Is the Illinois Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

Secretary of State asks 35 questions and requires 80% correct - at least 28 right answers. That leaves a margin of 7 wrong. Among the 51 jurisdictions, 6 are harder, 4 more are level with it, and 40 are easier.

Illinois's path from permit to full license

In Illinois, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 9 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Illinois's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Illinois, 14.0 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Illinois ranks 24th lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Illinois's road network sees 1.19 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What Illinois bans behind the wheel.

Illinois 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. Illinois'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 Illinois, the average driver pays about $1,153 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 15.2% of Illinois 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 $20,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Illinois lands 25th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Illinois 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.

Illinois's motorcyclist fatality rate is 6.48 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - below the 6.87 U.S. average. Illinois has no statewide adult helmet requirement.

Secretary of State's motorcycle knowledge test is 15 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the Secretary of State road test is not something we have verified for Illinois, so check with Secretary of State before you count on it. No statewide adult helmet requirement.

On bigger rigs.

The Illinois CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 30 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Illinois is $50. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the Secretary of State.