The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the country's consumer and competition regulator, has fined AA Driving School £4.2 million and ordered it to repay more than £760,000 to over 80,000 learners after finding the company had concealed a mandatory booking fee until the final stage of the online checkout — a practice known as "drip pricing" that violates UK consumer law. The AA admitted to the breach and cooperated with the investigation, which reduced its penalty by 40%; individual refunds are expected to average around £9 depending on the number of lessons purchased. The case marks the first financial penalty the CMA has issued under new powers allowing it to act without going through the courts, with the regulator warning that ongoing investigations into other companies — including ticket resellers StubHub and Viagogo and several homeware retailers — signal a broader crackdown on opaque online pricing.