Is the Rhode Island Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The DMV asks 40 questions and requires 70% correct - at least 28 right answers. That leaves a margin of 12 wrong. Most other jurisdictions set a harder pass-fail line.

Rhode Island lifts driving restrictions before most states

In Rhode Island, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 16, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16½, and earns a full unrestricted license at 17½.

On Rhode Island's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Rhode Island, 16.1 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Rhode Island ranks 30th lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Rhode Island's road network sees 0.93 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

The country's strictest law on driving with a phone in your hand.

Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 95%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Rhode Island, the average driver pays about $1,540 a year, more 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 12.4% of Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island lands 10th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Rhode Island law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 55+), good for 2 years.

On two wheels.

Rhode Island's motorcyclist fatality rate is 6.31 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - below the 6.87 U.S. average. Rhode Island's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the DMV road test is not something we have verified for Rhode Island, so check with DMV before you count on it. Required for riders under 21 and during the first year after licensure.

On bigger rigs.

The Rhode Island CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. Fees, scheduling and endorsement processing run through the DMV; see https://dmv.ri.gov for current rates.