B-category driving lessons have become significantly more expensive over the past two years: according to price lists from around thirty driving schools in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek, costs range from 1,100 to 1,800 euros, N1 analysis shows. In autumn 2024, the range was from 700 to 1,500 euros.
The price is calculated per hour of theoretical instruction on traffic regulations and safety rules, and per hour of driving practice. The Regulation on Training Candidates for Drivers stipulates a minimum of 30 hours of theory and 35 hours of practical training for category B, and candidates can enrol at the age of 17 and a half, while the driving test is taken only at 18. Many driving schools currently offer summer discounts, as well as year-round discounts of up to a hundred euros for cash payments.
In Zagreb, where around sixty driving schools operate, training is the cheapest: according to ten reviewed price lists, it costs between 1,260 and 1,595 euros, averaging 1,437 euros. In Split, most schools only reveal prices upon request, and among those with published price lists, the range is from 1,150 to 1,585 euros, averaging 1,387 euros, with a difference of 435 euros between the cheapest and most expensive.
In Rijeka, the average is 1,567 euros, and the range from 1,330 to 1,790 euros brings the largest difference among cities, 460 euros. It is most expensive in Osijek, where training averages 1,673 euros, but there the differences are the smallest: from 1,606 to 1,795 euros, or 189 euros.
According to data from the Croatian Automobile Club (Hrvatski autoklub), there are currently 353 driving schools in Croatia. About twenty years ago, when driver training was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education with much more liberal regulations, there were more than 580. The number was almost halved after they came under the Ministry of the Interior in 2004, and rules were aligned with European standards.
