People will soon be allowed to undergo a driving test using automatic transmission vehicles, according to the Rwanda National Police (RNP).

This comes after a cabinet meeting, chaired by President Paul Kagame, on Thursday, April 25, approved a presidential order amending a 2002 presidential decree regulating general traffic police and road traffic. Cabinet also approved a Ministerial Order determining the model of the national driving licence.

According to RNP, people who will pass a driving test using an automatic transmission vehicle will be allowed to drive automatic transmission vehicles in the respective categories.

"Those who will pass using a manual transmission vehicle will be allowed to drive both manual and automatic transmission vehicles in their respective categories. We will update you when the resolution comes into force," the RNP posted on X.

Rwanda National Police Spokesperson, ACP Boniface Rutikanga, told The New Times that following the cabinet's approval of the draft decree, the development "comes into force when published in the official gazette."

Once operational, Police warned that in an event the holder is found driving a manual vehicle that requires hill start skills, they should be legally penalised– like a holder of a licence to drive a small car caught driving a truck.

The criminal act is punishable under article 609 of the Rwandan penal code.

It states that "any person who forges or alters documents by forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging agreements, its provisions, obligations, discharged obligations shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of more than five years to seven years and a fine of Rwf300,000 to Rwf3 million.”

A global and local trend in the motor industry shows that in the last 20 years, production is shifting to only automatic vehicles.

While the global market share for automatic vehicles was less than 15 percent in 1998, less than 3 percent of cars sold had manual transmissions in 2016.

Rwanda is no exception.

Jean-Luc Mugabo, the sales manager in CFAO Motors Rwanda, Volkswagen Rwanda’s official dealer, told The New Times, in an earlier interview , that 70 percent of their vehicle sales were of automatic transmission.

John Mugabo, the Finance Manager at Toyota Rwanda, also previously emphasized on their increasing sales of automatic transmission cars.

"Our clients’ preferences, different from before, are automatic transmission cars at an estimation of above 60 per cent especially in these small cars,” he said.

Mugabo added: "I can even say that one of the major reasons for the 40 per cent who prefer manual transmission cars is that they are more affordable as compared to auto transmission cars.”