Mexico's largest practical license testing program turns ten: 27 APEX simulators, more than 300,000 exams administered, and 75,000 hours of operation.
This August, the Government of the State of Guanajuato marks 10 years of evaluating driver's license applicants on APEX simulators. What began in 2016 as a pioneering bet is today the largest practical driving test program in Mexico: 27 simulators in operation, more than 300,000 exams administered, and 75,000 accumulated hours of use.
A test that actually evaluates
Before the simulator, getting a license in most of the country came down — and in many states still does — to paperwork with no real practical evaluation. Guanajuato flipped the logic: every applicant drives in a real car cab, through standardized scenarios that include risk situations impossible to recreate on the street, and the result is determined by the session's telemetry, not by an evaluator's impression.
Biometric fingerprint sign-in also guarantees that every exam belongs to the person who took it: no stand-ins and no altered results. Every maneuver — braking, speed, mirror and turn-signal use, lane position — is measured and stored.
A decade in numbers
- 27 APEX simulators in operation — the largest program in the country
- More than 300,000 driving exams administered
- 75,000 accumulated simulator hours
- 10 years of continuous operation since August 2016
Guanajuato's model opened the road other states later took: the Jalisco state Ministry of Mobility, Nayarit, and San Pedro Garza García also administer their practical exams on APEX simulators today. Even so, most Mexican states still issue licenses with no practical evaluation — the clearest road-safety improvement opportunity in Mexico.
Want simulator-based testing in your state or city?
APEX delivers the complete program: car simulators, installation at license offices, staff training, a results platform, and a maintenance plan with on-site support. Explore the car driving simulator or request a quote to size your license office.
