The German government is planning a reform to make getting a driving licence cheaper and more flexible. “It will indeed become cheaper for learner drivers. But driving schools will face harsh financial cuts. Above all, the small driving schools in the region could find themselves in a tight spot,” Mario König from the Weißleder driving school told the Kreiszeitung. The 67-year-old has been a driving instructor since 1984.
The possible changes are due to come into force in 2027 at the earliest. Under the plans, the attendance requirement for theory lessons is to be dropped. König expects that many learner drivers will only turn to a driving school after passing the theory test. The basic fee in the region is often 450 euros. Anyone who learns the theory exclusively via an app may possibly only have to pay a registration fee, König suspects – this could be half as high as the previous basic fee. If many learners then wanted to take driving lessons as quickly as possible, it would become difficult for small driving schools to offer appointments at short intervals.
König considers the planned reduction of the question catalogue by a third to 840 questions sensible: “There are many questions that no longer need to be asked.” Until now, twelve special drives have been prescribed: five country-road drives, four motorway drives and three night drives. The fixed minimum number is to be dropped under the reform plans, but drives on country roads, motorways and in darkness are still to remain part of the training. Anyone who in future only needs one country-road drive, one motorway drive and one night drive could save around 675 euros, says König. Together with lower registration fees, that would amount to savings of about 900 euros. At present, a driving licence in the region costs around 3,000 euros, he estimates.
The pure driving time of the practical test is to fall from 45 minutes to the European legal minimum of 25 minutes. König fears that there will then be little time to assess the learner drivers’ abilities. An examiner from Diepholz recently told him that with a shortened time, no second chance could be granted after mistakes – for example if a learner driver does not come to a complete stop in front of a stop sign. The examiner therefore expects a rising failure rate.
As a trial, it is envisaged that learner drivers may practise privately with trained accompanying persons, such as their parents, after passing the theory test and after at least six regular driving lessons. The prerequisite is an introductory drive in the driving school car; the practice drives are to be limited to a maximum of 1,000 documented kilometres. The accompanying person must have held a class B driving licence continuously for at least seven years. König sees risks in this: it is difficult to prove how many kilometres were actually driven together. “We driving instructors could certainly convey this better than the parents, who often do not bring sufficient patience and calm with their own children,” he said. He doubts that accompanied driving clearly reduces the number of practical lessons.
