The driving school market - France (2024)

1.2 European market

For themost part, driving schools remain confined to the national level. Only the Ornikar online platform seems to have any pretensions to international expansion. In June ****, the company raised €** million with the main objectives of diversifying (***) and expanding in Europe. In ****, a new fundraising round of around *** million euros enabled Ornikar to establish itself internationally effectively as well as develop its insurance business.

In ****, the countries of the European Union launched a directive aimed at standardizing the rules applicable to driving licenses. In France, these changes came into force in ****, notably with the introduction of a new driving license format, which is more difficult to forge. The reform also provides for theharmonization of license categories, the introduction of new categories and the renewal of driving licenses.

However, there are still differences between European countries, as summarized in the table below. The table below describes the requirements for a B license in * European countries.

Source: ****

1.3 A highly regulated French market facing competition from new players

According toINSEE, sales in the driving school market amounted to *.*** billion euros in ****, and the number of registered drivers was *.*** million.

By ****, this market will be worth almost *.** billion euros in France.

Driving school market sales in France France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

In correlation with sales, this means an increase of nearly *.*% in the number of driving license applicants between **** and **** .

Growth in the number of registered applicants France, ****-****, in numbers Source: ****

The evolution of the driving school market can also be analyzed using the change in the consumer price index for the "Driving schools and driving test" service published by Insee.

Consumer price index for the "Driving schools and driving test" service France, **** - ****, index base *** **** INSEE The driving school market in France is thus undergoing major change, with the digitalization of the offer thanks to online driving school platforms like Ornikar, for example. (***)

2.1 Demand factors for driving schools

First of all, we can see that the demand for driving licenses generally comes from a young population aged between ** and **. The graph below shows the distribution of the **-** age group in mainland France.

This means that the number of license applications is directly related to the number of young people aged between ** and ** each year.

Graph of population aged ** to ** in mainland France France, ****-****, in thousands of people Source: ****

What's more, taking the driving test is directly dependent on car dependency to meet daily needs such as visiting relatives, shopping, picking up children from school, going on vacation or away for the weekend...

Heavy dependence on the car to meet everyday needs France, ****, in % Source: ****

The car is much more than a dependency for the French; for many, it's a source of pleasure, and even a real passion for almost **% of them, as the graph below shows.

The car, a source of pleasure for the French France, ****, in Source: ****

What's more, among those who don't have their driving license, a large majority don't want to stop there, but intend to take it (***) , and almost **% regret not having taken it sooner.

Behavior of French people who don't have a ...

2.2 Driving school customer personas

Firstly, we can observe the age distribution of B licenses issued after the test.

We can see that the majority of young people with a "B" license are under **, particularly with the introduction of the possibility of obtaining a driving license from the age of **, following an accompanied driving course.

Age distribution of B licenses issued after examination France, ****, in Source: ****

Let's now look at the gender breakdown of B license applicants and examinees.

There are slightly more women taking the driving test, but more men passing the test and being issued with a B license.

Number of B licenses examined and issued by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

Secondly, we can look a little more closely at the geographical distribution of car dependency, and therefore the geographical distribution of potential candidates for the driving test.

We can see that only **% of French people living in theParis conurbation feel dependent on their car to visit friends and family, while **% of those living in rural areas do.

Geographical distribution of car dependency in France France, ****, in Source: ****

This dependence on the car is directly reflected in the percentage of French people with a driving license in France: **% have one in rural communities, and ...

2.3 Consumer habits

in this section, we look at the consumption patterns of driving schools in France.

First of all, we can observe the temporality and monthly distribution of the number of driving license registrations. Several months are more dynamic than others, such as March, June, September and October.

Monthly breakdown of light driving license registrations France, ****, in number of registrations Source: ****

We can also estimate the number of hours of driving lessons required to obtain a B license.

Most customers and candidates spend less than ** hours in driving lessons to obtain their license. More analytically, almost **% of **-** year-olds taking their driving test have fewer than ** hours of driving lessons, which can be explained in particular by accompanied driving training.

Number of hours of driving lessons required to obtain a license France, ****, in Source: ****

**% of French drivers have taken their driving test nearly twice, and *% up to * or * times.

How many times have the French taken their driving test? France, ****, in Source: ****

As far as the driving code is concerned, almostone in seven French people pass it on the first try, as shown in the graph below.

How many times have the French passed their driving test? France, ****, in Source: ****

The French ...

2.4 No-licence cars: growing competition to licences

In ****, according to the Observatoire des Mobilités Emergentes (***) produced by ObSoCo in collaboration with SNCF, French people's mobility habits have changed significantly since the start of the Covid-** pandemic. while the private car initially benefited from the health crisis to the detriment of public transport, a clear downward trend in its use has now been observed. This decline applies to both regular and short trips. What's more, almost **% of people who have reduced their car use consider this change to be definitive. At the same time, distrust of public transport persists, with almost **% of French people having reduced their use because of the Covid-** crisis. By contrast, the use of bicycles is steadily increasing, with almost a third of French people using them for regular travel, *% of whom have made them their main mode of transport. Around **% use it as a secondary means of transport. In short, less than half of French people have returned to their pre-pandemic mobility habits, and personal car use is declining in favor of cycling.

Carpooling and carsharing

Car-sharing is a transport system that involves several people sharing the use of a private car. Car-sharing, on the other hand, refers to a system of self-service ...

2.5 Cars without a license

number of new license-free car registrations France, **** - ****, in thousands Source: ****

After a **% drop in new car sales between **** and ****, the number of mini-car registrations remained constant from **** to ****. However, a sharp increase was observed from **** onwards. New licence-free car registrations rose by **% in **** compared with ****, and in **** growth was more marked, with a meteoric rise of **% over ****.

This significant increase in **** and **** is largely attributed to the introduction of the Citroën Ami, Citroën's first licence-free model. Since its release, this model has met with great success, enabling Citroën to position itself as the third-largest manufacturer in the French market in ****, and the second-largest in the first quarter of ****. [***]

Online sales site Leboncoin recorded a **% increase in listings for these vehicles between **** and ****. Once popular with older people in rural areas, these vehicles are now being snapped up by young urbanites. France accounts for half of the European market for these vehicles, with almost **,*** registrations in ****. French brands are benefiting most from this trend, with significant increases in adverts for Aixam, Ligier and Microcar, while Citroën's AMI model has seen its adverts rise by ***% between **** and ****. However, this increase in demand is accompanied by a rise in ...

3.1 A highly competitive market

The driving school market is therefore highly competitive, as it has historically been made up of numerous 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 national ECF and CER groups alone represent around a thousand agencies, followed by Inr'is and City-Zen. Faced with the dematerialization of certain services, they too are now starting to develop their online training courses, in the image of "My ECF" created in **** by ECF.

Among the players making up driving schools in France, we can cite other categories:

Partnerships with carmakers(***) to obtain dual-control training vehicles Partnerships with insurance giants such as AXA and Allianz, who offer contracts tailored to individual needs. Schedule management via digital platforms such as Klaxo,DRIVUPorOmega Permis.

There are also unions such as :

UNIDEC (***) has been a key player in the sector since ****. This union defends the interests of driving schools and proposes measures to improve the profession and road safety. UNIC (***) specializes in communication and legal protection for independent professionals, providing information and recourse in the event of disputes.

Focus on the driving school instructor profession

To become a driving school instructor, whether ...

3.2 Geographical distribution of driving schools

While these traditional or hybrid driving schools are still in the majority despite the emergence of online training, they seem to be coming under increasing competitive pressure, fuelled by the changes that have affected the sector. Indeed, after a steady rise between **** and **** (***)

Number of driving schools France, ****-****, in units ACOSS This downward trend can be explained by the difficulties encountered by driving schools due to several factors market liberalization, which has fuelled competition from online platforms a fall in average sales per candidate, due in particular to shorter exam times and the development of training methods that require fewer hours of driving at driving schools (***).

According to INSEE, the survival rate after the first * years of the **** generation of driving schools is **.*%, illustrating the difficulties that driving schools can face, and the current concentration affecting the market.

The number of employees in driving schools has remained fairly stable, and has tended to increase between **** and ****, which may point to a concentration of driving schools into larger structures that are replacing smaller, family-run structures.

Number of employees in driving schools France, **** - ****, in units URSSAF

The number of driving schools is relatively correlated with population density.

The map below shows ...

3.3 The "uberization" of the driving school market

In ****, the Macron law authorized distance learning contracts and simplified prefectoral approval procedures, removing the obligation for driving schools to obtain the approval of the Comission départementale de la sécurité routière. [***] This reform has led to the emergence of new nationwide players with no premises of their own: online driving schools.

In ****, the Ornikar driving school, which appeared in ****, launched the development of online driving schools and spread this model.

Online driving schools, such as Ornikar, En Voiture Simone and PermisLibre, are digital platforms that offer online training and put students in touch with independent instructors available near them. Because they cost far less than traditional driving schools, online driving schools offer particularly competitive prices. Ornikar, for example, claims that its prices are at least **% lower than its competitors.

As a result, today in France, almost **% of French drivers choose to learn to drive via an online driving school, as shown in the graph below.

Breakdown between traditional and online driving schools France, ****, in Source: ****

These driving schools claim several advantages over traditional driving schools[***]:

Flexibility: practice for the General Theory Exam can be done at any time, any place, at any pace. Similarly, driving lessons can be ...

4.1 Typology of driving schools and driving licences

The table below describes therange offered by each type of driving school.

Source: ****

Although learning formats may differ, driving schools offer two types of training: theoretical, to prepare for the Highway Code exam, and practical, to prepare for the driving test.

Driving schools also offer additional services, which can be summarized as follows:

Road safety awareness in schools and extracurricular activities dual control vehicle rental Post-licensing courses Training for other land and water licenses Training for driving school instructors (***) Training for transport and logistics professionals in the construction industry

Finally, the table below summarizes the different types of driving license.

Source: ****

What's more, there are several different types of training available for the same license:

Conventional training: provided by traditional and online driving schools, with a standard program of theoretical and practical courses. **% of driving license applicants choose this traditional route, and **.*% obtain their license on the first try. Accelerated training : an intensive program that reduces the length of training (***). Accompanied driving: available from the age of **, this includes a period of driving supervised by an adult. In ****, only **% of candidates opted for accompanied driving, despite a higher success rate (***) than for candidates in conventional training. Supervised driving: for students over ...

4.2 Driving school fees

One of the main obstacles to obtaining a driving license is the high cost of training, as shown in the graph below.

Why don't you have your driving license? France, ****, in Source: ****

Indeed, most French people spend between €*,*** and €*,*** to obtain their driving license, as the graph below illustrates.

Overall cost of obtaining a driving license France, ****, in Source: ****

The average cost of a driving license is around €****, and can vary according to the type of training taken out: accompanied driving, supervised driving, etc.

Average price of a driving license France, ****, in euros Source: ****

Prices also differ from region to region: for example, the standard driving license costs around €**** in the Sarthe region, compared with €**** in the Nord region. [***]

Driving school fees are on the rise in France: rates have been rising steadily for the past ** years. However, they have accelerated over the past * years, mainly due to inflation.

price trends for driving school services France, ****-****, in

Some **% of French people are forced to ask a third party for help in financing their driving license .

Financing your driving license on your own? France, ****, in Source: ****

Financiers are older and predominantly male (***).

They are more likely than learners to live outside ...

4.3 Market trends

The driving school market in France is currently marked by several major trends.

On the one hand, the French government has launched initiatives aimed at modernizing the driver training sector. This includes the signing of a charter in partnership with BPI France and the CNPA as part of the France Relance plan, focused on digitizing the sector and promoting more environmentally-friendly vehicle fleets.

Indeed, with therise of digitalization and artificial intelligence, major trends are on the horizon:

Distance learning is booming. Students can now take driving lessons over the Internet, with virtual teachers. This approach offers unprecedented flexibility, allowing students to watch tutored videos and take part in online discussions, making training more accessible.

With virtual reality, students will be able to train in simulated environments, understand the highway code and acquire skills in complete safety before getting behind the wheel. This technology becomes a new form of accompanied driving.

In addition, the creation of an online map of accredited training courses on the road safety website bears witness to efforts to improve the visibility of available training courses.

Another notable trend is the adoption of new technologies to simplify and improve access to practical tests. The experimentation of the "Rdvpermis ...

5. 1 Driving school obligations

To become a driving school operator, you must : be ** years old provide proof of the establishment's resources (***) have a CQP RUESRC (***) or a level III diploma employ a driving school teacher with specific training obtain prefectoral approval, valid for * years and renewable * years before expiry Each establishment must also have insurance cover for all its vehicles, in the event of technical or human failure. The business can be run as : a sole proprietorship with liberal status, if the operator is himself an instructor ; a commercial company, if the operator is not an instructor. To become a driving school instructor, you need to obtain the CCP ECSR (***). The CCP ECSR requires no formal qualifications. It is an approved professional qualification at bac + * level. [***]

5.2 Recent reforms

**** European reform

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

To meet these objectives, several elements were harmonized: the format of driving licenses (***) and the frequency of medical examinations.

These changes came into force in France in ****. [***]

**** reform

The **** reform initiated the desire, still present today, to reduce waiting times and prices.

* major measures were adopted.

On the one hand, the ambition to reduce waiting times manifested itself in the mobilization of police and gendarmerie pensions for the passage of the théoric test, reducing the duration of the practical test from ** to ** minutes, increasing the number of inspectors and outsourcing the theoretical test to * state-approved operators.

On the other hand, access to the driving license is facilitated by the "* euro a day driving license", which offers young people aged ** to ** a zero-interest loan to be repaid at a rate of * euro a day. This opportunity is then open to candidates who have failed their first driving test, and a "complementary loan" of *** euros is created.

Accompanied driving is also widely encouraged, with a national promotion campaign, the systematic proposal of ...

6.1 Segmentation

• ECF
• CER Réseau
• Couturier Permis
• Ornikar
• En Voiture Simone
• Stych
• City'Zen
• Codes Rousseau
• Permis Pas Cher
• Permis Plus
• 100% Permis
• ECF Centre Atlantique
• ECF Sud Prévention routière
• ECF Paris Sud Rive Gauche
• ECF Llerena
• Sojadis Equipement
• SCF SPS
• Ediser
• Centre d’éducation routière Rhône-Alpes (Autoécoles Marietton)
• Beltoise Évolution
• Automobile Club Prévention
• Mouffetard auto-école
• Conduite enseignement
• Longjumeau conduite
• Le Permis Libre
• Permis UP
• Permis Fastoche
• Success Permis
• Permis Radin
• Permis Malin
• ECOPERMIS
• LEC Auto ecole