Three generations are waiting on the same plastic chairs at the driving test center in a medium-sized town in the Loire. A 17-year-old who can’t stop looking at his phone, a 40-year-old father who is already late for work and a 78-year-old grandmother holding a worn pink licence like it’s a ticket to freedom.
The examiner calls out names from outside. People inside are whispering the same thing: “How old can we really drive in France?”
There have been rumours going around for years. “They’ll take it away at 75…” “You’ll have to have a check-up at 70″… “The European Union will make new rules.”
Except that the official answer has just been confirmed, and it’s not what most people thought it would be.
What is the new age limit for driving licenses in France?
Let’s get right to the point. In France, there is no set age limit for keeping your driver’s license. Not 65. No, not 75. Not 80. Your plastic card doesn’t just stop working when you blow out an extra candle on your birthday cake.
On paper, the rule is simple: it’s not your age that matters, it’s how well you can drive. The state doesn’t set a maximum age as long as you can drive safely.
That sounds good on paper. It makes you think of other things in real life.
You can hear the same stories in any small-town café in the morning. “My neighbour is 86 and still drives every day.” “My dad wouldn’t stop, even after three small crashes.” In a country where many villages no longer have a baker, a doctor or a bus, the licence has become one of the last symbols of freedom.
In the country, losing your right to drive can mean being stuck at home. You can’t go to the grocery store without asking a neighbour. No medical appointment without planning a whole trip. You don’t just lose your ability to move. You lose your ability to be spontaneous, your pride, and little things that happen every day.
That’s why the French government’s recent explanation is so important. The Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that, according to the Highway Code, there is no automatic withdrawal at a certain age. Instead, France is taking things one at a time, based on health and medical fitness.
There are limits on some jobs, like certain heavy-goods or passenger transport licenses, but the rule is clear for classic category B. The state is putting the blame back on drivers, families, and doctors. *And that’s when things get hard.*
Because it’s not often a neutral conversation to realise that someone is no longer safe behind the wheel.
What really happens after 70: medical check, renewal, and withdrawal
So what really happens when you get older behind the wheel if there isn’t a legal age limit? In France, there are three main levers: voluntary medical checks, mandatory checks for some medical conditions, and decisions made by the prefecture.
The voluntary check is the one that people know the least about. Anyone who drives, no matter how old they are, can ask their GP if they are fit to drive. If necessary, the doctor can then send you to a qualified medical professional chosen by the prefecture. This doctor can suggest changes, limits, or a temporary licence.
To be honest, not many people start this process on their own in their seventies.
Marc, a 74-year-old retired engineer who lives near Lyon, is a good example. He still drives 200 km to see his grandchildren. His daughter saw new scratches on the car almost every time she came over last year. “Parking mistake,” he said with a smile. Then one day he missed an exit, then another, and ended up lost on a road he had known for 30 years.
She made an appointment with his GP without any fuss, just “for a general check-up.” The doctor brought it up gently and suggested an eye exam and a checkup with a driving specialist. The result wasn’t a full ban; it was a suggestion: no more driving at night and no long-distance trips on the highway alone. It was hard to talk about. But Marc himself said he felt… relieved.
The Highway Code says that the prefecture can suspend or take away a driver’s license if a doctor says they are no longer fit to drive. This can happen after a report from a police officer, a doctor, or even a family member.
Some diseases, like certain cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, serious vision problems, and addictions, also automatically require you to see a medical commission. In those cases, the licence can be given for a short time (one, two or five years), but it must be renewed with a doctor’s note.
There is a fine line between keeping the driver safe and making older people feel bad. That’s why the French position is based on health, not age, even though everyone knows that age affects eyesight, reflexes, and attention.
How to drive safely as you age (without losing your keys overnight)
There are small things you can do that make a big difference. The first thing you should do is check your hearing and vision on a regular basis, even before you think you have a problem. If your peripheral vision drops just a little, you might miss a cyclist, a pedestrian, or a scooter.
Next, change your routes. Pick roads you know, stay away from complicated multi-lane intersections, and avoid busy times when stress increases risk. A lot of older drivers do this without thinking, but saying it out loud helps make it a strategy instead of a failure.
Lastly, think about “driving situations” instead of age. You can purposely step back from just one of these things—night, rain, the highway, or a busy city center—without stopping driving altogether.
Denial is the biggest trap. “I know the road; I’ve been driving for 50 years.” Yes, having experience helps. But the road today is not the same as it was in the 1980s. More traffic, more things to do, more speed, and more screens.
Families are very careful when they talk about this. No one wants to be the one to say, “You’re getting dangerous.” Talk about tiredness, stress, and comfort from a different point of view. Suggest other options, such as going shopping together, setting up a carpool, or using public transportation when it is available.
We’ve all been there, that moment when we realise that a parent isn’t completely comfortable behind the wheel anymore. We feel torn between wanting to protect them and respecting them.
A doctor who works on road safety told me quietly between two appointments, “The goal isn’t to punish older people.” It’s to keep them moving for as long as possible, but in a way that doesn’t put them or anyone else in danger.
- Set up regular checks
Every year or two after age 65, you should have your vision, hearing, and medications checked.
- Talk about it early, not when things are bad.
Start small talks long before the first big accident or scare.
- Keep high-risk situations to a minimum
Driving at night, on fast highways, or for long periods of time alone when tired.
- Use technology. GPS with clear directions, parking sensors, and emergency braking systems can all be very helpful.
- Know what the law says
If you need to, ask your doctor about the medical commission in your area.
A licence for life, or as long as we can face the truth.
France has decided not to set a minimum age for driving licenses. It looks good for freedom and respect on paper. In everyday life, it puts the burden of responsibility on families, doctors, and everyone who drives.
There is a simple truth that hangs over this debate: age alone doesn’t kill, but denial can. The real question isn’t “How old do I have to be to drive?” It’s “How old do I have to be to be safe behind the wheel, for me and for others?”
Some will stop at 68 because they are tired or because they want to. Others will change the way they drive, cut back on their trips, and live peacefully into their eighties.
The way we talk about it is changing very slowly. People in younger generations are more used to sharing cars, taking trains, and ordering groceries online. For them, not having a car isn’t as big of a deal as it would be for someone born in the 1940s in a village with only two buses a day.
A harsh legal age limit might not be what really changes things; a group deal might be what does. Yes, driving as long as you can. No matter what, driving is not worth it.
There is a lot of room between these two extremes for us to still make a choice together, before an accident or a doctor’s letter does it for us.
| Main point | Detail | What the reader gets out of it |
|---|---|---|
| There is no set age limit. | In France, the licence isn’t automatically taken away at 65, 75, or any other age. | Gives older drivers peace of mind and makes their rights clear |
| Health over age | Medical fitness, not age, decides who can or can’t do something. | Helps you focus on real checks instead of being afraid of a magic number |
| Useful tips | Choices of routes, situations to avoid, medical follow-up, and talking with family | Gives readers useful tips on how to keep driving safely for longer |
