Ornikar has announced the acquisition of En Voiture Simone, marking a significant consolidation move in France’s digital driving education market. The deal brings together two of the country’s best-known online driving school brands and strengthens Ornikar’s position as a major player in the broader mobility journey. With the transaction, the combined group aims to offer learners a more complete pathway from driving theory and practical training through to insurance and future mobility services.
A Stronger Position in French Driving Education
The new entity will account for more than 10% of the total French driving school market, a notable milestone in a sector that has long remained highly fragmented. Together, Ornikar and En Voiture Simone will support more than one million theory test learners each year, over 100,000 new driving licence candidates annually, and a network of more than 3,000 independent driving instructors across France. Since their respective launches, the two companies have collectively helped around eight million students prepare for the road.
Founded in 2013, Ornikar has built its reputation on making driving education more accessible, transparent, and digitally enabled. En Voiture Simone, launched in 2015, has also played a central role in reshaping the learner driver experience through an online-first model connecting candidates with qualified independent instructors. Both brands will continue to operate within the new group, preserving their identities while benefiting from a larger operational and technological base.
Extending the Mobility Journey
The acquisition supports Ornikar’s strategy of expanding beyond the traditional driving school model. Since launching Ornikar Assurances in 2023, the company has positioned itself as a partner for young drivers not only during the learning phase, but also throughout their early years on the road. By integrating En Voiture Simone, Ornikar intends to reinforce this end-to-end approach, covering everything from the highway code and driving lessons to insurance and additional mobility services.
Ornikar Chief Executive Philippe Maso y Guell Rivet said the transaction reflects a shared ambition to provide a more demanding and affordable model for driving education. He highlighted En Voiture Simone’s strong brand and recognised expertise, noting that the combined group can now deliver broader support to different generations of drivers. Edouard Rudolf, co-founder of En Voiture Simone, said joining Ornikar would allow the company to accelerate its development while preserving the identity it has built over more than a decade.
Strategic Partnership With Cosmobilis
The deal also establishes a strategic partnership between Ornikar and Cosmobilis, the outgoing majority shareholder of En Voiture Simone. Cosmobilis owns bee2link, a European automotive distribution technology platform that supports manufacturers, dealers, rental companies, financial providers, and mobility partners in more than 30 countries. Through this partnership, Ornikar expects to develop new services for students, young drivers, and partner instructors, particularly in areas such as vehicle financing and leasing.
Jean-Louis Mosca, Chairman and Chief Executive of Cosmobilis, described En Voiture Simone’s development as a successful journey that made the company the second-largest digital driving school in France and a profitable business. He said combining its efficiency with Ornikar’s scale would help accelerate the transformation of the driving licence market. For Cosmobilis, the partnership also offers bee2link a direct role in supporting the combined group and generating business opportunities for dealerships connected to its platform.
Complementary Strengths Across Technology and Coverage
The combination rests on several areas of complementarity between the two companies. En Voiture Simone has developed one of the most widely used highway code preparation applications in the French market, while Ornikar has built an integrated ecosystem spanning the learner driver journey. Bringing these assets together is expected to improve the experience for students and independent instructors across both brands over time.
The acquisition also strengthens geographic coverage by combining two networks of independent instructors across the country. This broader reach could be particularly relevant in areas where demand for driving lessons exceeds the availability of traditional driving schools. In addition, the two brands address partly distinct audiences and life stages, giving the enlarged group a wider base from which to serve learner drivers and newly licensed motorists.
Ornikar’s acquisition of En Voiture Simone represents a major step in the consolidation of France’s digital driving education sector. By preserving both brands while combining technology, instructor networks, and service capabilities, the group is seeking to create a more comprehensive mobility platform for learners and young drivers. The move also points to a broader shift in the market, where driving schools are increasingly expected to support customers beyond the licence itself and into the first years of vehicle ownership and insured mobility.