How much does it cost to open a driving school?
Most of the initial investment goes into the fleet, not the licensing. The figures below are indicative ranges for a category B driving school started from scratch.
Short answer
- 1. Setting up the company and the ARR authorisation dossier are the cheap part: on the order of a few thousand lei in total.
- 2. The fleet is the dominant cost: a dual-control car means tens of thousands of lei per vehicle, bought or leased.
- 3. A theory room equipped to the OMT 733/2013 norms adds the rent plus an initial fit-out of a few thousand lei.
- 4. Monthly, the main fixed costs are certified staff salaries, rent, fuel, insurance and fleet maintenance.
- 5. Management software is marginal in this budget: 4driving starts at 5 RON/month, with a 14-day free trial.
The cost structure at opening
Cost categories for a new driving school (category B)
| Category | What it covers | Order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Company + licensing | SRL registration, ARR dossier, authorisation fees | thousands of lei |
| Fleet | Dual-control cars, bought or leased | tens of thousands of lei / car |
| Theory room | Rent, furniture, teaching equipment per the norms | thousands of lei + monthly rent |
| Staff | A legislation teacher and certified instructors, on employment contracts | recurring monthly cost |
| Management software | Scheduling, hour packages, fleet and student records | from 5 RON/month |
Why the fleet decides the budget
- Each extra category (BE, C, D) needs dedicated vehicles, so expanding the offer is planned around the fleet, not around marketing.
- A car grounded by an expired inspection or a breakdown earns nothing, but still generates instalments and insurance costs.
- Vehicle utilisation (booked hours per day) is the metric that tells you whether the investment pays off.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting only the initial investment, without at least a few months of fixed costs covered until the lesson calendar fills up.
- Buying cars before knowing how many daily hours the school can fill — a lease on an unused car is pure cost.
- Ignoring hidden admin costs: time lost on phone bookings and paper records is a cost too.
How 4driving helps
- You see each car’s and each instructor’s utilisation, so you decide on data when to expand the fleet.
- Inspection and insurance alerts prevent unplanned downtime that turns a car into dead cost.
- Plans start at 5 RON/month (Start) and go up to 40 RON/month (Premium) — with a 14-day free trial and no upfront investment.