How much does it cost to take your driving exams in the Netherlands?

A recent ranking has compiled the prices for both theory and practical driving tests from 25 countries from around the world. The Netherlands comes in as the second most expensive country for the combined cost of both tests.

The cost of Dutch driving exams

Being able to drive is an important aspect for many people’s lives, what with having to get to work, drop the kids off at school and, when lockdown restrictions have finally eased, heading off for a weekend at the beach. Regardless of whether you’re first learning to drive or having to retake your driving exams in order to get a Dutch driving license, taking the exams can cost quite a bit of money. A recent ranking by price comparison site comparethemarket.com.au has placed the Netherlands as the second most expensive country for driving exams out of the 25 countries surveyed.

In the Netherlands, it costs 112,75 euros to take the practical test and 34,50 euros for the theory, costing a total of just over 147 euros. The only country that has a combined higher cost for both tests is Norway, where it costs 172 euros for both tests. This might go some way in explaining why cycling is so popular in the Netherlands - speaking of which, if you are taking your driving exam make sure you pay extra attention to cyclists, as any mistakes relating to a cyclist will result in an automatic fail.

Italy is the cheapest European country for driving exams, with it only costing 16 euros each for the practical and the theory. The exams are cheapest in Russia, where it only costs 160 rubles (about 1,75 euros).

Learning to drive

The survey doesn’t take into account the price of driving lessons, making driving considerably more expensive for first-time learners. This is without even taking into account the price of a car, petrol and all the other costs associated with driving in the Netherlands.

The survey also included the age you have to be to drive in various countries, which ranged from 16 (in New Zealand, Canada, Latvia and Estonia) to 18 years old. For more information on the individual countries and the methodology used for the survey, you can check out the Global L-Plates Index here.