Is the Maine Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Maine ranks 7th-hardest of 51 jurisdictions on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law and roads that are safer than most.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Maine sits at the trend's far top-right end.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The BMV asks 30 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 24 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. Among the 51 jurisdictions, 6 are harder; the other 44 are easier.
Maine lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Maine, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 17 + 3 months.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 6 months, 70 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 17 + 3 monthsall restrictions lift
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
70 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Before the road test, a Maine teen must log at least 70 supervised hours — one of the highest documented requirements in the country. The national mean is 45.2; the IIHS recommends 70.
On Maine's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Maine, 8.3 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Maine ranks 9th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Maine's road network sees 0.89 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
The country's strictest law on driving with a phone in your hand.
Maine scores a full 6.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — the only state to do so. The law bans handheld phones for all drivers, prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers, and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Maine's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 93%.
On two wheels.
Maine's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.36 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Maine's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
BMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Maine Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the BMV road test. Required for riders under 18, permit holders, and first-year endorsement holders.
On bigger rigs.
The Maine CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Maine is $70. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the BMV.
Pass the BMV test before you take it.
Free Maine practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Maine practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.