Is the Vermont Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

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.

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.

Across all drivers, Vermont's road network sees 0.96 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.

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%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Vermont, the average driver pays about $893 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 11.8% of Vermont 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 $10,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Vermont lands 45th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

Vermont does not require insurers to discount for a defensive-driving course, though some may still offer one.

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 20 jurisdictions with a universal helmet law: every rider, every passenger, no age exemptions.

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 Vermont, so check with DMV before you count on it. 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.