One of the things that came as quite a shock to me when moving from Germany to the UK was to learn how different it is in each country to teach someone how to drive a car. It’s partially why I trust German drivers a bit more than British – but at the same time, I also find their way quite useful. As I was living in a large city in Germany growing up, doing my license wasn’t really in the cards or needed – and, on top of that, it’s incredibly expensive over there, you’ll see why in a minute. My youngest sister just did hers, first-timing all tests, ending up with around 2,500€. I did mine in the UK at the same time, ending with just over £1,200. But how and why?

How you learn to drive in England

Alright, starting with what we know, here’s how you learn how to drive in the UK: You put yourself on the waiting list of a driving instructor and start your lessons. As soon as you’re good enough, however many lessons this might take, you may get a date for a practical test. Oh, some time before that you’ll have to have passed your theory test – completely self-governed. And that’s it. The theory test has a fixed cost of £23, the driving test £62. The rest is made up of the lessons.

Now, the UK has a very interesting system: the L- and P-Plates. As long as you have L-Plates displayed on a car you are insured on and have someone with a license on your passenger seat, you are allowed to drive a car, even without a license (anywhere except 70 mph roads). Now this freaks me out. I mean, yes, it’s super helpful for learning to drive outside of lessons, but it’s also really, really scary and if you ask me, not the way. England’s road are also very often absolute rollercoasters, so that doesn’t really help. Theoretically, you could get your license under, say, £200, if you have someone who can teach you reliably. That’s a cool loophole per se, but it also means that you share the roads with users that might have passed the test – but you don’t really know how. As you can see, I am not the biggest fan of the system. And here’s why.

How you learn to drive in Germany

In Germany, things are different. First, you have to sign up with a driving school. No, not just a bunch of instructors being bundled together – an actual school. You see, in Germany, you have to know the theory before you’re even allowed to think about sitting on the driver’s side of the car. There is a minimum amount of theory lessons that you have to take; 14 lessons of 90 minutes each are a must. Once you’ve successfully done those you’re allowed to take the test – and only after it’s successful completion can you continue and actually start learning the practical driving.

There is also a minimum of driving lessons you have to take, which are made up of special lessons (of 45 minutes each): five lessons on highways/country roads, four lessons on the autobahn and three lessons specifically in the twilight and night. There’s no minimum for normal lessons – but these 12 have to have happened before you’re allowed to take your test.

At the end of the day, it’s all a bit more strict and more regulated than here in the UK – and I’ve got to be honest, I like it. It does check a few more checkboxes and make sure you’re prepared before letting you onto the road, which – though it costs more – at the end of the day only benefits everyone on the road.

What do you think?

[Picture by Liam Pozz – thank you!]