Is the Wisconsin Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The DMV asks 50 questions and requires 80% correct - at least 40 right answers. That leaves a margin of 10 wrong. That places Wisconsin near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.

Wisconsin's path from permit to full license

In Wisconsin, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15½, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.

On Wisconsin's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Wisconsin, 14.4 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Wisconsin ranks 25th lowest of 51.

The same pattern holds across all drivers. Wisconsin's road network sees 0.85 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled - one of the country's lowest rates. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What Wisconsin bans behind the wheel.

Wisconsin scores 4.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 27th of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Wisconsin's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 93%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Wisconsin, the average driver pays about $922 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 15.6% of Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin lands 36th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Wisconsin 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.

Wisconsin's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.72 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin, so check with DMV before you count on it. Required for riders under 18 and all permit holders.

On bigger rigs.

The Wisconsin CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Wisconsin is $15. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.