Class AM moped driving license now available nationwide for those aged 15 and over

Pan-German success story for mobility and traffic safety

• In the GDR, the regulation applied until reunification 
• Model project 2014 to 2020 with positive results  
• Eleven federal states had already taken advantage of the opportunity 

DEKRA: The class AM moped driving license can now be acquired throughout Germany at the age of 15. The federal government has changed the Driving License Ordinance (FeV) accordingly. Previously, the individual federal states had the opportunity to voluntarily reduce the minimum age for class AM from 16 to 15 years.

The newly introduced nationwide regulation represents a return to the legal situation before reunification for the East German federal states. “The AM15 model project is ultimately a pan-German success story for mobility and traffic safety,” concludes Dr. Andreas Schmidt, Head of Driver Licensing at DEKRA Automobil GmbH.

In what was then the GDR, 15-year-olds had always been able to obtain a moped driving license. With reunification that was initially history; the minimum age for mopeds with a displacement of up to 50 cm³ or a maximum speed of up to 45 km/h was 16 years in Germany from 1990 onwards.

“One thing was very clear to us early on: it is better for road safety if young people acquire class AM driving licenses after professional theoretical and practical training as well as theoretical and practical tests, rather than just taking a theoretical test and taking part in road traffic on a moped “, says Dr. Schmidt.  

The idea of ​​a model project for AM15 - initially very controversial - was put into practice in the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia from May 1, 2013; By 2017, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were added. In an evaluation report that later turned out to be flawed, the model project was presented as a failure. “At that time, we as DEKRA were able to refute the evaluation results and show that AM15 was actually a success,” remembers the expert.

The authorities of the federal states involved in the model project insisted on continuing AM15 based on DEKRA's findings. The Federal Ministry of Transport amended the Road Traffic Act and the Driving License Ordinance in 2020 and authorized the states to introduce AM15 voluntarily. In addition to the regional states in East Germany, six “old” federal states also did this. With the change to the FeV that has now been announced, the regulation applies uniformly nationwide.

“Especially in rural areas, individual mobility is a valuable asset for young people. With AM15 you have the opportunity to experience this – well trained and tested,” says Dr. Andreas Schmidt. “This is good news for road safety in Germany.”  

Text and image credits: Copyright DEKRA