The German automobile club ADAC is pressing the government for a significantly accelerated timeline on the driver’s license reform proposed by Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU). Gerhard Hillebrand, ADAC’s traffic president, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ) that adoption within the first half of 2026 should be achievable, highlighting the urgent need to resolve disagreements and finalize Schnieder’s proposals. Both costs and waiting times are placing an undue burden on young individuals seeking to obtain a license.
While Minister Schnieder has presented key elements aimed at streamlining, accelerating and reducing the expense of driver’s license acquisition, the CDU politician recently conceded that even under optimal conditions, the planned legislation is unlikely to come into effect before early 2027. This delay is drawing criticism from the ADAC, which views it as unacceptable.
Hillebrand expressed concern that lobbying efforts from driving schools and other stakeholders will undermine the proposed reforms. He argued that the current proposals are “definitely acceptable” and emphasized the potential benefits of modifications, such as reducing the number of theoretical exam questions from over 1200 to 750, which the ADAC maintains would still be adequate to ensure road safety. He dismissed objections raised by TÜV (Technical Inspection Association) as “exaggerated.
The ADAC also supports digitization options for theoretical learning, emphasizing that it should not be mandatory online. This shift, they argue, would lead to significant cost savings for driving schools regarding infrastructure and offer greater flexibility for students scheduling their studies. While in-person instruction would remain vital for specific scenarios like incident management, the ADAC believes this organization should be left to the discretion of driving schools.
Furthermore, Hillebrand asserted that a practical driving exam duration of just 25 minutes would be “sufficient” from the ADAC’s perspective, claiming that a candidate’s competency can be reasonably assessed within the first two minutes. This reduction would significantly increase the number of practical exams that can be administered, a critical factor in alleviating current backlogs and associated costs. The ADAC also suggested that simulators could contribute to a faster and cheaper driver training process. The core challenge remains reducing protracted waiting times for examinations, a situation now exacerbated by bureaucratic delays and logistical bottlenecks.
