of learners."

"For many, this is a major setback as they would have started to make plans around passing their driving test and having more freedom. The government isn’t doing enough and isn’t willing to step in and help UK learners, so that is why we are offering existing customers and new customers whose theory test certificates have expired, or are set to expire during lockdown the opportunity to claim the money back on us.

"We are urging other learner driver insurers to follow suit to help us in giving learners the chance to qualify as drivers as soon as possible."

Find out more information about the scheme here.