Is the Virginia Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The DMV asks 40 questions and requires 85% correct - at least 34 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. Only 2 other jurisdictions set a tougher pass-fail line.

Virginia's path from permit to full license

In Virginia, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15½, holds it for 9 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16 + 3 months, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Virginia's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Virginia, 13.8 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Virginia ranks 23rd lowest of 51.

Across all drivers, Virginia's road network sees 1.03 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

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

Virginia scores 2.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric - one of the country's lowest. The state bans handheld phones for all drivers. Virginia'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 95%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Virginia, the average driver pays about $1,114 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 12.9% of Virginia drivers carry no insurance at all (the national figure is 15.4%), and the least coverage the state lets a driver carry is $50,000 for injuries to one person, $100,000 total for injuries per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Virginia lands T-34th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Virginia law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 55+), good for 3 years. The same course can also knock points off your record or help dismiss a ticket.

On two wheels.

Virginia's motorcyclist fatality rate is 6.92 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - near the 6.87 U.S. average. Virginia 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 Virginia, so check with DMV before you count on it. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.

On bigger rigs.

The Virginia CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Virginia is $2. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.