The discloser relates to a method for checking a passing possibility condition, which is fulfilled if a passing process for the passing of a preceding vehicle by a motor vehicle is presumably possible, wherein ego data relating to the driving operation of the motor vehicle and, by means of at least one surroundings sensor of the motor vehicle, surroundings data relating to a stretch of road ahead are detected, whereupon preceding-vehicle data relating to the preceding vehicle are ascertained on the basis of the surroundings data, whereupon on the basis of the preceding-vehicle data and the ego data, a piece of passing information is ascertained, which describes a minimum required driving distance of the motor vehicle along the stretch of road under specific boundary conditions, which is required for passing the preceding vehicle, whereupon the passing possibility condition is evaluated on the basis of the passing information and, if the presence of a road user in a passing lane usable in conjunction with the passing process is ascertained from the surroundings data, on the basis of a piece of road user information describing said road user, wherein when no road user is detected in the passing lane, the passing possibility condition is fulfilled only if the required driving distance is shorter by a shortening amount than the length of a stretch section of the stretch of road detectable by the surroundings sensor.