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Choosing a driving school: how to find a good one

Driving lessons are by far the biggest cost of a Dutch licence. A good school gets you through faster than a cheap one — and the CBR publishes exactly the numbers that let you tell them apart.

Written by Chris Prosman Reviewed by Dirk van Zuijlen Checked September 2026

There are thousands of driving schools in the Netherlands and the quality gap between them is wide. The good news: the CBR publishes how many of each school's candidates actually pass. That is not marketing. It is the real exam data.

What to budget for

  • Average total cost reported by the CBR €3,320
  • Typical advertised starting price per 60 minutes €60 to €80
  • Median in the Theorio dataset €67 per hour
  • Average hours of instruction needed around 41

The €3,320 total and 41 lesson hours come from CBR research among exam candidates in 2025; the CBR warns that 2026 may be higher. The lesson prices are Theorio’s analysis of 1,606 comparable advertised starting prices for car lessons. The rounded €60–€80 range is based on €58–€77.50 (10th–95th percentile); the median is €67. Snapshot checked on 6 September 2026. Actual package and paid prices may differ.

Look up the real pass rate

Compare driving schools using CBR results →

The CBR runs a tool called the Rijschoolzoeker. You pick a place and a vehicle category, and for each school you see how many exams they administered, the pass rate for first attempts, and the pass rate across all attempts.

The figures cover a full year, currently 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. The data is refreshed every quarter. Schools that took no exams in the past year do not appear at all.

You can search within a radius (10 kilometres by default) and filter on a minimum number of exams. Do use that filter: a school with five exams and a 100% pass rate tells you nothing, one with two hundred exams does.

The Rijschoolzoeker is in Dutch only. Use your browser's translate function. The table itself is readable without any Dutch.

Compare driving schools on Theorio

What else to look for

  • Read the first-attempt rate

    The all-exams percentage counts retakes and therefore looks rosier. The first-attempt percentage says far more about the quality of the teaching.

  • Check prices on their own website

    Compare the hourly rate and what a package actually includes: exam fees, the interim test, the car on exam day. Ask what happens if you need more lessons than the package covers.

  • Ask who books your practical exam

    In the Netherlands your driving school books the practical exam with the CBR, not you. Ask how quickly they do that once you are ready — a school that drags its feet before booking a date just costs you extra waiting time.

  • Read the reviews

    Ignore the average score and read what people write: how often lessons were cancelled, whether they kept the same instructor, how communication went.

  • Ask for an English-speaking instructor

    Plenty of schools teach in English, but far from all. Ask explicitly, and ask whether it applies to the instructor you will actually get — not just to the owner.

  • Take a trial lesson

    Most schools offer one. Within an hour you know whether their way of explaining works for you. That matters more than the hourly rate.

The cheapest is rarely the cheapest A school that undercuts the market by €10 an hour but leaves you needing ten extra lessons and a retake costs you more than a good one — and it is a lot more frustrating. Look at the total price to a licence in your hand, not at the hourly rate.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find a good driving school in the Netherlands?

Look up the schools near you in the CBR Rijschoolzoeker. For each one it shows the pass rate for first attempts and across all attempts, based on real exams over the past year. Filter on a minimum number of exams, then compare prices on the schools' own websites, read the reviews and take a trial lesson.

What does getting a driving licence cost in the Netherlands?

The CBR reports an average total cost of €3,320 and 41 lesson hours based on research among exam candidates in 2025, while warning that 2026 may be higher. In Theorio’s own snapshot of 1,606 comparable advertised starting prices, the median was €67 per hour; a rounded practical range is €60 to €80 per hour.

Can I take driving lessons in English?

Yes, many driving schools teach in English, though not all of them. Ask explicitly, and ask whether the instructor you are actually assigned speaks English — not just the owner or whoever answers the phone.

Read next

Need to take the theory exam?

Practise in English with more than 1,700 questions. Every answer includes an explanation, and the mock exams follow the CBR format.

Checked September 2026

How we check this guide

Chris Prosman writes and maintains this guide. Dirk van Zuijlen reviews changes against the linked first-party information from RDW, CBR, DigiD, Rijksoverheid and the Belastingdienst. Market-price estimates are recalculated from the dated Theorio driving-school dataset and are kept separate from CBR research.

We review the guide at least every three months and whenever an official authority announces a relevant rule or fee change.

Theorio is not a government authority. For a decision about your own licence, follow the linked official source or contact the RDW or CBR.

Sources

The official sources and Theorio dataset below were checked in September 2026. If anything is unclear, check the official source before you act.