In 2023, the failure rate for the practical driving test was 45% across Luxembourg, with a pass rate of 74% for the theory test. This statistic illustrates that driving is still a crucial and complex challenge for young people wishing to obtain their driving licence. This raises the question of driver education, particularly among the youngest drivers. Faced with these difficulties, some are calling for a reform of the learning system, with more driving hours.
Beyond these considerations, to what extent can karting add value when it comes to getting a driving licence? It should be remembered that the average cost of obtaining a driving licence is around 1,600E, a significant investment, which should encourage people to explore other avenues to give themselves the best possible chance of success.
What if karting could help you get your driving licence?
As the first step in motor sport, karting can be an interesting educational alternative to learning to drive. Speed control, anticipation and manoeuvring are all aspects of driving dynamics that are encountered on a daily basis in karting. It is a demanding sport, which also requires discipline and concentration.
Beyond these technical skills, stress and emotion management also help to train safer and more thoughtful future drivers, in a similar way to competitive sports in general.
Motorsport teaches discipline, driving rules... and this is perhaps even more pronounced in karting
Sam Massard - ChatGPT said: Vice President of the Karting Club Luxembourg
With nearly one in two candidates failing their practical driving test, some see karting as an original way to better prepare for it. Less stressful, more fun and with the possibility of starting at a very young age, this motor sport could well become an unexpected ally for future drivers.
In 2024, according to figures from the Ministry of Mobility, 74% of candidates passed the theory test, but only 53% passed the practical test. This gap raises questions.
Over the last four years, Statec data shows that an average of 6,265 people took the driving test for the first time. The practical test remains a daunting moment: in addition to having to master the Highway Code, candidates have to manage their stress, the traffic and, sometimes, the unpredictability of other road users. It is not uncommon to see students lose their nerve, hesitate, drive too slowly or too quickly, and make mistakes that result in their elimination.
Karting is therefore an attractive alternative, especially for younger people. Karting offers the ideal training ground for managing stress, getting used to speed, learning to anticipate, manoeuvre and control a vehicle. All aspects of driving dynamics are present. It therefore seems sensible to consider this discipline as a complementary educational tool for driving, as well as being a sporting activity rich in lessons.
Daher ist Kartfahren eine interessante Alternative, insbesondere für jüngere Menschen. Um besser mit Stress umzugehen, sich an die Geschwindigkeit zu gewöhnen, vorausschauend zu fahren, zu manövrieren und ein Fahrzeug zu kontrollieren, bietet Kartfahren ein ideales Trainingsgelände. Alle Aspekte der Fahrdynamik sind hier vorhanden. Es erscheint daher sinnvoll, diese Disziplin als ergänzendes pädagogisches Instrument für das Fahren zu betrachten – das darüber hinaus eine lehrreiche Sportart ist.
Accessible to all!
‘Motorsport teaches discipline, rules of life and rules of conduct. And I think that in karting, this is even more pronounced than in other sports,’ confirms Sam Massard, vice-president of the Karting Club Luxembourg, which has members aged between 6 and 57. However, he believes that the main obstacle to passing the test remains the motivation of the students, especially the youngest ones.
This motor sport is accessible from a very young age, often from the age of 6, and allows children to learn the basics of driving long before they can drive on the road. In 2025, the ACL Sport has 18 members under the age of 18 out of a total of 32 licences, including the talented 11-year-old Phillipe Massard, son of Sam Massard, vice-president of the Karting Club Luxembourg.
But motor racing drivers, however prestigious they may be, are not always in a hurry to get their driving licence, as demonstrated by Formula 1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio. He only passed his driving test after retiring from sport in 1961 at the age of 51!
