In Germany, the driving license a license can cost more than a car: with each passing year, driving courses cost more and more. There are cases where the amount exceeds 6,000 euros. Why is that?
Owning a car in Germany is an expensive pleasure. According to data from the German Automobile Association ADAC, just getting a driver's license costs between 2,500 and 4,500 euros. Last year, about a fifth of novice drivers paid between 3,500 and 4,500 euros, and for 4 percent, even this amount was insufficient.
In Munich it is almost twice as expensive as in Cottbus
In Germany, independent preparation for the exams is impossible - theory and practice must be completed at a driving school, after which an exam must be taken in front of independent instructors. As for prices in individual cities, in 2023, passing a driving course in Cottbus in eastern Germany cost between 2,300 and 2,500 euros, in Lübeck - between 3,500 and 3,800, and in the Bavarian capital Munich - up to 4,500 euros.
However, at the beginning of the training, it is not possible to calculate in advance how much the whole process will cost, since the pace of individual applicants differs greatly, and the driving schools themselves determine their prices. That is, only an approximate idea of the upcoming costs can be obtained.
How the price is formed
The cost of tuition at driving schools varies greatly depending on the region. According to the German Automobile Association, the basic fee for theoretical classes is between 350 and 570 euros. It includes 12 compulsory double hours of 90 minutes each and two additional ones on a special topic, for example on the inadmissibility and consequences of driving a car while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The price of the study materials is between 80 and 120 euros.
The biggest part of the cost goes to the mandatory driving lessons, which also include special journeys in the dark and on the motorway. 45 minutes of driving costs between 55 and 77 euros, and special trips can cost almost twice as much. The mandatory hours are at least 12, but on average 24 have to be taken. There are also regional differences: in cities, novice drivers usually need more practical lessons than in rural areas.
In addition, driving schools charge between 60 and 137 euros for the theory test and between 160 and 289 for the practical. Exam inspectors also have a price - 25 euros for theory and 130 for practice.
Compulsory first aid courses (20-40 euros), eye examination (7-10 euros) and biometric photo (10 euros) are also required. Depending on the region, the application for a driver's license costs between 38 and 70 euros.
That's not all
There is another reason why a driver's license sometimes turns out to be "golden" - the large number of failures of the theoretical and practical exams and the related "corrections". Recently, the case of a 19-year-old young man who spent 6,800 euros, but never received a license, because he failed the exams four times, was described in the German media.
The constant rise in the price of textbooks in Germany can also be explained by the rising costs of personnel, insurance, school vehicles and fuel.
The number of applicants is not decreasing
Despite the high prices, there are more and more legal drivers in Germany, according to the data of the German statistical office Statista. At the beginning of 2024, over 51 million driver's licenses were registered, and this number does not include some of the paper documents issued before 1999.
It is also clear from the statistics that 20.5 million Germans also have a license to drive a motorcycle, 28.5 million also have a license to drive a truck, and over 245,000 have the right to drive a bus.
A total of over 1.4 million driving licenses were issued in 2023 alone, with more and more Germans taking out loans to cover the high costs.