Fahrschule S.U.V. in Düsseldorf Oberbilk

Automatic driving licence B78 in Düsseldorf

B78 is the licence for automatics only. You learn and take your test in an automatic, and afterwards that's all you can drive. For most people B197 is the better choice, and this page explains when.

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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
Three languages: German, English, Arabic

In short

What is B78?

B78 is class Bwith the code 78. You go through the full training, from theory classes and the theory test to driving lessons, the mandatory drives and the practical test, but all of it in an automatic. Your licence (Führerschein) then shows 78 next to class B, which means you may only drive vehicles without a clutch pedal. An electric car counts as one, a manual doesn't.

Since 2021 there's been a second option that suits most people better: B197. You also learn and test in an automatic, but at least ten of your driving lessons are in a manual, and you do a short test drive. Then there's no 78 on your licence. B78 is right for you if you're sure you will never want to drive a manual, or won't be able to.

What B78 means

Vehicles: automatics only, so nothing with a clutch pedal; electric cars are included
Minimum age: 18, or 17 with BF17 and an accompanying person. You can register with us from 16½
Theory: 14 double lessons and the theory test, exactly as for class B
Driving: practice lessons and the twelve mandatory drives in an automatic
Test: one 55-minute practical test in an automatic at TÜV Rheinland
On your licence: code 78 next to class B, recognised across the EU

Requirements

What you need for B78

You need the same documents as for class B, and there's one decision you should make before you register.

Age: 18. You can register with us from 16½. With BF17 you start driving at 17 and drive with a registered accompanying person until you're 18. You're allowed to apply six months before your 17th birthday. The earliest you can take the theory test is three months before that birthday, and the practical test one month before it. Without BF17 the same timings count back from your 18th birthday.
Eye test and first-aid course: You need both for your application. The eye test (Sehtest) can't be more than two years old, but the first-aid course (Erste-Hilfe-Kurs) has no expiry date.
Passport photo and ID: A biometric passport photo and your ID card or passport.
Residence: You apply for your licence in the city where you're registered as living. In Düsseldorf that's the driving licence office (Straßenverkehrsamt) at Höherweg 101.
Language: Theory classes are taught in German, and you can ask questions in English or Arabic. You can take the theory test at the TÜV in German or in one of 14 other languages, for example English, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian or Standard Arabic.
The decision: Before you register, ask yourself honestly whether you'll really never need to drive a manual, whether that's a hire car, a friend's car or an older second-hand car. If you're not sure, B197is the better route, and we'll talk it through with you before you decide.

Step by step

How B78 works with us

There are six steps, the same as for class B. The only thing that changes is the car.

Step 01
Pre-registration
You can reach us in two ways: through the pre-registrationform or by coming to Mindenerstraße 106. Together we'll work out whether B78 or B197 is right for you.
Step 02
Applying at the licence office
Take your eye test, first-aid certificate, passport photo and ID to the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf at Höherweg 101 and apply for your licence there. Processing can take up to twelve weeks, and your theory classes are already under way during that time.
Step 03
Theory classes
Twelve double lessons on the basics and two for class B, spread over six days a week. The theory timetable shows when each topic is on. Alongside the classes, you learn the test questions in the app.
Step 04
Theory test
The theory test (Theorieprüfung) is a computer test at TÜV Rheinland with 30 questions, and you can have no more than ten error points. We clear you for it once you've finished all your classes and passed our mock test.
Step 05
Driving lessons in an automatic
You take as many practice lessons as you need, plus the twelve mandatory drives, all in an automatic.
Step 06
Practical test and licence
Your test is 55 minutes in an automatic at TÜV Rheinland. When you pass, you get your licence with class B and code 78, and your two-year probationary period (Probezeit) starts that same day.

Theory

Theory is the same as for class B

Whether you drive an automatic or a manual makes no difference to the theory. You do all 14 double lessons and the same theory test.

There are twelve double lessons on the basics, which every class shares, and two on class B material, each one 90 minutes long. Classes run on six days a week: late afternoon and evening on weekdays, and midday on Saturdays. The theory timetable shows which topic is on when, and you can join at any topic.

The classes are in German. If something isn't clear, ask in English or Arabic and our instructors will answer you in that language. You can practise the test questions in our learning app, which you can add on if you want it. Once you've been to every topic and passed our mock test, we clear you for the theory test.

Driving

Driving lessons in an automatic

You take practice lessons, as many as you need, plus the twelve mandatory drives (Sonderfahrten). Every lesson is 45 minutes long and always in an automatic.

Without a clutch you don't have to worry about pulling away, stalling or changing gear. That leaves you free to focus on the traffic: where to look, how much space to leave, who has right of way and which lane to be in. Everything else is the same training as class B, with the same exercises.

How many practice lessons you need depends on you, and there's no fixed number. Your instructor puts you in for the test as soon as you're driving safely. The twelve mandatory drives are set by law and are the same everywhere.

The twelve mandatory drives in an automatic

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

The tests

Theory test: a computer test at TÜV Rheinland, 30 questions, no more than ten error points
Practical test: 55 minutes in an automatic, with at least 30 minutes of actual driving
Afterwards: a licence with class B and code 78, and a probationary period of two years

Compared

B78, B197 or class B: which one is right for me?

All three are class B. What changes is the car you learn in and what ends up on your licence.

With standard class B you learn and take your test in a manual, and afterwards you can drive anything. With B197you learn and test in an automatic, do at least ten of your lessons in a manual and a 15-minute test drive, and afterwards you can also drive anything. Your licence then shows code 197, which doesn't restrict you in any way. With B78 every lesson is in an automatic, and afterwards you can only drive automatics.

Our honest view: if you mainly want the most relaxed test possible, B197 is the better deal, because the test is in an automatic just the same and after the ten manual lessons you can drive without any restriction. B78 is the right choice if there's a reason you'll never drive a manual, for example a health reason, or because you drive an electric car anyway.

Three ways to class B

Class B: You learn and take your test in a manual. Afterwards you can drive anything, and there's no code.
B197: Training and test in an automatic, at least ten of the lessons in a manual and a test drive. You can drive anything afterwards, and your licence shows 197, which restricts nothing.
B78: Training and test in an automatic, with no manual lessons. Afterwards automatics only, with code 78 on your licence.

Later on

Removing code 78 later

The 78 doesn't have to stay forever. If you decide later that you want to drive manuals after all, there are two ways to remove it, and neither of them means doing theory again.

The quicker way is the same as for B197: at least ten 45-minute lessons in a manual with us, followed by a 15-minute test drive with your instructor. There's no TÜV test. We give you a certificate, you apply to the Straßenverkehrsamt, and they remove the 78 and issue you a new licence.

The other way is a new practical test in a manual at TÜV Rheinland. It lasts 45 minutes, which is ten minutes shorter than your first test. Before it you take as many manual lessons as you need to drive safely, because this route has no minimum number. Either way, you don't have to take the theory test again.

Two ways to remove the 78

Manual lessons and test drive: at least ten lessons in a manual, then a 15-minute test drive with your instructor. No TÜV test.
Practical test: a new 45-minute practical test in a manual at TÜV Rheinland. No theory test.
Afterwards: The Straßenverkehrsamt issues you a new licence without the 78.

How long

How long does B78 take?

Just as long as any other class B. The classes, the office and the test date are no different for an automatic.

Theory: 14 double lessons; The compulsory classes are identical for automatic and manual. With eight sessions a week, you can get through them in just under two weeks.
Application at the office: up to 12 weeks; The Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf names this as its processing time. If you hand in your application on the day you register with us, it runs alongside your classes and lessons rather than after them.
Driving lessons: 12 mandatory drives plus practice; The twelve mandatory drives are required, and everything before them depends on you. That also goes for whether you need fewer practice lessons in an automatic.

At the end you're only waiting for your test date from TÜV Rheinland, which is the one part neither you nor we can plan. After passing the theory test, you have twelve months for it.

Costs

What does the automatic licence cost?

We don't offer a fixed all-in price, because nobody knows in advance how many lessons you'll need. The price of each part is on our price list.

What you pay us

Registration: one-off, the base fee
Driving lessons: 45 minutes each, in an automatic. Every driving lesson costs the same with us, the twelve mandatory drives included.
Practical test presentation: once for each test, with the car included

What you pay elsewhere

Test fees: to TÜV Rheinland, for the theory test and the practical test
Application fee: to the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf
Eye test: at an optician
First-aid course: with a recognised provider
Passport photo: biometric, from a photographer or a photo booth

The current registration offer applies to B78 too. Check the price list to see what it changes and when it ends.

Compared with B197, with B78 you don't drive a single lesson in a manual and there's no test drive. Everything else is the same.

See prices

Who teaches you

Our driving instructors

Your instructor will be Cobain, Santana or Marzouk. All three speak German, English and Arabic. The best person to ask whether B78 really suits you is your instructor. Cobain and Santana post about their working days 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!❤️

Automatic driving licence B78 in Düsseldorf

What is B78?

What you need for B78

How B78 works with us

Pre-registration

Applying at the licence office

Theory classes

Theory test

Driving lessons in an automatic

Practical test and licence

Theory is the same as for class B

Driving lessons in an automatic

B78, B197 or class B: which one is right for me?

Removing code 78 later

How long does B78 take?

What does the automatic licence cost?

Our driving instructors

What our learners say

Common questions about the automatic licence

What does code 78 on a licence mean?

Can I drive a manual with B78?

How do I get the 78 removed?

B78 or B197: which is better for me?

Does an electric car count as an automatic?

Is the practical test easier in an automatic?

Is B78 valid abroad?

Can I do B78 at 17?

Pre-registration

More pages about the driving licence

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