Is the Alaska Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The DMV asks 20 questions and requires 80% correct - at least 16 right answers. That leaves a margin of 4 wrong. That places Alaska near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.

Alaska hands out permits earlier than most

Alaska permits driving instruction as early as 14 - earlier than the 16-year-old norm most states use. The intermediate license follows at 16, with a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Alaska's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Alaska, 4.7 die in a crash each year - one of the lowest rates in the country (the U.S. average is 16.8). In Mississippi the figure is 44; in Montana, 34.

Across all drivers, Alaska's road network sees 1.11 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What Alaska bans behind the wheel.

Alaska scores 2.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 42nd of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers. Alaska's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 92%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Alaska, the average driver pays about $1,113 a year, less than the $1,282 a typical American pays. Here is where that sits next to the national average and the cheapest and priciest states.

About 12.5% of Alaska drivers carry no insurance at all (the national figure is 15.4%), and the least coverage the state lets a driver carry is $50,000 for injuries to one person, $100,000 total for injuries per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Alaska lands T-34th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Alaska law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 55+), good for 3 years. The same course can also knock points off your record or help dismiss a ticket.

On two wheels.

Alaska's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.13 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Alaska's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the DMV road test is not something we have verified for Alaska, so check with DMV before you count on it. Required for riders under 18 and all passengers.

On bigger rigs.

The Alaska CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Alaska is $15. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.