Is the Idaho Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The ITD asks 40 questions and requires 85% correct - at least 34 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. Only 4 other jurisdictions set a tougher pass-fail line.

Idaho hands out permits earlier than most

Idaho permits driving instruction as early as 14½ - earlier than the 16-year-old norm most states use. The intermediate license follows at 15, with a full unrestricted license at 17.

On Idaho's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Idaho, 13.3 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Idaho ranks 20th lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Idaho's road network sees 1.37 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

Idaho's distracted-driving law is among the country's weakest.

Idaho scores 2.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric - one of the country's lowest. The state bans handheld phones for all drivers. Idaho's seat-belt law is secondary enforcement - an officer cannot stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver unless another violation is present. 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 Idaho, the average driver pays about $864 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 6.4% of Idaho 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 $15,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Idaho lands 49th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Idaho 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.

Idaho's motorcyclist fatality rate is 5.21 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Idaho's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

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

On bigger rigs.

The Idaho CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Idaho is $29. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the ITD.