Overview
- On January 30 the Bundesrat is set to take up a Saxony initiative to modernize driver training with digital theory classes, greater simulator use, a trimmed theory question pool, structured learning blocks and an option for accompanied driving from age 16.
- The Federal Transport Ministry’s broader reform package—covering fewer theory questions, online instruction, more simulators and fewer mandatory special drives—remains under development, with Minister Patrick Schnieder saying changes would take effect at the earliest in 2027 and advising applicants not to delay.
- Driving instructors plan and stage protests, including a rally of roughly 200 to 250 instructors in Potsdam, warning that reducing in‑person training, cutting special drives and allowing private practice would erode safety and quality.
- A representative Forsa survey for ACE finds most adults oppose cutting special drives or shortening exams, favor simulators only as supplements and back greater price and pass‑rate transparency as well as a proposed €500 youth mobility subsidy.
- Average Class B licence costs are about €3,300–€3,400 as schools face instructor shortages and higher operating costs, and some report 50–80% enrollment drops as would‑be students wait for cheaper rules, raising fears of later bottlenecks.