ADAS in the CBR theory exam: what changed on 1 October 2026

What changed on 1 October 2026?

On 17 August 2026 the CBR announced a change to the questions on driver-assistance systems (ADAS, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). Until now those questions, on cruise control or ABS for example, were mostly about dashboard symbols and how a system helps you drive economically. From 1 October 2026 the focus is on desired driving behaviour while managing those systems.

In short: the CBR used to ask what a light means. Now it asks what you do while the system is on. The number of exam questions has not changed, and the CBR does not say the exam gets harder.

Where do the new questions come from?

The questions are based on Rijprocedure B, the CBR document that describes how a good driver drives and the standard your practical test is marked against. The CBR names exactly three parts as exam material:

1. The principles in the introduction (seven of them, in plain English below).
2. The guidelines under the last Rijhulpsystemen heading of chapter 1 (getting ready and operating the car).
3. The guidelines under the last Rijhulpsystemen heading of chapter 2 (taking part in traffic).

Rijprocedure B is free on cbr.nl, in Dutch. The three parts together are only a few pages, so read them once in full. A translation tool works fine for them.

The seven principles in plain English

1. You are always responsible for driving yourself. Not the car and not the system.
2. Good driving is safe, comfortable, social and adapted to the situation. You may do that with or without assistance systems.
3. You know what a system is for, how it works and how to use it as well as possible.
4. You know that names differ between brands, that controls for the same function can differ, and that road, weather and traffic affect how well a system works.
5. You know what a system can do, and that it has limits.
6. You choose consciously whether to accept help. Emergency systems, such as automatic emergency braking, do step in without you choosing.
7. You know the risk that a system makes you drive worse. The CBR’s example: following closer because the car will brake in an emergency anyway.

What you do before and during the drive

Before you set off (chapter 1)

• You check which assistance systems directly affect driving, and how they work. Especially in a rental or borrowed car.
• You check that sensors and cameras are clean enough. On the way you watch that they keep working, and you act on anything unusual.
• You set the systems up to support good driving, for example a generous following distance and a speed within the limit.
• You keep driving actively, so you can take over at once. You do not let yourself get distracted.

On the road (chapter 2)

• You keep watching the car and the traffic, also while systems are on.
• You look for yourself and choose consciously whether to accept support.
• An alert or warning is a reason to look for yourself and act by the normal rules.
• You switch a system on or off when the situation or the system calls for it. By situation the CBR means road, weather, traffic and you as the driver.

Which assistance systems should you know?

Rijprocedure B deliberately lists no systems, because brands use different names. For the systems themselves the CBR points to the ADAS Woordenboek (ADAS dictionary) of the ADAS Alliantie. The questions test the same principles, applied to a system. These are the ones you meet most:

What a question can look like

These are our own examples, based on Rijprocedure B. They are not real CBR questions, but they show the way of thinking the exam expects.

• You drive on the motorway with adaptive cruise control and it starts to rain hard. What do you do? You adjust your speed and distance yourself and switch the system off if needed, because weather affects how well it works.
• Your car has automatic emergency braking. May you follow the car ahead more closely? No. That is exactly the worse driving the CBR warns about.
• You get into a rental car of another brand. What do you do before you drive off? You find out which systems affect driving and how to operate them.
• The blind spot warning shows nothing and you want to move left. What do you do? You check your mirrors and over your shoulder yourself. Traffic in the other lane goes first.
• Your screen shows 100 km/h, but the sign by the road says 80. How fast may you go? 80. The roadside sign applies.

What stays the same?

• The exam: 50 questions in 30 minutes, 44 correct to pass. That has applied since 7 April 2025.
• The question formats, such as multiple choice, yes/no and typing a number.
• The rest of the material: traffic rules, signs, priority and hazard perception with short clips.
• You prepare the same way. The CBR does advise checking that your study material has been updated.

New on exam day: a different exam system

Separately from ADAS, the CBR is replacing the computer system for theory exams (CAS). It started in Schelluinen in August, and the other theory locations follow until mid-October 2026. This is what you notice:

• A redesigned screen layout.
• You check in with an exam code and choose your own seat in the exam room.
• The two practice questions now fall within the exam time. So answer them quickly.
• The content of the exam stays the same.

How do you prepare?

1. Read the three parts of Rijprocedure B the CBR names. They are short.
2. Remember the main rule: you are responsible, the system only helps.
3. For each system, ask three questions: what does it do, when does it work less well, and what do I do then?
4. Practise with questions updated after 1 October 2026, and practise against the clock: 50 questions in 30 minutes.