- September 27, 2026
- 3:18 pm
- World News
Ukraine is among the countries with the highest requirements for the theoretical exam for a category B driver’s license. To pass successfully, you need to answer at least 90% of the questions correctly. In Israel, the passing threshold is 86.7%. However, Ukrainian statistics show another side of this strictness: in 2025, only 22.7% of the total number of tests were successfully passed on the first attempt.
Author: Anton Pshedynsky
On September 26, 2026, attention was drawn to the results of an international study published on September 7 by the analytical portal Visual Capitalist, which used AutoviaTest data as of July 2026. The study covered 57 countries, and the published table included 25 countries with the highest passing scores.
Ukraine’s ninth place — and why it’s not quite ninth
In the infographic, Ukraine is in the ninth position, but it actually shares one positional group with eleven other countries. The same minimum result — 90% correct answers — is required in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Iceland, Luxembourg, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, and Colombia.
The highest scores in the published version of the study were distributed as follows: Greece — 97%, Japan — 95%, Vietnam, New Zealand, and Australia — 91% each. Then follows a large group of countries with a result of 90%.
The Netherlands, France, Estonia, Ireland, Andorra, and Monaco have a threshold of 88%. Israel is in 24th place with a rounded figure of 87%, and the United Kingdom closes the list with 86%. Of the 25 countries presented, 16 are in Europe.
There is a significant clarification. AutoviaTest later updated the original database: in the edition checked on September 20, there are already 65 countries. Ukraine is in 21st place there, but its passing score remained the same — 90%. The table’s content changed, including the scores of Poland and Japan. Therefore, comparing ordinal numbers from different editions of the ranking without considering the methodology would be incorrect.
Twenty questions, twenty minutes, and only two mistakes
The Ukrainian exam is quite compact. The candidate receives 20 questions to answer in 20 minutes. The third mistake means the exam is not passed.
Questions are distributed across four areas: ten concern traffic rules, four — road safety, another four — vehicle structure and operation, and two are dedicated to first aid.
Thus, each incorrect answer immediately deducts five percentage points. There is also little time for long reflections.
At the same time, Ukrainian legislation allows for self-study of the theory without attending a mandatory driving school course. Practical training, on the other hand, must be completed at an accredited educational institution.
According to the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, exam computers are protected by special DLP software. Face ID identification and video surveillance with sound recording are used.
The cost of the theoretical exam is 250 hryvnias, the practical one — 420 hryvnias without possible bank commission. The number of attempts is not limited, but retaking the theory is allowed only after ten calendar days of waiting, starting from the eleventh day. A successful result is valid for one year.
What real results show: theory turns out to be a serious barrier
On January 19, 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine published the results of the previous year. The figures were quite eloquent.
In 2025, service centers conducted 638,071 theoretical exams. Of these, 272,764 were for self-prepared candidates, and another 365,307 were for driving school graduates. 145,058 people successfully passed on the first attempt. The Ministry of Internal Affairs cites a figure of 22.7% of the total number of exams conducted.
The situation with practical driving was even more complicated: out of 795,441 exams conducted, 148,583 ended with a successful first attempt. This is about 19%.
In February 2026, the department published additional statistics. Among self-prepared candidates, the success rate for passing the theory on the first try was 21.2%, among those trained in driving schools — 19.9%.
The difference is small. Mandatory attendance of a theoretical course does not in itself guarantee a successful result.
The examination system continues to operate even during the full-scale war. According to a message from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on September 3, since the beginning of 2026, 431,000 theoretical and more than 500,000 practical exams have already been conducted in Ukraine. The department did not provide a separate national percentage of successful first attempts for this entire period in this message.
Israeli “theory”: more questions, more time too
For the Israeli reader, the comparison is especially interesting, as the local system is noticeably different from the Ukrainian one.
In Israel, the theoretical exam is called “theory” (תיאוריה). According to the official rules of the Ministry of Transport, the candidate receives 30 questions, randomly selected from a database that includes 1,200 tasks. 40 minutes are allocated for completion.
To pass successfully, you need to answer at least 26 questions correctly. Four mistakes are allowed. Five incorrect answers mean an unsuccessful attempt.
Thus, the Ukrainian passing threshold is 90%, the Israeli one — 86.7%. However, in Ukraine, there is one minute per question, and in Israel — about a minute and twenty seconds.
There is another difference: the positive result of the Israeli “theory” is valid for five years, the Ukrainian one — only one year.
For those from Ukraine who obtained a driver’s license before moving to Israel or have already encountered the local training system, this difference is quite noticeable.
At the same time, a high exam threshold should not be automatically associated with road safety. Nikk.Agency — Israel News previously reported how the Israeli police changes the settings of stationary speed control cameras A-3 and why this is related to the reform of traffic fines. Theoretical preparation, practical skills, and subsequent compliance control are different components of one system.
Ukrainian licenses in Israel and Israeli ones in Ukraine: do you need to retake exams?
There is an international mechanism for recognizing driver’s licenses between Ukraine and Israel, but recognizing the right to drive and exchanging a foreign license for a national one are different procedures. There is no separate bilateral agreement on automatic exchange between the countries.
New immigrants can use valid Ukrainian licenses in Israel during the first year after entry. Then it is necessary to obtain an Israeli license. This procedure is called “amarat rishayon” (המרת רישיון נהיגה).
Different conditions are provided for holders of foreign licenses:
With at least five years of experience before repatriation, exchange is possible without theoretical and practical exams.
With experience from two to five years, a practical exam is required. After two unsuccessful attempts, the theory must also be passed.
With less than two years of experience, the conditions are determined by the Israeli Transport Administration.
You can apply for an exchange within five years after repatriation. Licenses in a language other than English must be translated into Hebrew and certified by an Israeli notary. Detailed conditions are published in the official guide of the Ministry of Transport of Israel.
In the opposite direction, Ukrainian rules apply. An Israeli temporarily in Ukraine has the right to drive with a valid foreign license that complies with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. If the document does not meet the convention’s requirements, an international driver’s license is additionally required.
When a foreign citizen moves to permanent residence in Ukraine, their foreign license remains valid for 60 days after the relevant documents are processed by the migration service. Then an exchange is required, which generally involves passing theoretical and practical exams.
But for Ukrainians returning home, an exception is provided. As explained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine on July 8, 2026, a citizen who obtained Israeli licenses or exchanged Ukrainian ones for them can obtain a Ukrainian license without retaking exams upon returning for permanent residence, provided the established requirements are met.
For this, foreign licenses with a certified translation and confirmation of their issuance by the competent authority, including information on the absence of deprivation or restriction of the right to drive, are required. The exchange is conducted personally at the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Thus, the high requirements of the Ukrainian theoretical exam do not mean that every driver moving between Ukraine and Israel is obliged to retake it. Separate procedures for confirming rights exist for those who already have driving experience.
A strict exam does not necessarily mean better drivers
The international study has a limitation that is easy to lose behind an attractive headline. Its authors compared the minimum percentage of correct answers on the theoretical exam, not the overall difficulty of obtaining a driver’s license.
Real results of practical exams, the quality of training, the content of exam questions, road infrastructure, and accident statistics were not included in the calculation. States with incomparable evaluation systems were excluded from the original comparison.
Therefore, it cannot be claimed that Ukraine prepares drivers better than Israel or that Ukrainian roads are safer than Israeli ones based on this ranking.
However, the combination of two officially confirmed indicators deserves attention: to pass the Ukrainian theory, you need to answer nine out of every ten questions correctly, and approximately every fifth candidate successfully passes the test on the first attempt.
And here it no longer matters much on which exact line of the international infographic the country’s name is printed. The knowledge requirements for future drivers in Ukraine and Israel are indeed high. The main thing is that after the exam, this knowledge remains with the person on the road.