The driving school market in France

Driving schools are specialized establishments whose mission is to train candidates to drive motorized vehicles in order to obtain their driving license. In addition to the basic training required to obtain a driving license, they can also offer a range of complementary activities, such as pre- and post-licensing courses, road safety awareness training and vocational training.

Historically, there was no such thing as a driving license, but as the number of vehicles on the road increased, it was decided in 1893 to introduce a nationwide driving certificate.

It was only a few years later, in 1922, that the driving license was created, followed by the theory test with the highway code in 1957.

The driving school sector features a variety of learning models, including traditional, hybrid and online driving schools. By 2022, there will be around 50 million people holding a driving license in France, making it the country's biggest exam by volume.

There are three types of driving school: traditional, hybrid and online.

The driving school clientele can be divided into four categories: young people under 25, people over 25, schoolchildren with an interest in road safety, and driving license holders wishing to improve their skills.although young people are less and less inclined to take the driving test due to urbanization and environmental concerns, they still consider it essential, especially for employment.

This market is suffering from growing competition from alternative modes of transport:

Car-sharing and car-pooling

Public transport

Transport rental

Increasing use of bicycles

But this market also faces competition from the no-license car market, which has been growing rapidly in recent years.

In 2015, the Macron law paved the way for online driving schools by simplifying approval procedures and removing certain prerequisites. Ornikar, which appeared in 2013, was a pioneer in this field. These online driving schools, such as Ornikar and PermisLibre, offer flexible, competitively priced training, while connecting students with independent instructors. However, they face challenges such as sometimes lower pass rates, longer waiting times and concerns about fraudulent practices. This new competition has led to tensions with traditional driving schools, who denounce it as unfair competition.

The driving school market in France is undergoing major changes, thanks in particular to government initiatives to modernize, the adoption of technologies to facilitate examinations, the emergence of innovative private players and merger and acquisition movements, reflecting a significant transformation of the driver training industry.