Is the Georgia Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The DDS asks 40 questions and requires 75% correct - at least 15 right answers. That leaves a margin of 25 wrong - the most forgiving combination in the country.

Georgia's path from permit to full license

In Georgia, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 12 months and 1 day, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Georgia's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Georgia, 13.1 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Georgia ranks 19th lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Georgia's road network sees 1.32 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What Georgia bans behind the wheel.

Georgia scores 4.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 19th of 51). The state bans handheld phones for all drivers and prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers. Georgia's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 94%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Georgia, the average driver pays about $1,555 a year, more 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 19% of Georgia drivers carry no insurance at all (the national figure is 15.4%), and the least coverage the state lets a driver carry is $25,000 for injuries to one person, $50,000 total for injuries per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Georgia lands 4th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Georgia law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 25+), minimum 10%, good for 3 years. The same course can also knock points off your record or help dismiss a ticket.

On two wheels.

Georgia's motorcyclist fatality rate is 8.86 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Georgia is one of 20 jurisdictions with a universal helmet law: every rider, every passenger, no age exemptions.

DDS's motorcycle knowledge test is 20 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the DDS road test is not something we have verified for Georgia, so check with DDS before you count on it. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.

On bigger rigs.

The Georgia CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Georgia is $10. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DDS.