Driving school or private candidate
A driving school and the private route lead to the same exam with the same official payments: 42.40 euro for theory and 16.00 euro for the practical test. The eight driving-school hours are compulsory on both routes. According to the MIT, in 2025 private candidates passed 27.98% of theory tests and driving schools 63.82%.
What is the difference between a driving school and the private route?
The difference lies in who handles the paperwork, how you study and which car you practise in. The exam, the time rules and the payments to the State are the same. The item-by-item comparison is below.
Who passes more often, private candidates or driving-school students?
The MIT report "Esiti Esami 2025" separates tests sat by private candidates and by driving schools. The gap is wide in theory and much narrower in the driving test.
| Test | Private: passed | Private: % | Schools: passed | Schools: % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theory | 17,418 | 27.98% | 723,518 | 63.82% |
| Driving | 22,101 | 75.56% | 932,968 | 85.66% |
The figure compares two groups. It does not show that the route itself causes the difference: the groups can differ in preparation, language, age or number of attempts. It covers all licence categories, not only B, and counts tests sat, not people.
How much does the private route save?
Payments to the State do not change. What changes is what you pay to private providers.
| Item | Driving school | Private candidate |
|---|---|---|
| N067 payment (theory) | 42.40 euro | 42.40 euro |
| N019 payment (practical) | 16.00 euro | 16.00 euro |
| Medical certificate | Varies | Varies |
| Enrolment and lessons | As quoted by the school | None |
| Eight compulsory hours | At the school | At a driving school, paid |
| Car for the practical test | The school's | Dual controls, as the office requires |
The variable items have no national price list, so this page gives no figures: ask for a written quote. More in the guide on how much licence B costs.
How long is the wait for the exam?
Waiting times for exam sessions vary between provinces and, through a driving school, between schools. No official waiting-time data exists, so this page does not estimate them: ask the office or the schools in your area.
What does a private candidate need?
- Form TT2112, filled in and signed.
- PagoPA payment N067 of 42.40 euro, with the receipt.
- Medical certificate, ID document, codice fiscale; for non-EU citizens the permesso di soggiorno or its renewal request.
- Hand everything in at the Motorizzazione office and confirm that office's own document list.
- After theory: a qualifying accompanying driver (aged 65 or under, holding a licence of the same or a higher category for at least ten years), a car with the P sign, eight hours at an autoscuola.
- For the practical test: payment N019 of 16.00 euro and a dual-control car, or the procedure your office asks for.
What happens if...? Three worked cases
A student in Padua chooses the private route. She files form TT2112 and the N067 payment of 42.40 euro herself, studies with online quizzes and passes theory. For the practical test she finds that her office requires a dual-control car: she does the eight compulsory hours and the exam through a local driving school.
An office worker in Rome on shifting hours picks a driving school so he does not have to handle bookings. He pays the same official payments plus the school's package, agreed in a written quote before signing.
A private candidate in Lecce practises with his 68-year-old uncle, who has held a licence for forty years. That age exceeds the 65-year limit in art. 122: at a roadside check he risks a fine from 430 to 1,731 euro and a three-month seizure of the car.
Which mistakes should be avoided when choosing?
- Assuming the private route skips the eight hours: they are compulsory for everyone.
- Comparing only price without counting the time for paperwork and bookings.
- Signing with a school without a written quote stating what is included.
- Choosing an accompanying driver without checking age and years of licence.
- Not asking the office how private candidates must take the practical test.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth getting the licence as a private candidate?
It depends on time, ability to study alone and access to a qualifying accompanying driver. Official payments are the same; a private candidate saves the school enrolment, but the eight driving hours at a driving school remain compulsory.
How much does the licence cost as a private candidate?
The official payments are N067 at 42.40 euro and N019 at 16.00 euro. The medical certificate and the eight driving-school hours come on top and have no national tariff.
Must a private candidate do the eight hours at a driving school?
Yes. Ministerial decree no. 294 of 17 November 2025 sets eight compulsory driving hours in four modules, including for people not enrolled at a driving school.
Which car does a private candidate use for the practical test?
The category B practical test is taken in a vehicle with dual controls (Codice della Strada, art. 121 paragraph 9). Some offices ask private candidates to take it through a driving school: check with the local Motorizzazione.
Do private candidates fail more often?
In 2025, according to the MIT Esiti Esami report, private candidates passed 27.98% of the theory tests they sat and driving schools 63.82%. The figure counts tests, not people, and does not show that the route causes the difference.
Can a private candidate switch to a driving school later?
No rule consulted forbids it, but how a school takes over an existing application is not described in the official sources checked: ask the school and the office.
Fees and procedures can change: see the legal notes.
Sources: Portale dell'Automobilista, fee schedule (undated document): N067 theory 42.40 euro, N019 practical 16.00 euro. , MIT, "Esiti Esami 2025" (April 2026), theory exams table for private candidates and driving schools, national row (page numbered 22). , Ministerial decree MIT no. 294 of 17 November 2025, Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 297 of 23 December 2025: eight compulsory driving hours in four modules. , Codice della Strada, art. 121 (ACI text): paragraphs 8, 9 and 10, one month before the practical test, dual controls, one month between a failed test and the next. , Codice della Strada, art. 122 (ACI text): theory within six months of the application, two attempts, accompanying driver requirements, authorisation valid for twelve months. , Motorizzazione office of Pistoia, instructions for private candidates (an example of one provincial office's document list): form TT2112, PagoPA N067, medical certificate, permesso di soggiorno. .