In the UK I had to do around 20 lessons, you got to take your test only when your instructor decided you were ready. And you had to have passed a theory test within the last three months I believe. The test was an hour of various maneuvers and questions. I passed on my second attempt. This was twenty years ago.

Then I moved to the US and it was a 5 minute drive around a car park while the test lady complained about her menopausal symptoms, and then “I can tell you can drive” and I passed.

In the USA most places have no viable transportation alternative to cars. As a result drivers licenses are a critical factor in functional independence and fundamental human needs. Even though there are permitting and test requirements to get a license, there is no effective limit on how many times the written, or driving skills tests can be taken. There is also no chain of accountability between those administering the tests and the drivers they approve for licensing. This means that anyone can take the written test a few dozen times until they have seen the finite number of questions several times over and eventually pass. Likewise, taking the driving test many times will inevitably result in the person encountering a “forgiving” skills test proctor.

The Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV, like every government institution in the USA has been subject to a continuous political assault by the Republican party of the oligarchs. The workers are understaffed, underpaid, and it is a notoriously miserable place to work. The results of such an inadequate and negligent political structure produces predictable results.

We also lack any effective mechanism to take the elderly off the road, and because losing a license ends their independence, we have a large number of elderly pushed to drive when they do not qualify.

Swede here, I got mine back in 2022, total cost was about 60000 SEK.

I am 36 now, so I started late, and it took about a year of spread out lessons to get it.

1. The first risk course, this takes several hours, and goes through the dangers of driving, as long as you take part you will pass.

2. Theory, takes about a week or so of evening classes, then you study on your own, you have to pass the theory test with in half a year before you can take the practical test

3. Practical lessons throughout.

4. The second risk course, also called the skidpan, this is fun, it is the first time you get to drive a car without an instructor beside you, just on a track, but still, you get to experience driving on a slippery surface and trying different manouvers, to see how the car reacts. You need to accellerate hard and then slam on the breaks at a specific point on dry and wet surface, then you need to try a swerving manouver as if a moose is about to cross the path of the car, there are also a few more steps to this, this is often considered the highlight of learning to drive.

5. Theory test, you go into a testing room, are asked many questions, and given a score, the questions tend to be focused on scenarios on what you would do here, or if X/Y is right in this case or not.

6. Practical test, you can’t take the practical test unless you have passed both risk courses and the theory test, they all have to be passed recently enough for them to be valid at the time of the practical test. If they are not valid, you won’t get to do the test. The testing officer comes out and meets you, and explains the test, what they will be looking at and how you will be judged, what an instant fail will look like, and what they expect of you. The test is very relaxed, you drive around for a bit, through some crossings, roundabouts and motorways, you get to perform a few manouvers like parking, reveresing around a corner, turning around and stuff like that. At the end of the test the testing officer will give you feedback on the test and how well you did and what you should think about in the future, if you passed you will immediately get a note in the government systems that confirm that you have a license to drive cars so you can manage with just your national ID untill you get your proper license in the mail.

Recently got mine on December last year. Living in the Philippines by the way. Spent around 200 USD (including driving courses).

1. A theoretical driving course is now required by our government. This is a 2-day (15 hours) course where you are in a classroom setting and the fundamentals of driving are taught (road etiquette, signs, how to drive, etc). There is also an exam at the end which you are required to pass before you are given a certificate of completion.

2. The certificate received after completing the theoretical course will be used to obtain a student permit. This permit allows you to drive a car provided that someone with atleast a non-professional driving license accompanies you. Also, you will need to wait atleast a month before you can apply for a non-professional license.

3. With the student permit, you can enroll for a practical driving course. Our government again requires atleast 8-hours of practical driving lessons from a training center that is accredited by them. This is another course wherein you are taught how to actually drive a car.

4. After receiving the certificate for completing the practical course, and provided that 1 month has passed since you have been given a student permit, you may now apply for a non-professional license. Applying for this license involves a theoretical exam (60-item multiple choice questionnaire) and a practical exam, wherein an instructor will test your driving skills. If you’ve passed all of those, you just need to pay for the licensing fee and wait for you license to be released on the same day. Acquiring a non-professional license allows you to drive by yourself. Although if you want to drive a car for commercial use (such as trucks, buses, etc.), you will need to apply for a professional license.

3-4000€ what did that person do??
I paid like 2000€ because i needed to take a few more hours. perfect parking in the exam though :)

Here you have to be 14 years old, pay $20, take an eye test, pass a written test, and take a brief driver test.

When someone turns 16, they can get a permit, which means they can drive with parental permission, and after a year, they can get a driving test done in front of a tutor. The tutor grades skill as well as potential red flags, and you get your license after a few weeks of passing grades. And then you have joined the driving community.

However, in the very rural areas here, I’ve seen field workers let their very young teens drive, like some aren’t even in high school yet. Definitely not legal, but it’s normal and hasn’t led to any issues yet.

Go to drivers ed, go online and take a test, get your hours in, take a driving test, done.

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Well… Believe it or not, it’s pay-to-win 😅

In the UK, you can get your provisional licence (learners permit) when you’re 17. You need to take a theory (written) test and a practical test, and most choose to go through a driving school but you -can- just be taught by your parents or other adults over 21.

Generally speaking though it’s better to go through the instructors as they’ll teach you what you need in order to pass the practical test, which is apparently one of the strictest in the world.

After you’ve passed the real learning starts, as if you drove like you have to for the test you’re in for a bad time.

In Poland:

• driver’s permits are not a thing. In general, it’s illegal to drive without a professional instructor (with parents, for example) before getting a driving license, though a lot of people, especially in the countryside, will still do so,
• you can only drive after turning 18. You can start the course a few months earlier, but you can only take the final exam after you turn 18 (there exists a category that allows you to drive after turning 16, but it’s limited and IME extremely unpopular),
• you need to go to a paid course, which includes theory classes and at least 30 hours of driving with the instructor,
• most people drive in a car owned by the instructor or the driving school, as the car must have another pair of brakes for the instructor,
• you need to pass a theoretical and a practical exam in one of the centers (Wojewódzki ośrodek ruchu drogowego),
• the theoretical exam is just closed questions. You need to get 68 out of 74 points, but (AFAIK, this has changed over time) all the questions are known, so people will just cram them,
• the practical exam is first some maneuvers on the center grounds, and then a ride around the city. The exam is rather objective and is failed if you do any big mistake or fail any exercise twice,
• the exams are not easy. The data I found is for each WORD, but in general I feel like the pass rate is around 50% for the practical exam and 70% for theory. It’s not incommon for somebody to only pass their practical exam on like 5th attempt,
• there were supposed to be some restrictions for new drivers, but they had been discussed for a long time, even back when I passed my license before the pandemic, and I have no idea if they ever actually came into force,
• some people think that the system is super flawed. Here’s some discussion by the Supreme Audit Office in Polish: https://www.nik.gov.pl/aktualnosci/system-szkolenia-kandydatow-na-kierowcow.html,
• costwise, it’s apparently like 4000 zł for the course right now. Exams are paid per attempt, 50 zł for the theory and 200 zł for practice. 1 euro is 4.33 zł as of writing, but you need to take into account the difference in purchasing power and it’s probably not much cheaper than Germany even if you pass both exams the first time.

It’s state-by-state in the U.S. When I was a kid, it was way, way too easy in Louisiana. You had to be 14 and pass the tests. (It was a relic of the olden days when farming families needed their kids to drive things to market. Reforms kept being blocked by rural interests.)

That was reformed when I was a teen but phased in. So, I just had to be 15, take driver’s ed (which was offered at public high schools), and pass a written and basic driving test. I drove a stick shift during my test and the tester was like, “You pass.” So, I didn’t have to parallel park or anything but I think some people did.

My younger sister had to be 15 (I think) to get a learner’s permit and wasn’t allowed to drive at night or without an adult for a period. So, it’s phased in now. I think 17 is when you can get a real driver’s license now and the driving test is more rigorous that mine was.

I renewed my license recently and I just had to take a vision test and prove my address (with a utility bill) and that I’m insured. There’s no upper age limit.

Driving theory course and test, practical driving course and test. It takes some 3 months if you don’t fail in any step. Afterwards, you receive your driving license (first a temporary, then a standard one).

In my area (New Brunswick, Canada) you do a written test (+eye exam) to obtain your learner’s permit (class 7.1) which costs 25 dollars.

With a class 7.1 permit, you must be accompanied at all times by one (and only one) passenger who has their full licence and minimum three years of driving experience. At this level, there’s a zero-tolerance policy for BAC above 0%. Additionally, driving outside the hours of 5:00 a.m. to midnight is forbidden. After a year (or 8 months, if you choose to attend a driver training school & graduate) you’re eligible to take a road test for your class 7.2 licence.

With a class 7.2 permit, you’re allowed up to three passengers, with no need for them to have drivers licences. You’re now allowed to drive between midnight and 5 a.m. but only for work/education purposes or if accompanied by a passenger with their full licence (unless you’re above 21 in which case no night time restrictions) Zero percent BAC still applies until age 21 at this level.

When you’re 18 years-old or older and have minimum 2 years of driving experience, you’re eligible for your full (class 5) licence. This might all sound like a lot when written out but it is extraordinarily easy to obtain a permit here. I messed up decently bad on my road test and the instructor basically said “eh, don’t do that OK? Alright you pass.”