Is the Hawaii Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Hawaii ranks 33rd of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the lowest teen-driver fatality rate in the country.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Hawaii sits close to the middle of both axes.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The HDOT asks 30 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 24 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. That places Hawaii near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Hawaii lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Hawaii, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15½, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 17.
- Learner's permitAge 15½held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 11 PM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 17all restrictions lift
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Hawaii requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Hawaii's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Hawaii, 3.8 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.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Hawaii's road network sees 0.87 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
What Hawaii bans behind the wheel.
Hawaii scores 3.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 38th of 51). The state bans handheld phones for all drivers and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Hawaii's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 95%.
On two wheels.
Hawaii's motorcyclist fatality rate is 11.00 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Hawaii's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
HDOT's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Hawaii Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the HDOT road test. Required for riders under 18.
On bigger rigs.
The Hawaii CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Hawaii is $15. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the HDOT.
Pass the HDOT test before you take it.
Free Hawaii practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Hawaii practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- California17th of 51 on road safety4th-hardest test
- Michigan15th of 51 on road safety33rd-hardest test
- New Hampshire14th of 51 on road safety14th-hardest test
- Pennsylvania18th of 51 on road safety2nd-hardest test
- Nevada19th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test
- Rhode Island13th of 51 on road safety44th-hardest test