ADAS in the Dutch car theory exam: what changed on 1 October 2026?
TheoriePlek editorial team Published on · updated on · Facts checked on
From 1 October 2026, the questions on driver assistance systems (ADAS) in the Dutch car theory exam focus more on how you use those systems. Before that, they were mostly about the warning lights on the dashboard. The number of exam questions stays the same.
What is ADAS?
ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. In Dutch they are called rijhulpsystemen. Think of cruise control, ABS, or a car that brakes by itself when you get too close to the car in front.
What changed on 1 October 2026?
Before 1 October, the exam already had questions on driver assistance systems. Most of them were about the warning lights on the dashboard. Since 1 October they focus more on how you, the driver, handle those systems.
CBR fact, checked on 29 September 2026. Before 1 October 2026, the questions on driver assistance systems were mainly about dashboard symbols and how the systems help you drive more sustainably. Since 1 October 2026 the focus has been more on the right driving behaviour when you use driver assistance systems. The number of exam questions does not change. This applies to the car theory exam. Source: cbr.nl.
Does this apply to the exam in English?
The CBR does not mention the English exam separately. But the English car exam is the regular theory exam, taken in English.
CBR fact, checked on 24 September 2026. You can take the regular theory exam in English. Source: cbr.nl.
So expect the same new questions if you take the exam in English. Did you book before 1 October and are you taking the exam now? The CBR does not say whether the new questions apply yet. To be safe, assume you will get them.
Where do the questions come from?
From the Rijprocedure B. That is the CBR’s book on how the CBR expects you to drive. Examiners use it for the practical exam too. The ADAS questions come from three parts of it.
CBR fact, checked on 29 September 2026. The exam questions on driver assistance systems are based on the principles in the introduction to the Rijprocedure B, and on the guidelines under the heading “Rijhulpsystemen” in chapter 1 and in chapter 2. Source: cbr.nl.
The principles
The most important point: you drive, not the car.
CBR fact, checked on 28 September 2026. The driver is always responsible for driving, not the car or its driver assistance systems. The driver knows that names and controls of these systems differ per make and model, and that road, weather and traffic affect how they work. They know what a system can do and where its limits are. They know the risk of driving differently because of the system, for example keeping a shorter following distance because the car will brake in an emergency anyway. Source: cbr.nl.
Before and while driving (chapter 1)
CBR fact, checked on 28 September 2026. Before a trip, the driver checks which driver assistance systems affect the driving and how they work. They check that the sensors and cameras are clean enough. While driving, they stay alert to anything unusual and respond to it correctly. They keep an active driving posture, so they can easily take over from the car, and they don’t let themselves get distracted. Source: cbr.nl.
In traffic (chapter 2)
CBR fact, checked on 28 September 2026. The driver keeps watching the car and the traffic, also with driver assistance systems switched on. They consciously choose whether to let a system help them. They respond to information and warnings from the systems as the driving procedure says. They switch a system on or off when the situation or the system calls for it. By situation, the CBR means the road, the weather, the traffic and the driver themselves. Source: cbr.nl.
How do you prepare?
The CBR says you prepare the same way as always. It also gives one tip: check that your study material is up to date. Read the three parts above once, calmly. They are not lists to learn by heart. The question is always: who is responsible, and what do you do when the system does something you don’t expect?
Does the TheoriePlek car course cover ADAS?
Yes, the TheoriePlek online car theory course has a lesson on driver assistance systems (ADAS) in chapter 8. You read what ADAS is, what levels 0 to 5 mean and where the systems fall short, such as the false sense of safety they can give you. You go through more than twenty systems, always with the same message: you stay responsible. In the tests that follow you practise with questions about ADAS, such as who is responsible when a system makes a mistake, and you get an explanation after every answer. The new CBR points, such as checking your sensors and cameras before you drive and keeping an active driving posture, are covered above.
How the rest of the exam works, and what it is like to take it in English, is in can you take the CBR theory exam in English?