Fahrschule S.U.V. in Düsseldorf Oberbilk

B197 driving licence in Düsseldorf

B197 is class B, but you take your test in an automatic. You learn in an automatic, do ten lessons in a manual, and after that you're allowed to drive both.

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Google: from 60 Google reviewsRated 5.0 out of 5 on Google
Flexible times: 8 theory classes a week
Open prices: No hidden costs
Four languages: German, English, Arabic, Berber

In short

What is B197?

B197 isn't a licence of its own. It's class B with one difference: you take the practical test in a car with an automatic gearbox, and you're still allowed to drive manuals. To get there, you do at least ten driving lessons in a manual during your training, and at the end you do a 15-minute test drive with your instructor. This rule has been in place since April 2021.

Your licence (Führerschein) then shows the code 197 next to class B. The code for the automatic-only restriction, 78, isn't on it. Apart from that, everything works as it does for class B: the same vehicles, the same theory, the same mandatory drives and the same probationary period. If you only want to drive automatics and will never need a manual, B78 is the one for you.

What B197 means for you

The test: in an automatic car, 55 minutes long, just as for class B
What you can drive: automatics and manuals, with no restriction
On your licence: code 197 next to class B, and no 78
In the EU: no automatic-only restriction applies, because there's no 78 on your licence
What you need to do: at least ten manual lessons and a test drive with us

Requirements

What you need for B197

B197 has the same requirements as class B. You don't need a separate application for it, and the office doesn't charge anything extra.

Age: You can drive on your own from 18. With BF17 you can also do B197 at 17, and then you drive with someone accompanying you until your 18th birthday. Either way, you can register with us from 16½. With BF17 the earliest you can take the theory test is three months before your 17th birthday, and the practical test one month before it. Without BF17, the same gaps apply before your 18th birthday.
Eye test and first-aid course: You need both, just as for class B: an eye test (Sehtest) from an optician, no older than two years when you apply, and a certificate from a first-aid course (Erste-Hilfe-Kurs). That certificate doesn't expire.
Passport photo and ID: For the application you'll need a biometric passport photo and your ID.
Residence: Germany has to be your main place of residence, which means you live here for at least 185 days a year.
Application: Your application to the driving licence office (Straßenverkehrsamt) is exactly the one you'd make for class B. Our page on applying for your licence explains what goes in and how it works.

Step by step

How B197 works with us

There are six steps. Until the practical test, B197 differs from class B in only one way: some of your driving lessons are in a manual car.

Step 01
Pre-registration
You can pre-registeronline, or come to Mindenerstraße 106 and we'll fill it in together. We'll talk about whether B197, B78 or class B in a manual suits you best, and when you could start. It only becomes binding once you sign the training contract.
Step 02
Applying at the licence office
You apply for your licence at the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf, Höherweg 101, with your eye test, first-aid certificate, passport photo and ID. There's nothing extra to bring for B197. Processing takes several weeks, so that's your time for theory.
Step 03
Theory classes
You can start theory straight away, even before your application has come through. It's the same as for class B: 14 double lessons, on six days a week with us, and you can join at any time. The theory timetable shows which topic is on when.
Step 04
Theory test
You take the theory test (Theorieprüfung) at TÜV Rheinland. First you pass a mock test with us, and then we clear you for the real one. The questions are the same as for class B.
Step 05
Lessons in an automatic and a manual
Most of your lessons are in the automatic. At least ten are in a manual car, ideally once you feel confident in traffic. Those can be practice lessons or mandatory drives. At the end you do a test drive of at least 15 minutes with your instructor. This isn't a TÜV test. It's a drive with us, and afterwards we confirm in writing that you can change gear safely.
Step 06
Practical test in an automatic
You take the 55-minute test in the automatic, with your instructor beside you and the examiner in the back. The certificate for your manual lessons goes to the office, and your licence will show code 197 next to class B.

Theory

Theory classes

Theory for B197 is exactly the same as for class B: 14 double lessons of 90 minutes, twelve on the basics and two specific to class B. Whether you test in an automatic or a manual doesn't matter for the classes or for the theory test.

You go to the same classes as everyone else, on six days a week, in the evenings and at midday on Saturdays. There's no special B197 course, and you don't need one. The theory timetable shows which topic is on when, and you can start with any of them.

The classes are in German, but you're welcome to ask questions in English, Arabic or Berber, and you'll get your answer in that language. The test questions for B197 are the same as for class B, and that's exactly what you practise in our learning app.

We clear you for the theory test at TÜV Rheinland once you've passed a mock test with us. You don't need to have done your ten manual lessons by then.

Driving

Practical training

You do as many practice lessons as you need, plus the twelve mandatory drives (Sonderfahrten). At least ten of those lessons are in a manual car, and the test drive comes at the end. Each lesson is 45 minutes.

In the automatic you learn what driving is really about: reading the traffic, keeping your distance, using your mirrors, right of way, parking and finding your way through Düsseldorf. Without a clutch or gears to think about, you have more attention left for all of this at the start. Nobody decides in advance how many practice lessons that takes. After every lesson your instructor tells you where you are and what's next.

The ten manual lessons aren't added on to your training. Each one counts as whatever lesson it happens to be, a practice lesson or a mandatory drive, depending on when you do it and when you're ready. If you learn quickly, you can simply do your mandatory drives in the manual car, and they still count. Then comes the test drive: at least 15 minutes with your instructor and no examiner. Once you've passed it, you get the certificate the office needs to add code 197 to your licence.

The twelve mandatory drives

Country-road drives: 5
Motorway drives: 4
Drives at dusk or in the dark: 3
Total: 12

Manual training for B197

Manual lessons: at least ten lessons of 45 minutes each in a manual car
Test drive: at least 15 minutes with your instructor, at our school, without an examiner
Certificate: we issue it after the test drive, and it goes to the Straßenverkehrsamt

The two tests

Theory test: 30 questions on a screen, the same ones as for class B. You pass with no more than 10 error points.
Practical test: 55 minutes in the automatic, including at least 30 minutes of actual driving.
After the test: A two-year probationary period (Probezeit), as with every first licence.

Compared

B197, B78 or class B in a manual?

There are three ways to the same licence. The right one depends on what you'll want to drive later.

B197 makes sense if you'd rather take the test without changing gear but want to keep the option of driving any car later on, whether that's the family's manual, a hire car on holiday or a company car. In return, at least ten of your lessons are in a manual car, and you do the test drive.

B78makes sense if you know for sure that you'll only ever drive automatics. Every lesson is in an automatic, but the restriction 78 goes on your licence. You can have it removed later, although that means paying for more driving lessons. And if you're happy changing gear anyway, just do class B in a manual as normal.

The three options side by side

Class B: Training and test in a manual. You can drive any car.
B197: Training and test in an automatic, at least ten of the lessons in a manual and a test drive. You can drive any car.
B78: Training and test in an automatic. You can only drive automatics until you have the restriction removed.

How long

How long does B197 take?

B197 doesn't take longer than class B. The ten manual lessons can be practice lessons or mandatory drives that you'd be doing anyway.

Application at the office: up to 12 weeks; That's the processing time the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf states itself. The office accepts your application six months before your 18th birthday, or before your 17th with BF17, so it belongs at the start of your training rather than the end.
Theory: 14 double lessons; The same classes as for class B. There are eight on the timetable each week, so if you go to all of them you're through in just under two weeks. On the intensive course it takes 14 days.
Driving lessons: 12 mandatory drives, 10 manual lessons; The manual lessons don't have to be separate lessons. Each one counts as a practice lesson or a mandatory drive, depending on when you do it. No law sets the number of practice lessons.

The 15-minute test drive in the manual isn't a second test and doesn't add to the overall time. The only date that neither you nor we can bring forward is your practical test at TÜV Rheinland.

Costs

What does B197 cost?

Registration, driving lessons and the test presentation cost the same for B197 as for class B. The ten manual lessons are driving lessons like any other and can be practice lessons or mandatory drives you'd be doing anyway. The test drive is the one separate item. There's still no fixed total, because practice lessons make up most of the cost and everyone needs a different number. You'll find every price on our price list.

What you pay us

Registration: a one-off base fee for your training, the same as for class B
Driving lessons: 45 minutes each, in the automatic or the manual. Every driving lesson costs the same with us, and that includes the mandatory drives and the ten manual lessons.
Test drive: once, 15 minutes in the manual
Practical test presentation: once per test, with the automatic car included
Learning app: optional, if you want to practise the theory questions

What you pay elsewhere

Test fees: to TÜV Rheinland, for both the theory test and the practical test
Application fee: to the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf
Eye test and first-aid course: to the optician and to whoever runs your course
Passport photo: biometric, from a photo studio or a booth

There's a registration offer running right now. The price list shows what you get from it and how long it lasts.

You pay for each lesson separately, manual lessons included. We don't sell packages in advance.

See prices

Who teaches you

Our driving instructors

Cobain, Santana and Marzouk are our instructors. All three speak German, English, Arabic and Berber. You can also find Cobain and Santana on TikTok and Instagram.

Cobain
Driving instructor
TikTok Instagram
Santana
Driving instructor
TikTok Instagram
Marzouk
Driving instructor

Fahrschule S.U.V. GmbH, Mindenerstraße 106 in Düsseldorf Oberbilk, open since May 2026. The authority that supervises us is the Fahrlehrerstelle, the driving instructor office at the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf. More about us.

Reviews

What our learners say

5.0out of 5 on Google

60 people have rated us on Google, and 32 of them also wrote down what it was like. You can read every one of them here, word for word and with the reviewer's name. See the reviews on Google.

Source: Google, as of 15/09/2026.

Lakeisha A.

25/08/2026

Ich bin echt super zufrieden mit der Fahrschule und kann sie nur weiterempfehlen! Besonders mein Fahrlehrer Santana ist einfach top – für mich einer der besten Fahrlehrer überhaupt! 🙌🏽 Er nimmt sich wirklich Zeit, erklärt alles geduldig und verständlich und geht auf seine Fahrschüler ein. Dadurch fühlt man sich während der Fahrstunden direkt wohl und sicher. Auch bei Fragen ist er immer geduldig und hilft weiter. Vielen Dank für die tolle Unterstützung und die schöne Zeit!❤️

B197 driving licence in Düsseldorf

What is B197?

What you need for B197

How B197 works with us

Pre-registration

Applying at the licence office

Theory classes

Theory test

Lessons in an automatic and a manual

Practical test in an automatic

Theory classes

Practical training

B197, B78 or class B in a manual?

How long does B197 take?

What does B197 cost?

Our driving instructors

What our learners say

Common questions about B197

Can I drive a manual with B197?

What does B197 look like on my licence?

Are there any downsides to B197?

Is B197 valid abroad?

Does B197 cost more than class B?

What's the difference between B197 and B78?

Can I do B197 at 17 with BF17?

Pre-registration

More pages about the driving licence

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