Is the Indiana Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The BMV asks 50 questions and requires 80% correct - at least 40 right answers. That leaves a margin of 10 wrong. Among the 51 jurisdictions, 6 are harder, 4 more are level with it, and 40 are easier.

Indiana's path from permit to full license

In Indiana, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 180 days, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16 + 180 days, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Indiana's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Indiana, 22.4 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Indiana ranks 41st lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Indiana's road network sees 1.02 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What Indiana bans behind the wheel.

Indiana 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. Indiana's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 93%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Indiana, the average driver pays about $926 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 14% of Indiana 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 Indiana lands 38th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

Indiana does not require insurers to discount for a defensive-driving course, though some may still offer one. The same course can also knock points off your record or help dismiss a ticket.

On two wheels.

Indiana's motorcyclist fatality rate is 7.11 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - near the 6.87 U.S. average. Indiana's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

BMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 84% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the BMV road test is not something we have verified for Indiana, so check with BMV before you count on it. Required for riders under 18.

On bigger rigs.

The Indiana CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Indiana is $17. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the BMV.