Only 41% of learners passed their driving theory exam and 49.5% their practical exam in 2021 according to information given by Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van de Brandt to the Brussels parliament.
It is notoriously difficult to get a drivers licence in Brussels but the 2021 results are still an improvement on previous years. In 2020, just 36% of applicants passed their theory exam, up from just 32% in 2019. For the practical exam, 45% passed in 2020, and 44% in 2019. The Mobility Minister welcomed the increase.
The process of getting a driver's licence in Belgium was reformed in 2018, allowing individual regions to decide how they assess student drivers. Brussels made their drivers exam significantly more difficult.
Applicants must now score higher than 41 out of 50 to pass on their theory exams, complete a training course, a hazard perception exam, first aid training, and a more complicated practical exam.
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Students can also fail their entire theory exam for answering any questions about serious driving offences incorrectly.
In 2019, just 21% of driving students passed the new hazard perception test, which utilises a video from which students should identify risks.
Belgium’s driving theory exam is ranked as one of the hardest in the world. According to the car insurance website zuto.com, Belgium’s theory test is the 8th longest in the world, with 50 questions to answer.
