Overview

• Average wait times for practical driving exams have topped 80 days in early 2025, reaching up to four months in some rural areas.
• The Interior Ministry will add 80,000 exam slots by year’s end, recruit 108 new state inspectors, mobilise retired examiners and fund 10 additional posts for next year.
• Leading driving-school associations argue the measures are insufficient and insist that about 200 more inspectors are needed to meet current demand.
• François-Noël Buffet has emphasised that road-safety standards and the level of exam requirements will remain unchanged despite efforts to expand capacity.
• A parliamentary mission set to begin in September will conduct a comprehensive review of driver instruction and testing procedures to improve pass rates.