Politics Tagesschau
How driving licenses should become cheaper
Fewer special trips, no compulsory attendance in theory lessons: driving licenses should cost less and driving school training should become more modern. Today the Bundestag approves the draft law
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FAQ Law in the Bundestag How driving licenses should become cheaper As of: November 5th, 2026 • 11:26 a.m
Fewer special trips, no compulsory attendance in theory lessons: driving licenses should cost less and driving school training should become more modern. Today the Bundestag is voting on the draft driving license reform bill.
The cost of a Class B driving license has recently increased. According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, they currently average around 3,400 euros. The planned reform is intended to make driving licenses significantly cheaper. Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) said in an interview with Die Welt that learner drivers could save several hundred euros, in the best case even up to 1,000 euros.
The reform is to be passed by the Bundestag today; The Federal Council must also agree. According to current plans, the new rules should take effect at the beginning of 2027 if possible.
The draft provides for simplifications that, among other things, should make obtaining a driving license cheaper. more
There is no flat rate or legal requirements for pricing. This means that driving schools determine the prices for theory lessons and driving lessons themselves. The fees for the theoretical and practical driving test at TÜV or DEKRA, however, are set by law.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, costs rose above average from 2021 to 2024 - in each case more than consumer prices overall. In 2024, costs had increased by 5.8 percent compared to the previous year. Overall consumer prices rose by 2.2 percent in the same period.
The requirement for face-to-face teaching should no longer apply. Driving schools should be able to offer more digital lessons, including via apps. Requirements regarding training rooms and the order of teaching content should be abolished. The catalog of questions for the theoretical exam should be reduced.
In the future, each question of the theoretical exam should be graded with one point - instead of a weighted assessment of each individual exam question with two to five error points. According to the ministry, security-related questions must not be answered incorrectly.
For the number of 45-minute special trips, for example in the dark or on motorways, the fixed requirement that there must be twelve in total should no longer be required. In the future, driving schools should set the number of hours depending on the abilities of the learner drivers.
The discussion about driving license reform raised hopes that it could become cheaper in the future. more
What is already possible in Luxembourg or Austria should also be available in Germany: so-called lay training. Practice trips can then take place in the company of “a close person”, such as a parent or grandparent. The prerequisite for this: passing the theory test and six practical driving lessons.
Comparisons of driving schools have often been difficult, also because of many price components, from the basic fee to the costs for learning materials and driving lessons. Künftig sollen Preise und Erfolgsquoten aller Fahrschulen online veröffentlicht werden.
The driving schools should be relieved of the burden by eliminating many documentation and recording requirements.
This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Bundestag decides on changes to the Driving Instructors Act | November 5, 2026 | 11:23 a.m.BR24 Radio | News | November 5, 2026 | 10:07 am