• roman.kitik@gmail.com

Recently, the German public has been actively discussing the upcoming reform of the driving licence training system. Promises to make the process “cheaper and more accessible” have led many candidates to put their training on hold.

The driving school “In7Days” has analysed the situation professionally. We urge everyone to look at the facts without rose-tinted glasses and understand what is really behind these headlines.

The Reform: 20% Common Sense and 80% Utopia

Undeniably, the system needs an update. The bureaucracy sometimes resembles a treasure hunt from the last century, and the planned changes do contain around 20% of genuine improvements:

• Digitalisation of application processes and communication with authorities.
• A minor reduction in redundant theory questions.
• Simplification of certain administrative procedures.

However, the remaining 80% of the proposals are met with considerable scepticism among professionals. Ideas aimed at artificially lowering costs often come from people who are unfamiliar with either the economics of driving schools or the actual training process.

Why Are There No “Cheap Licences”? (The Mathematics of Reality)

Demand has temporarily declined due to inflated expectations, but the underlying costs dictate their own rules:

• Inflation and operating expenses: prices for fuel, insurance, and spare parts continue to rise. A modern training vehicle is a complex, high-tech object equipped with ADAS systems (lane-keeping assist, emergency braking assist, traffic sign recognition).
• Fleet modernisation and environmental standards: driving schools are now required to integrate electric vehicles into their fleets. This demands not only costly acquisitions but also significant expenditure on specialised servicing and curriculum adaptation. At the same time, maintaining combustion-engine vehicles is becoming more expensive due to rising environmental levies and fuel prices. These market factors make it physically impossible to reduce the price of driving lessons.
• Staff qualifications: a driving instructor bears direct responsibility for the safety of the student — high-quality instruction simply cannot be cheap.

The risk calculation: if the reform reduces theory costs by approximately €100, the slightest practical error due to insufficient preparation will cost the student an additional €500–€700 (TÜV fees, extra driving lessons). A supposed saving at the outset thus leads to substantial losses in the end.

The Dangerous Trap: The Catch-Up Effect

The most critical consequence of a wait-and-see approach is the inevitable “bottleneck effect”. Once the reform comes into force, the market risks total collapse:

• Months-long queues: thousands of people who waited for “low prices” will rush to driving schools all at once.
• Physical limitations: driving schools operate within the constraints of working hours legislation. Instructors have a fixed hourly capacity — you simply cannot put more cars on the road. Waiting for the first driving lesson could stretch on for months.
• Examination slots: waiting times at TÜV/DEKRA could become unpredictably long due to system overload.

In the end, an attempt to save a few hundred euros results in an enormous loss of time.

The Verdict from “In7Days” Experts

A driving licence in Germany is not merely a plastic card — it is a long-term investment in personal mobility. Economic laws and the capacity of examination centres cannot be changed by political slogans.

At “In7Days“, we are committed to honesty. We offer no illusions of savings — only a proven method that enables you to pass your examination as efficiently as possible. While many are waiting for change, pragmatic candidates are already securing their place in the schedule today and learning in comfort in modern vehicles. The doors of “In7Days” are open to everyone who values professionalism and understands the true worth of time. Now is the best moment to get started in a calm environment — before the great rush begins.