Pere Navarro, head of the DGT, put it this way: “Would you send your child to a school where more than half the students fail?” About 50% of learner drivers in Spain fail their first practical test, a rate Navarro blames on poor preparation rather than a tough exam. In Zaragoza, 2025 data from the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico shows that 48.85% of category B license candidates did not pass, in line with the national trend.
Spain is at a turning point in driver training. Automatic cars account for about 60% of new registrations, information from recent reports, yet most driving lessons and tests still use manual gearboxes. Navarro says the approach is outdated. “The future is the automatic,” he insists, arguing that training and exams should focus on automatic cars to help more people pass, especially as electric vehicles become common.
In 2025, the DGT detected 1,013 cases of cheating on the theoretical driving exam; all those candidates automatically failed.
Navarro discussed the figures in a recent Motor 5 interview. Half of learners fail on their first try, about a quarter pass on the second, and the rest need three or more attempts. He rejects the idea that the test is too hard: “They failed because they were not sufficiently prepared. Period.”
New European rules will soon allow 17-year-olds to lead with an adult. Spain must implement the rules by November 26, 2028, under the latest EU directive, as Navarro has also stated, though the country could act sooner. Under the new system, 17-year-olds can take both theory and practical tests but must lead with an experienced adult until they turn 18. The accompanying adult must be at least 24 and have held a license for more than five years.
Navarro wants learners to qualify on automatic cars first. If they later need to lead a manual, a short additional course would suffice; they would not need to retake the full exam. The proposal would align training with Spain’s car market and support the shift to electric vehicles, which are almost all automatic. New EU rules will also allow drivers who passed on automatics to remove the restriction after a brief course.
A recent media experiment reported by Mundo Deportivo found that about 91.9% of current drivers would fail today’s theoretical driving exam, fueling debate about the adequacy of driver training and the relevance of current curricula.
The DGT’s push for reform follows other recent changes, including the new rule on V16 emergency beacons, which has already sparked debate among drivers. An earlier breakdown explains what equipment is required in Spanish vehicles.
Driving schools in Spain face a choice: adapt to new realities or risk leaving another generation behind. Navarro’s message is blunt: without real change, high failure rates will persist. Tweaks are not enough; he argues that only a full overhaul will bring Spanish driver training up to speed.
