Overview
- The federal cabinet approved the reform package on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, formally sending draft changes to the Bundestag and Bundesrat for parliamentary review.
- Key measures include ending mandatory in‑person theory classes in favor of digital instruction, cutting the theoretical question catalogue by about one third to roughly 840 questions, and changing scoring so each question counts equally.
- Practical training and testing will be relaxed: the full practical test time falls from 55 to 40 minutes with 25 minutes of driving, the fixed requirement of 12 special drives is replaced by at least one drive in each category, and a five‑year experimental laienausbildung will allow supervised practice with close relatives after the theory exam and six practical lessons.
- The ministry estimates sector savings up to €57 million a year and headline individual relief of up to about €1,400 in optimal scenarios, but driving‑instructor associations, safety experts and some politicians say those figures are optimistic and warn that fully digital theory and fewer mandatory special drives could raise safety risks or increase private‑lesson demand.
- If parliament and the states approve the bill it could take effect in early 2027, but debates over safety, implementation details and price pass‑through by schools will determine the final form and the reform’s real cost impact for learners.