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.
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!
