Is the Vermont Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Vermont ranks 14th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Vermont sits close to the middle of both axes.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DMV asks 20 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 16 right answers. That leaves a margin of 4 wrong. That places Vermont near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Vermont's path from permit to full license
In Vermont, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 12 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 12 months, 40 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
40 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Vermont requires only 40 supervised hours before the road test — below the 45.2-hour national mean and well short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Vermont's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Vermont, 17.7 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Vermont ranks 33rd lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Vermont's road network sees 0.96 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.
Vermont 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. Vermont'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 94%.
On two wheels.
Vermont's motorcyclist fatality rate is 5.73 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Vermont is one of 19 jurisdictions with a universal helmet law: every rider, every passenger, no age exemptions.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Vermont Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DMV road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Vermont CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Vermont is $20. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.
Pass the DMV test before you take it.
Free Vermont practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Vermont practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- New Hampshire14th of 51 on road safety14th-hardest test
- Massachusetts4th of 51 on road safety46th-hardest test
- New York3rd of 51 on road safety40th-hardest test
- Alaska21st of 51 on road safety14th-hardest test
- Nevada19th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test
- Pennsylvania18th of 51 on road safety2nd-hardest test