Is driving changing into a luxurious in Germany? – DW – 04/28/2025 | EUROtoday

Learning to drive in Germany lately requires extra than simply persistence. It additionally takes some huge cash. According to Germany’s largest vehicle membership, the ADAC, acquiring a driver’s license can price wherever between €2,500 ($2,839) and €3,500 –– in some circumstances, much more. For younger individuals, nonetheless in schooling, it’s changing into a luxurious.

Although a driver’s license obtained in a single EU nation is legitimate throughout the bloc, the way you get there’s nonetheless regulated nationally. Each nation has its personal driving faculty idea, which in flip determines the worth.

In Germany, driving schooling is intensive and strictly regulated by regulation. Learners should full a minimal of 14 principle classes and 12 sensible driving classes. By distinction, Poland presents a extra compact and fewer tightly regulated program, the place a license can price as little as €600.

Calls for reform are rising louder. Florian Müller, transport coverage spokesperson for the center-right CDU celebration, is amongst these pushing for a “contemporary and modern driving education” that’s each inexpensive and displays present street realities. After all, “the car is still the number one mode of transport” in Germany and many individuals rely on having a license, Müller instructed DW.

‘Driving in Germany is a privilege’

Varsha Iyer is aware of this all too nicely. Originally from India, she moved to Germany in 2018 to review. Her journey to getting a license was emotionally exhausting and financially draining. At the identical time, it was unavoidable, because it was troublesome to get from her house to her place of research within the metropolis of Dusseldorf with no automobile.

To pay for driving classes, Iyer labored part-time in a bakery whereas finding out. She handed the idea check on her first strive however failed the sensible examination 5 instances.
“The main culprit was that testing conditions were quite strict,” she instructed DW. “I understand the need for high standards,” she mentioned however added that they didn’t appear to replicate the way in which individuals drive.

In complete, her license ended up costing over €5,000 –– her complete financial savings.

The course of is particularly powerful for migrants like Varsha, who face language boundaries and are available from very totally different visitors methods. “Driving in Germany is clearly still a privilege,” she mentioned. “Very few people have unlimited resources to keep paying for retesting.”

Getting a license overseas –– probably not an choice both

Due to the excessive prices, extra individuals in Germany are contemplating doing their driving check overseas, for instance in neighboring nations like Poland.

But it is not that easy, warns ADAC spokesperson Katharina Luca. “People often forget that you have to live in the country for at least 185 days to get a license there. And then there are added costs for travel and accommodation,” she instructed DW.

Luca believes the actual resolution lies in reforming the system inside Germany to make driving classes extra accessible.

For Florian Müller, the coaching course of supplies a degree of reference. “We’re seeing that it’s taking people significantly longer to get their license,” mentioned the CDU spokesperson.

According to statistics from the TÜV Association, a security requirements group, practically one in two candidates now fails the idea check –– an all-time excessive. The failure price for the sensible check can be rising, with over a 3rd not passing.

Practice drives the worth

Germany’s state transport ministers at the moment are pushing to simplify the idea portion of the coaching. However, Kurt Bartels, chairman of the driving instructors’ affiliation in North Rhine-Westphalia, doubts whether or not this can make the driving license cheaper. After all, registering for the idea check prices simply €25. “What really drives up the cost is the number of driving lessons people need,” he instructed DW.

“Our clientele has changed. Young people don’t look at the road anymore, but at their smartphones. They come to us and no longer have any traffic awareness,” mentioned Bartels.

The visitors scenario has additionally turn out to be way more advanced lately. Dealing with new street customers, equivalent to e-scooters or superior driver help methods all have to be taken under consideration in coaching at the moment. That all prices cash.

On high of that, driving colleges are battling rising rents, car prices, and a scarcity of certified instructors.

Are driving simulators the reply?

One proposed resolution is to include driving simulators into coaching applications. Basic methods like gear shifting or checking blind spots could possibly be taught nearly.

With fewer instructors out there, simulators may assist ease the burden, Müller believes. You can think about “what tasks only a driving instructor can do, and what parts could potentially be handled by a machine.”

In nations like France, simulators are already a longtime a part of the driving curriculum. But in Germany, they’re nonetheless ready for official recognition.

Bartels stays skeptical: “If you use a simulator, it still has to be supervised by an instructor,” he factors out. “And no simulator can replace real-life driving –– especially when it comes to Autobahn or night driving.”

Between ambition and actuality

A current proposal by Florian Müller to make licenses extra inexpensive was rejected within the Bundestag. Yet the stress to behave is mounting. Since 2020, the price of driving faculty and exams has risen by 38%, far outpacing inflation.

“Maybe our driving education is expensive, but it’s also very thorough,” says ADAC spokesperson Luca, including: “At the same time, we also see that other countries with cheaper training programs don’t necessarily have higher accident rates.”

Austria, for instance, permits learners to do personal apply drives with a certified grownup, a system that saves cash on skilled classes. In Germany, although, the driving license stays “a privilege that opens the door to other privileges,” Varsha Iyer thinks. “If you can afford it, you’re at an advantage. If not, the steering wheel remains out of reach.”

Edited by: Uwe Hessler