By Brigitte Gisel
In the end, it was a classic mistake: “I was supposed to turn off a side road onto a larger road and only looked left, but not right,” recalls Hussein Kadhem. Failed. That was the end of his dream of getting a driver’s license in Germany. It happens to many people. According to TÜV, 37 percent of learner drivers failed the practical test last year and 45 percent failed the theory. But it is particularly bad for Hussein. After failing the test, he had to put his driving license on hold for the time being: the preparation had already cost him around 5,000 euros up to that point: 50 to 60 driving lessons, plus the theory lessons and all the fees. “I stopped because the driving school was really cutting into my monthly salary,” recalls the Iraqi, who had managed well in his home country of Baghdad without a car or driving license. He had also been ill for a long time before the test. Time was also against him. “I was very nervous and I didn’t understand my driving instructor’s dialect very well,” complains Hussein. However, if he had waited longer to take the practical test, he would have had to repeat the theory. He had already passed it. He didn’t have the money for a few extra driving lessons before the test. So he jumped in at the deep end and went under.
Compare driving schools
Now Hussein wants to try again, because a car driving license is a prerequisite for many jobs. He is not the only one to complain about the high cost of a driving license. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the price of fees and driving schools will rise by a further 5.8 percent in 2024. The ADAC estimates the cost of a car driving license at between 2,500 and 4,500 euros, depending on how many driving lessons are required.
If you want to get your driving license, you have to go to a driving school and cram theory and take driving lessons. The driving schools are free to set their own prices in many respects; the only things that are fixed are the minimum number of driving lessons and the examination fees. Prospective learner drivers have to find out for themselves how a driving school calculates and whether it offers a driving simulator for practicing, for example. It is therefore worth comparing different driving schools.
A lot of information on this can be found on the website of the ADAC traffic club:
https://www.adac.de/verkehr/rund-um-den-fuehrerschein/erwerb/fuehrerschein-kosten/
Training at the traffic practice area
If you are preparing for your driving license at a driving school, you can also practice on the traffic training ground of the traffic watch in Reutlingen (An der Kreuzeiche, on the access road to the stadium). There you can practise starting and braking, as well as cornering and parking with a car belonging to family or friends without stress. The course is open from March to October on Thursdays and Fridays from 3 to 6 pm, from November to February from 2 to 5 pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays you can practice from 10 am to 4 pm. One hour costs 12 euros. The prerequisite is that someone who already has a car driving license sits next to the learner driver the entire time. The minimum age is 16 years.
https://vkw-reutlingen-muensingen.de/verkehrsuebungsplatz-reutlingen/
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