English 
Spanish 
4 min read
130 comments
Bills currently under consideration in Brazil propose significant changes to the process for obtaining a driver's license. The proposals include allowing independent instructors to offer practical classes and creating a specific license for automatic vehicles.
Imagine a Brazil where obtaining the National Driver's License (CNH) becomes much simpler and cheaper.
A proposal already circulating in the Chamber of Deputies promises to change the lives of future drivers, allowing them to dispense with the use of driving schools for practical lessons.
Could this be the end of driving schools as we know them? While the topic is causing heated debate, it is important to understand what is behind this bill and what may change in the coming years.
- Hyundai Creta 2025 Platinum 1.0 turbo: The SUV that redefined comfort, technology and economy in one package
- Volkswagen Amarok Highline 2025: Discover the R$40 discount, rumors of the END of the line and if it is still worth every penny!
- Toyota Hilux hybrid arrives in 2026 with futuristic design and sustainability: New GENERATION of Brazil's most beloved pickup truck
- You didn't expect this! Fiat Titano shocks everyone and surpasses Hilux, taking fourth place in the pickup truck ranking in 2024
Bill 5558/19: what does it propose?
According to the text approved by the Chamber of Deputies' Traffic and Transport Committee, the 5558 / 19 Bill allows independent instructors, without any links to Driver Training Centers (CFCs), to teach practical driving lessons.
This flexibility would give CNH candidates the option of choosing between independent instructors and traditional driving schools.
According to the project's rapporteur, deputy Maurício Marcon (Pode-RS), the proposal aims to reduce travel costs of the qualification and increase the economic freedom, allowing self-employed professionals to increase their income.
In practice, anyone accredited by Detran could act as an instructor.
It is important to highlight that, in order to come into force, the project still needs to pass through the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Committee (CCJ) and then be approved by the Senate..
If this happens, driving schools would lose their monopoly on practical classes, something that generates controversy among experts and professionals in the sector.
Advantages and criticisms: the division of opinions
The approval of the proposal promises reduce the cost of the driver's license by offering more options for students, since independent instructors would have greater flexibility in the amounts charged.
Currently, practical classes represent one of the most expensive parts of the qualification process.
On the other hand, critics warn of the possible decline in the quality of training of new drivers.
This is because, according to experts, driving schools follow strict rules to ensure that students are prepared both technically and psychologically to face traffic.
As found by the AutoPapo portal, many independent instructors could not following the same teaching standards required of CFCs, putting road safety at risk.
Furthermore, there are also concerns about the supervision of these instructors by the Detrans.
Another proposal under discussion: CNH for automatic cars
In parallel with Bill 5558/19, Bill 7746/2017 is being processed in the Chamber, which proposes the creation of a subcategory of the CNH exclusively for vehicles with automatic transmission.
According to the text, the candidate could complete the entire qualification process (classes and tests) in automatic cars. However, upon approval, he would be restricted to driving only that type of vehicle.
This measure generated a series of rumors on social media., with messages stating that the new CNH will come into effect at the beginning of next year.
However, as explained by Agência Brasil, this information is false. The project still needs to go through several stages of analysis before being approved.
If approved, the proposal could benefit drivers who intend to drive only automatic cars, a growing trend in the Brazilian automobile market.
The impact on driving schools: adaptation or disappearance?
With the flexibility in the licensing process, driving schools may face an unprecedented crisis.
According to experts interviewed by the newspaper O Globo, CFCs will need to reinvent themselves to attract candidates, offering differentiated services or competitive discounts.
On the other hand, it is unlikely that driving schools will disappear completely., as they still have the necessary structure to serve thousands of students with proven quality.
It is possible, however, that there will be a significant migration to independent instructors.
A change that requires caution
The proposals under discussion in the Chamber of Deputies represent a profound change in the training model for new drivers in Brazil.
While PL 5558/19 opens space for independent instructors and expands economic freedom, PL 7746/2017 offers an alternative to those who prefer to qualify only for automatic cars.
However, it is essential to balance economic benefits with road safety, preventing the quality of education from being compromised. The debate remains heated and is expected to continue in the coming months.
Do you believe these proposals will bring improvements or problems to Brazilian traffic? Leave your opinion in the comments!
What about the simulator issue? Would independent instructors also have to offer it?
There has been no simulator for many years
There will be no simulator because it is no longer mandatory.
I prefer to end this Tamar money machine, we can't stand paying so much retention anymore.
Retesting is paid for Detran, approving this law, the same thing will continue, there will be classes without infrastructure, cars perhaps not adapted, which increases the risk of accidents, if you don't pay for classes for the driving school, they will go to instructors, which I believe will not make a big difference except for inferior quality most of the time.
I believe that the Detran fees should be reduced and the Detran Examiners' evaluation method should be improved, as well as the mandatory class hours that driving schools are required to provide should be made more flexible.
Remembering that 20 hours of driving lessons at a driving school or 20 hours of lessons with a private instructor doesn't make much difference.
Today, instructors work with the same values as driving schools, the difference is the Detran fees, fees that will continue to increase as every year.
I think it would put an end to the mafia that is the driving schools, this is the third motorcycle test I've taken, I've passed the whole circuit and I didn't pass, and for each failure I pay 420,00, which is absurd, because the DETRAN fee is 105.95, the rest is money that goes to the driving school that says it's the motorcycle rental, the instructor's day and the travel, even though I always go on my own, because the test here is done in Varginha, a neighboring city. I honestly have already given up...
If you think the DMV fee is high, the driving school fee is absurd. 139 for the test and each failure and 390 reais for the driving school fee for the test and each failure.
The driving school charges, because it gives you a whole structure like the instructor who stays with you during the exam, the car, the gasoline, if it changes you can do it in your own car, because it is easy to say that it is expensive but the driving school can sometimes lose almost an entire day to accompany the student to the exam and the student does not want to pay anything, maintaining a car is not cheap, do some research.
It would be great with your own car because the cost is not that considerable according to what they charge, apart from other amounts they charge, for example to schedule an exam.
We could do the same in the United States
The minimum number of students will end, and as for the dual command, it is mandatory, as well as the identification of the car for learning. The lack of obligation in the number of classes is fair for those who already drive and for those who will not be scared when the 20 classes end (even if the student is not ready, when the classes end, the student is crazy to TRY to take the exam). So since it is structured, I am in favor of this evolution that will allow CFCs to adapt.
The one who takes money from us is actually the DMV. We do the parking at one time and the route is another and in a different place. And if you pass the parking and fail the route, you always pay the DMV fee to retake the test on another date, having to retake the parking where you passed and done individually. This had to end. If you passed the parking and failed the route, you only have to retake the route, that would be the right thing to do. But this is the DMV's way of making money.
I think we should put an end to the way examiners treat students, because it is thanks to them that we pay so much because, like you, I did 4 exams, and 2 of them I passed in the parking lot because it was the first one, and in the 2 I did the street exam first and in a matter of minutes that didn't even reach 5 they failed me, that is, I spent all my grades believing that I would succeed and in the end I was left without money and couldn't do any more exams that here cost 450,00, so the problem is the examiners...
It would be good to take a few more classes instead of paying, but you can also ask the DMV evaluator why you failed.