It now costs over €3,000 to get a Dutch driver’s license, including lessons; up 33%

People looking to obtain their first driver’s license in the Netherlands can expect to spend a substantial amount of money. The cost has surged up to an average of 3,060 euros, an increase of about 33 percent compared to 2019, according to figures from the CBR, which organizes and manages the license examination process in the Netherlands.

The amount of money involved has increased by over 600 euros just since 2021, when the total cost about 2,750 euros. The number of lesson hours remained unchanged compared to two years ago, at 43. In 2019, students needed an average of 38 hours of instruction to pass the exams. In that year, candidates had to shell out over 2,300 euros before they managed to obtain their license.

Roughly 80 percent of driving students currently pay between 41 and 61 euros per lesson hour. In 2021, the average price per lesson hour was 47.17 euros, and two years earlier it was 41 euros. The prices are not fixed by the government, but are set by the schools themselves.

Pricing differences can be found per region, but also depend on the type of car used during the test. The CBR advised new candidates to also consider that lesson duration can vary per school, and might affect the per-hour pricing.

The costs for the written exam have gone up from 33 euros in 2019 to 41 euros in 2023, the CBR said. It costs just over five euros more to take the exam in English, and nearly a hundred euros in total to take an individually supervised exam with or without an interpreter present. The cost of an interpreter is extra, and must be arranged by the potential driver.

The practical exam now costs just under 126 euros, with 50 euros extra for someone who has extreme anxiety over the possibility of failing the test. The test cost 108 euros in 2019, and required an extra payment of 34 euros for those suffering from anxiety issues.

In May, the CBR surveyed 3,100 people who had just passed their practical exams about the amount they spent on lessons and testing. They carried out similar surveys in previous years.