Do I need to pay extra for exams after enrolling in a driving school?
2 Answers
After enrolling in a driving school, you do not need to pay extra for the exams. The enrollment fee for the driver's license includes the exam fees, and all other costs are covered within it. However, if you fail an exam and need to retake it, you will have to pay a retake fee. The regulations clearly stipulate exam fees: it is strictly prohibited to charge driving schools or testing grounds under any pretext. The service fee of 40 yuan for the Theory Test (Subject 1) and the Safety and Civilization Driving Knowledge Test (Subject 3), as well as the 80 yuan service fee for the Practical Driving Tests (Subjects 2 and 3), previously charged by the testing grounds to students, have been abolished. A team of driving exam supervisors has been established. A group of management personnel or instructors with good moral character, impartiality, and professional expertise are publicly selected from driving training institutions across the city. After training and passing the required tests, they are appointed by the traffic police department as supervisors for motor vehicle driver exams to conduct on-site supervision of the exam processes at various testing grounds. According to Order No. 123 issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the collection and refund of training fees are the responsibility of the driving training institutions. The collection and refund of exam and retake fees are handled by the traffic management authorities of the public security organs, and students must personally pay these fees at designated payment points set up by the traffic police department. It is also stipulated that driving schools must not collect re-training tuition fees from students in advance. Another regulation states that students' adaptation to the testing grounds is entirely voluntary. If this occurs during the training period, the driving school will cover the venue training fee. After the training period, if students wish to participate in venue adaptation training, neither the training institutions nor the instructors are allowed to collect or pay the fees on their behalf.
When I was learning to drive, I encountered this question. When I signed up for the driving school, I paid a sum of money, mistakenly thinking it covered all costs, but then the instructor notified me before the exam that I had to pay the exam fee separately. This fee mainly covers the registration and testing fees charged by the vehicle management office, as the driving school is only responsible for the training part, such as teaching you how to control the steering wheel or reversing techniques. Exam fees like the written test fee for Subject 1, the venue usage fee for Subject 2, and the road test registration fee for Subject 3 must be paid by the examinee themselves, as the money goes directly to the relevant government departments, and the driving school cannot cover them. Don’t overlook this—policies vary by region. Some cities like Beijing may charge an extra few dozen yuan for venue rental, while smaller towns have lower fees. It’s advisable to ask about the contract details when signing up, confirm which items incur additional charges, and avoid hidden expenses. Budgeting an extra 300 to 500 yuan should cover the exams smoothly, so don’t let this delay your exam progress and affect the time it takes to get your driver’s license.
