Is the Delaware Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Delaware ranks 19th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law and roads that are safer than most.
Across the 51 jurisdictions, stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Delaware sits on the safer side, near the top of the chart.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DMV asks 30 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 24 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. That places Delaware near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Delaware lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Delaware, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 16, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16 + 6 months, and earns a full unrestricted license at 17.
- Learner's permitAge 16held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16 + 6 monthsnight ban 10 PM - 6 AM
- Full licenseAge 17all restrictions lift
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Delaware requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Delaware's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Delaware, 10.0 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Delaware ranks 13th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Delaware's road network sees 1.36 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
The country's strictest law on driving with a phone in your hand.
Delaware scores a full 6.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — the only state to do so. The law bans handheld phones for all drivers, prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers, and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Delaware's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 96%.
On two wheels.
Delaware's motorcyclist fatality rate is 5.67 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Delaware's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Delaware Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DMV road test. Required for riders under 19; eye protection required for everyone.
On bigger rigs.
The Delaware CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Delaware is $5. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.
Pass the DMV test before you take it.
Free Delaware practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Delaware practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.