German Driving-Licence Cost Reforms Draw Fresh Pushback as Schools Report Drop in Sign-Ups

Overview

• Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder plans to lower Class B licence costs by expanding e-learning and simulator use, with implementation now indicated for 2027 at the earliest.
• Driving schools in Fürstenfeldbruck report fewer new registrations since the announcement as learners wait for potential price cuts.
• Instructors in Hesse argue that exam capacity and fees are the true cost drivers, criticizing a TÜV-dominated testing setup and calling to open the market to additional providers.
• TÜV Nord rejects claims of financial incentives tied to failure rates, says fees have been stable since 2020 under a statutory framework, and contends that more providers would not quickly reduce wait times.
• Context cited in the dispute includes average licence costs around €3,400 (often over €4,000), simulator hardware near €30,000, a theory pool of roughly 1,200 questions, eight to nine week waits for retests, and a record near two million exams in 2024.