Overview
- The transport minister proposes cutting the price of a Class B licence by several hundred euros as average costs sit around €3,400 after roughly doubling since 2017.
- Measures under discussion include fully digital theory classes, expanded simulator training, fewer mandated special drives, a one‑third reduction of the 1,169‑question theory bank, and online publication of prices and pass rates.
- Driving‑instructor associations and safety experts object to dropping in‑person theory, arguing it would worsen already weak pass rates and endanger novice drivers, who carry the highest accident risk.
- Simulator training remains disputed, with critics citing purchase costs up to about €30,000 and limited transfer to real traffic, while some schools report benefits for basic skills despite required supervision.
- The ministry is consulting states and stakeholders, plans to present detailed measures to the transport ministers in March 2026, and says first legal changes are possible in the first half of 2026, though some in the sector anticipate delays into 2027; a plan to let relatives assist with training faces broad rejection.