German parliament approves plan to cut costs for getting a driver’s licence

The German Bundestag passed the first part of a driver’s license reform on Thursday, which is aimed at reducing the cost for drivers to obtain their licence.

Under the reform, which passed with the backing of the black-red coalition government, driving schools are to be relieved of some bureaucratic requirements and young drivers-to-be could practice driving with parents or other licenced adults.

With the average price to get a driver’s licence in Germany estimated at around €3,400, measures aimed at reducing costs represent significant financial relief for young people and their parents, as well as for some foreign nationals who can’t exchange their foreign licence for a German licence.

LISTED: The non-EU countries that have drivers licence exchange agreements with Germany

The closely watched reform was first suggested more than a year ago.

With part of the reform having been passed by the Bundestag, another set of legislative amendments needs to be passed by the Bundesrat before the changes would be written into law.

If the reform is ultimately passed, it is expected to take effect by July 1st, 2027.

What would change under the reform?

The reform brings a number of key changes to the process of acquiring a licence:

• Theory classes could be conducted online: In future, learner drivers would be able to choose to do classroom hours at home via online lessons, or in a classroom as before. This is intended to reduce costs for classrooms in driving schools and save time for learner drivers.
• Less bureaucracy: Many documentation and recording obligations for driving schools are to be cut.
• Simpler theoretical test: The catalogue of questions for the theoretical driving text could be significantly reduced.
• Fewer special trips: Currently driver students must complete a total of twelve special trips, including overland, highway and night driving sessions. This requirement is to be simplified, and could be based in part on individual students’ needs as assessed by their driving instructors.
• Practical driving test: The duration of the practical driving test is to be reduced slightly.
• More price transparency: Prices of driving schools and pass rates are to be published online in a database so that customers can more easily compare them.

The Bundestag on Thursday passed the amendments to the Road Traffic Act and the Driving Instructors Act.

Further reforms, like those relating to the requirements for driving practice time and theoretical and practical tests, still need approval from the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat is expected to deliberate on the reform on November 20th.

Practice hours with parents

Another aspect of the reform would allow young drivers to gain more practice time driving with their parents or licenced adults. This is called “lay training” (Laienausbildung) in German.

To do so, learner drivers must have already passed their theoretical test and completed six driving lessons at the driving school.

The accompanying person must have had a car driver’s license for at least seven years, must not have more than one point in Flensburg and must have a “special close relationship” with the learner driver e.g. as a parent or guardian.

How much cheaper really?

The CDU transport expert Henning Rehbaum said in the Bundestag that the reform would make the acquisition of the driver’s license faster and cheaper without compromising on safety.

He added that allowing learners to practice with adult drivers has been proven to work in other countries such as Austria.

Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger suggests that the reform could save drivers several hundred euros, in the best case even up to €1,000. 

However, SPD transport expert Truels Reichardt said his party does not expect costs to fall by €1,000, and added that it’s not foreseeable how much cheaper it will be. 

Meanwhile transport experts from the opposition Green and Left parties argued that the proposals could not be proven to lower the cost to driving students.