On 1 March 2023, the Commission presented a comprehensive road safety package to improve safety for all road users, which includes the introduction of a digital driving license – that will be valid in all EU countries – and better cross-border enforcement of road traffic rules. With this in mind and with prices of goods and services going up in the EU, we take a look at the recent evolution of the prices of driving lessons, tests, licences and roadworthiness tests. 

In 2022, prices for these services were, on average, 4.8% higher than in 2021, a rate of change almost three times the one in 2018, when it stood at +1.7% compared with 2017. 

In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 crisis, the annual average rate of change (+1.6%) was lower than in 2019 (+2.0%). However, in 2021, this rate doubled, reaching +3.2%. This is in line with the general increase of inflation in services.

Source dataset: prc_hicp_aind 

Highest inflation for driving lessons in Czechia

Among the EU countries, the highest annual average rates of change for prices of driving lessons, tests, licences and roadworthiness tests in 2022 were reported in Czechia (+19.6%), Bulgaria (+18.0%), Italy (+13.3%), Lithuania (+11.2%) and Poland (+11.1%). In the same year, Cyprus was the only Member country (-1.6%) registering a negative value, with Croatia (+0.2%), Greece (+0.7%) and Ireland (+1.0%) recording the lowest positive rates. 

In 2018, the annual average rates of change were far smaller: no EU country registered a two-digit increase. In that year, the average rates of change of prices for these services varied between -2.2% in Lithuania and +7.1% in Hungary.

Source dataset: prc_hicp_aind