1.1 Presentation and definition of the market

A driving school is a training center specialized in teaching the driving of motor vehicles in order to obtain a driver's license.

Driving schools can also offer additional activities, such as pre- and post-licensing courses, awareness-raising sessions as well as professional trainings .

Learning models can vary as there are three types of driving schools : traditional, hybrid and online.

48 million people had a driving licence in France in 2020 and the driver's license exam is the first exam in France in volume.

The exam consists of two parts:

Theoretical : 40 questions for the Highway Code exam
Practice : Driving time to evaluate the respect of the Highway Code and other users

In addition, there are three types of driving licenses offered in driving schools whose shares have remained stable over the years:

Car : 82.9% of applicants in 2018
Motorcycle : 12.9% of applicants in 2018
Heavy goods vehicles : 4.2% of applicants in 2018 [Ministère de l'Intérieur]

1.2 Global market

Driving schools remain mostly compartmentalized on a national scale. Only the online platform Ornikar seems to claim to expand internationally. In June ****, the company indeed raised ** million euros with the main objectives of diversifying (***) and expanding in Europe.

On the other hand, in ****, the countries of the European Union launched a ...

1.3 A highly regulated French market with competition from new players

According to the INSEE, the turnover of the driving school market was €*.*** billion in **** and the number of registered people in driving schools was *.*** million. This number having decreased for two years to *.*** million new registrants in ****, it is possible to estimate the turnover of the French driving school market at ...

1.4 Impact du covid-19 sur l'activité

L'épidémie du coronavirus et le confinement qui s'en est suivi ont d'abord totalement paralysé l'activité des auto-écoles pendant plusieurs mois. L'activité a été totalement arrêtée de Mars **** à Mai ****, avant de reprendre seulement le * juin, ce qui a entraîné l'allongement des délais, ***.*** examens pour l'obtention ...

2.1 The slowdown in demand

In ****, *.* million candidates took the theory test (***). That represents an increase of *.*% for theory tests and a decrease of *.*% for practical tests compared to ****. On the other hand, *,***,*** driver's licence test certificates were issued in ****, including ***,*** B licenses which represents approximately **% categories of licences issued in France. [***] The distribution of licenses ...

2.2 Demand driven by youth

The customer base of driving schools can be broken down into * types of profile :

The young people under ** years old who wish to take their driving license for the first time The over ** years old who wish to take their driving license, who are in the minority in the driving school ...

2.3 The growing success of alternative modes of transport

Alternative modes of transport are particularly developing due to several factors : the urbanization of society, ecological awareness and the desire to save energy. Although the driving licence is still considered a vector of integration and autonomy and is held by two-thirds of the population, it is becoming more frequent to postpone ...

3.1 A highly competitive market

The driving school market is therefore highly competitive, as it has historically been made up of many local players with one or more establishments. Some of these schools have chosen to organize themselves into networks to pool some of their expenses.

The ECF and CER national groups represent a thousand agencies, ...

3.2 Geographical distribution of driving schools

The number of driving schools is relatively correlated to the population density. Thus, in ****, Ile-de-France had **.*% of driving schools and **% of the population. according to the INSEE. On the other hand, Occitania had *% of driving schools and *.*% of the population. [***]

The map below shows the geographical distribution of driving schools in ...

3.3 The "uberisation" of the driving school market

In ****, the Macron Act authorises the conclusion of a distance learning contract and simplifies the prefectural approval process by removing the obligation for driving schools to obtain the approval of the departmental road safety committee [***]. This reform thus initiates the emergence of new actors of national scope without any premises: the ...

3.4 Une année 2021 riche en actualités

Nouvelles initiatives de la part de l'État

Le ministre des TPE-PME signe en charte en collaboration avec BPI France et le CNPA dans le cadre du plan France relance. L'objectif est d'accompagner la digitalisation du secteur et de favoriser le verdissement des flottes. [***] Lancement d'une carte en ligne regroupant les ...

4.1 Typology of driving schools and driving licences

The table below describes the offer of each type of driving school :

Source: ****

While learning formats may differ, the driving schools' offer is therefore divided into two parts, one theoretical, to prepare for the Highway Code exam, and the other practical, to prepare for obtaining the driving license .

In addition, driving ...

4.2 The rates charged by driving schools

The prices of driving schools in France are rising quite sharply : rates have increased by about **% in ** years . However, this increase has slowed down significantly over the last three years, mainly due to government efforts to reduce the prices of driving schools' services. [***]

Evolution of driving school prices France, ****-****, ...

5. 1 Driving school obligations

To become a driving school operator, you must: Be ** years old Justify the means of the establishment (***) Have a CQP RUESRC (***) or a level III diploma Employ a driving school teacher with specific training Obtain a prefectoral approval valid for * years and renewable for * years before its expiry Each establishment must ...

5.2 Recent reforms

**** European reform

In ****, the countries of the European Union launched measures with three objectives in mind : to combat fraudulent practices, to guarantee free movement and to improve road safety.

To meet these objectives, several elements are harmonised: the format of driving licences (***) and the frequency of medical tests.

These changes came ...