If you’ve clicked on this article, then this must mean that you already know if you’re eligible for taking your driving test in France, and you’re more or less needing to figure out the finer details of it all. We’re going on the assumption that you’re either an expat from neither the EU/EEA member countries, and, or you are within that one year period where you must exchange your foreign licence for a french one. Or, maybe, your case is different- you’re like me; you’ve never driven a car before, and you live in France, and it’s become a necessity.
I’ve chosen to share my experience here because it was quite daunting. Expensive and traumatising I’ll add, and this here is like cheap therapy. I’m letting it all out. Back home in the caribbean where I’m from, your older brother, or your younger brother for that matter, could teach you to drive, and once you're ready, you pay the bill at the registration office, and in thirty minutes or less, you've done your test, and you've got your permit. But I had to wait and wait, didn't I? Until France happened. Know what else happened? Jacked up instruction fees is what! Here's how the whole thing works:
First of all, you have to choose a driving school. Ok you don't HAVE to. If you’ve had tons of experience driving on the french/european motorway, and you’re quite comfortable with the whole thing, then I’m sure you don’t really have to go to a driving school. Obtaining your permit is just a formality, and in that case you can just apply for your permit online directly. Please note however that in order to acquire the driving licence, you have to take a theory and a road test, and even though you are an experienced driver, you are going to need to prepare at least a bit for the first one. There are online tools and books that are available for that though if you’re going about it solo. Just look up online, and in bookstores for code de la route resources. For the rest of us who aren’t experienced drivers, the classic route of the auto-ecole is the way to go.
So yea, you have to choose a driving school. You’re method of choosing a school usually will depend on the practical side of things.
- Is it near work? School? Home? Can you get to and from there quickly?
- Do they offer to pick you up when you need to start a lesson?
- Are they available on Saturdays? Past 6pm on a weekday? How workable is your schedule around their schedule?
These are some of the questions that you may ask the schools when you call them up help you make up your mind.
- Are their online reviews any good in terms of the dependability of the tutors?
- Do the tutors sound like they’re reliable?
We all know that not everything we read on the internet is true, but it’s a good starting point nonetheless.
Pricing of course is another important deciding factor. The truth is however, that no matter how you look at it, if you’re getting your driving permit from scratch in France, it is hella expensive!!! If you don’t believe me, let's take a look at the numbers. You may or may not have heard of them, but UFC Que Choisir, which is a french consumer group with a membership of more than 160 local groups (whose aim is to defend the rights of consumers), conducted a survey on the cost of acquiring a driving license in France. The study revealed that the average cost per person is 1804€. Do you now understand my trauma?
Here’s a breakdown of how it actually gets to be that much. I’m already seeing the sceptical look on your face because of course you’ve already googled auto ecole prices in your area, and what’s registered with you is that some of them offer you that golden ticket for as low as 750€!!! Don’t be fooled by that lot. If UFC Que Choisir says that the national average rate is about 1800€, then you should ask yourself what trap those 750€ folks are setting up for you. Beware I say. The results of this consumer group survey may not be the be all and end in terms of advising on making informed choices, but that price gap is HUGE wouldn’t you agree?
First of all, from what I’ve gathered from folks who went down that route, for that price, you’re basically on your own for the theory part. There’s no one to explain anything to you should you need to, you just have to figure it all out on your lonesome. You might say hey its not the end of the world, that’s doable. Yes for the most part it is. The trap is in the driving practice. These attractive rates offer the minimum amount of driving lessons required for a candidate to take the test. Thats 20 driving lessons. Some of these places that offer the 750€ type deals however, they let you cover like at least half of your actual driving practice on those arcade like looking car cubicle things that they have at their driving school offices. Which means that actual driving experience that gets you ready to face the big trucks on the road? Less than 20 actual hours. According to that same study published by UFC Que Choisir, on average, most persons get their licenses with 28 to 30 practice hours. Mine was wayyy above that, but hey who’s counting. Hey I saw that smirk judgey!!
So to get back on track, you need to decide if you can make it with the minimum 20 hours which is where the more reasonable rates are, or a bit more if you prefer to play it safe. Most schools offer packages, with the minimum 20 hours + the code de la route as the entry price package. There is usually another package offered, with 25 -30 hours of driving practice included; the number of hours could be more or less, depending on the school that you choose. There are sometimes other variations such as an accelerated package for those who want to get the driving test done in 30 days, for example. It goes without saying that prices vary with the packages, from expensive, to more expensive.
Once you use up the hours in your plan, if the instructors judge that you are ready for the road test, then you will be given a date for your exam . If you’re not at all ready, and it is clear that you will fail the test, then you are then required to take additional lessons. Each additional lesson is billed from anywhere between 37€-53€ depending on the area/region that you live in. Hence the 1800€ national average.
The theory part that is included in any of the packages is the basic road rules and all you need to know to drive in this part of the world. You get schooled on the road rules, speed limits, consequences of not following these rules, your responsibilities as a driver, etc. I'm sure that some schools have actual instructors for this bit, but my experience of this was me using the software at home on the internet, and sometimes on the tv at the school; watching the videos and memorizing the responses. Better luck to you. On the actual test day you will have the same number of questions to answer as in the practice sessions; a series of 40 multiple choice style questions. The goal is to not have more than five wrong responses when the day of the theory test comes around. Do note that the theory test results is valid for a period of 5 years , so that leaves you with a bit of time to get the practical test out of the way.
In terms of actual driving practice, most schools will start your learning with a sort of evaluation type lesson where the instructor determines what your level is. Mine was steering practice on an empty parking lot, and I was still hyperventilating. I’m telling you, that instructor looked like he wanted to be any place else!!! Once they gauge your experience, the content of the lessons, what they think you need to learn to be able to pass the test; is what you are taught from then on.
Can you learn to drive without a driving school? Yes and no? You can't learn on a parking lot with someone, in any ole car. French laws are pesky that way. You and the person next to you in that car will be fined, he or she will lose their permit, and banned from retaking the drivers exam during a five year period. The banning for five years part applies to you as well. So no.
There are other options (ish) though, if you choose not to go the driving school route; you could rent a vehicle from one of those places like Permis Malin, that specialises in renting out driving school vehicles with the pedals on both sides. The only downside to that is that you are still required to have had 20 hours minimum driving experience, and the person accompanying you would have to have a minimum of 5 years experience. See the pattern? Learning to drive on a normal vehicle (no double pedals) is also possible; they call this one accompanied driving if my translation is right. Same thing though, you still need the minimum requirement of 20 hours at the driving school, and an experienced driver with 5 years experience has to be with you at all times; I guess they don't want to unleash the crazies too early.
Can you learn to drive on an automatic vehicle? Yes. There are some schools who own instruction vehicles that are not manual, however, they are few and far between, so you would need to ask about it when you are looking up schools. It is important to note however that the majority of vehicles in France and Europe for that matter is manual transmission, and if you are to do your driving practice and get your permit, it would state that you are exclusively allowed to drive automatic vehicles, and you would be considered as infringing the law should you be caught driving a stick shift. But if you’re worried about mixing up second and fourth gear when downshifting , then I'd say that yes, the struggle is real, and automatic transmissions just might simplify the formula a bit.
Once the actual day of driving test comes, the ordeal surprisingly lasts less than 40 minutes. Mine was like 25 minutes I think. I just remember it going soo quickly. Mind you I'm talking about my second one, because on my first test that I attempted to take, I was such a nervous mess that I did not allow the vehicle that had the right-of-way to pass, and I got eliminated without an actual score. So yea, being calm is what I wish for you on that day.
So once you’ve done your test, and you’ve not been eliminated directly, then you have a waiting period that is given in order to get your test results (mine was about a week or so but sometimes you know in like 48 hours). You can just consult the national website with your reference number to find out your score. If you do succeed, your license gets posted to you by mail in a couple weeks time. You start off with a 6 points permit, and the total being 12, you get allocated 2 points every year if you’ve been behaving well on the road.
Have you started looking up driving schools? Or getting practice lessons yet? How has it been for you thus far? I'd love to hear of your experience in the comments below :). Good luck on getting that permit!!
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