Is the Montana Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The MVD asks 33 questions and requires 82% correct - at least 27 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. That places Montana near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.

Montana hands out permits earlier than most

Montana 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 16.

On Montana's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Montana, 34.5 die in a crash each year - one of the highest rates in America (the U.S. average is 16.8). Only 1 jurisdictions fare worse.

Across all drivers, Montana's road network sees 1.50 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

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

Montana scores 0.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric - one of the country's lowest. The state leaves most handheld-phone use unregulated. Montana'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 89%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Montana, the average driver pays about $975 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 7.2% of Montana 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 Montana lands 41st of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Montana law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 55+), good for 3 years.

On two wheels.

Montana's motorcyclist fatality rate is 0.65 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Montana's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

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

On bigger rigs.

The Montana CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Montana is $13. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the MVD.