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Legislation In Discussion In Congress Creates An Exclusive License For Automatic Cars, With Specific Classes, Mandatory Practical Exam In This Type Of Vehicle And Specific Rules For Conversion To Manual Transmission.
A bill presented in the Chamber of Deputies in March 2025 reignites the debate about creating a specific National Driver’s License for those who intend to drive only cars with automatic transmission.
This is the PL 782/2025, authored by Deputy Marco Brasil (PP-PR), which establishes a subcategory of the CNH with classes and a practical exam exclusive for automatic vehicles.
As of September 2025, the text was still under analysis by the Committee on Transportation and Traffic, without having been voted on or transformed into law, but it already indicates possible relevant changes for future candidates for the first license.
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CNH Subcategory Focused Exclusively On Automatic Vehicles
Clearly, the bill provides for creating a type of license intended for drivers who wish to drive exclusively motor vehicles equipped with automatic transmission.
This specific license would be a subcategory linked to the current category B of the CNH, maintaining the limit of vehicles up to 3,500 kilograms and a capacity of up to eight seats, but with the explicit restriction of use only for automatic vehicles.
The text stipulates that the new license would prominently display the inscription “AUTOMATIC VEHICLES”, making it clear that the driver could not operate vehicles with manual transmission.
Requirement For Classes And Practical Exam In Automatic Car
To obtain this restricted CNH, the candidate would not follow exactly the same training path currently adopted.
PL 782/2025 establishes that theoretical and practical classes would be exclusively directed towards driving vehicles with automatic transmission.
In practice, the student’s training would focus on the characteristics of this type of transmission, such as using the gear selector, managing slopes, maneuvering control, and the response of the engine-transmission set in heavy traffic situations, without requiring the candidate to master the clutch pedal or manual gear shifting.
The practical driving exam would also undergo an important change in the routine of Driver Training Centers.
According to the text, the test for those choosing the specific license would have to be conducted exclusively in an automatic vehicle.
This is not just an option for the traffic authority, but an explicit requirement in the bill’s wording.
Thus, the entire process, from classes to the final assessment, would be tied to this type of vehicle.
Possibility Of Conversion To Drive Manual Vehicles
The bill, however, does not close the door for those, after being licensed in the restricted subcategory, who wish to also drive manual transmission vehicles.
The text provides a conversion path to a CNH without transmission restriction, conditioned to the fulfillment of two requirements: completion of practical classes in a manual vehicle and approval in a specific practical exam, also in a manual vehicle.
In other words, the driver who started driving only automatic vehicles could, at a later stage, expand their license, provided they undergo new training and a new assessment.
Driving schools would also have direct obligations if the bill is approved and comes into effect.
Article 6 establishes that Driver Training Centers are required to provide automatic vehicles for both classes and practical exams for this type of licensure.
This requirement impacts the structure of companies in the sector, which would need to maintain a specific fleet to accommodate students opting for the subcategory, affecting acquisition, maintenance, and operating costs.
Transition Rules And Impact On The Sector
The bill also sets a transition rule: the eventual law resulting from PL 782/2025 would only come into effect 180 days after its publication.
This interval is justified as necessary for the adaptation of traffic authorities and CFCs, including adjustments in systems, registrations, contracts, and the logistics of exams and scheduling.
As of September 2025, however, this phase had not yet been reached, as the proposal continued its course in Congress.
In the official tracking record, PL 782/2025 is listed alongside PL 1048/2024, which is, in turn, linked to PL 3180/2023.
These other texts also address the presence of automatic transmission in the licensing process, especially the possibility of including theoretical content on driving automatic cars in the exam and the authorization for training and testing in vehicles with this type of transmission.
Together, they form a bloc of proposals aiming at the same central question: how to adapt the CNH to the reality of a fleet where automatic cars cease to be an exception and come to account for a major share of sales.
The arguments presented in the justification for PL 782/2025 are supported by market data and accessibility issues.
The text mentions the growing popularity of automatic vehicles in Brazil and emphasizes that many drivers, especially young and elderly people, prefer this type of car for its practicality in congested urban environments.
Surveys by Fenabrave, cited in related projects, indicate that more than half of the passenger cars and pickups sold in the country already have automatic transmission, strengthening the thesis that driver training should reflect this shift in the fleet profile.
Another emphasized point is the inclusion of people with difficulties in fine motor coordination or physical limitations that make operating the clutch pedal more complex.
For this audience, the existence of a license dedicated to automatic vehicles is presented as a way to broaden access to driving without compromising safety, provided all exams stipulated by the Brazilian Traffic Code are maintained.
The proposal, according to the justification, would seek to reduce barriers currently imposed by a teaching and evaluation model primarily designed for manual cars.
How The Current Process Contrasts With The Proposal Of The Bill
The current context helps to understand the scope of the proposed change. As of September 2025, the process for obtaining the CNH followed the guidelines of the CTB and the Resolution 789/2020 of the National Traffic Council, which consolidates the norms regarding driver training.
For category B, the mandatory practical classes are conducted in vehicles with manual transmission, and the practical exam is also standardized for this type of transmission, even if the candidate intends to drive only automatic vehicles in everyday life.
The possibility of training in automatics exists in some driving schools, but as an additional step, outside the minimum hours required by legislation.
By proposing a subcategory of the CNH for automatic vehicles, PL 782/2025 outlines, on paper, a second path for those obtaining their first license.
Instead of undergoing training and testing in a manual vehicle to later transition to automatic, the candidate could follow an entirely focused path from the beginning on this type of vehicle, assuming, in return, the restriction of not driving manuals.
In practical terms, it involves changing the current logic of “learn in manual to drive what you want” to a model in which the license adapts to the choice of transmission type.
The bill does not alter, in its wording, licenses already issued nor does it create immediate obligations for those currently driving automatics with a common CNH.
The regulatory focus is on creating a new type of license for those “wish to exclusively drive automatic vehicles,” and on defining rules so that this driver, if they want in the future, can have a CNH without restriction, through complementary training and a new exam.
The discussion about any impact on already licensed drivers tends to focus, therefore, on the interpretation and regulation that would come later, should the proposal advance in Congress.
Public Debate And Perspectives Of The Proposal
In the public debate about subcategories for automatic transmission, different positions emerge.
On one side, there are those who see an advantage in bringing the CNH closer to the reality of the market, reducing the stress of learning clutch for those who never intend to use a manual car, and opening up space for greater inclusion.
On the other hand, there are criticisms regarding the possibility of greater fragmentation of categories, increased bureaucracy, and costs for candidates and driving schools, in a scenario where the licensing system is already considered expensive and complex by a large part of the population.
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