The minimum driving age is the minimum age at which a person may obtain a driver's license to lawfully drive a motor vehicle on public roads. That age is determined by each jurisdiction and is most commonly set at 18 years of age, but learner drivers may be permitted on the road at an earlier age under supervision. Before reaching the minimum age for a driver's licence or anytime afterward, the person wanting the licence would normally be tested for driving ability and knowledge of road rules before being issued with a licence, provided he or she is above the minimum driving age. Countries with the lowest driving ages (17 and below) are Australia, The Bahamas, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (mainland), United States, and Zimbabwe. In some jurisdictions in the United States and Canada, drivers can be as young as 14 (with parental supervision). [1]
Most jurisdictions recognize driver licences issued by another jurisdiction, which may result in a young person who obtains a licence in a jurisdiction with a low minimum driving age being permitted to drive in a jurisdiction that normally has a higher driving age. A notable exception to this is the United States, where many states ban drivers below their minimum driving age, even if they hold permits or licences issued by another state.
The minimum age may vary depending on vehicle type. This list refers to the minimum driving age for a light motor vehicle (typically under 3500 kg gross vehicle mass) or motorcycle, where noted.
State | Minimum driving age | rugby |
---|---|---|
Algeria | 18[2] | |
Cameroon | 16[3] [4] | |
Egypt | 18 (cars), 16 (motorcycles)[5] | |
35 | ||
Ethiopia | 18[6] | |
18[7] | ||
Kenya | 18[8] | |
Lesotho | 18[9] | |
Libya | 18[10] | |
Mali | 18[11] | |
Mauritania | 18[12] | |
Mauritius | 15 (autocycles), 17 (motorcycles), 18 (cars)[13] | |
Mayotte | 18[14] | |
Morocco | 16 (motorcycles), 18 (cars), 21 (trucks)[15] [16] [17] | |
Mozambique | 17[18] | |
Namibia | 18[19] | |
Niger | 16 (light motor vehicles),18 (commercial passenger vehicles)[20] | |
Nigeria | 18[21] | |
Reunion (France) | 18[22] | you can obtain a learner's license and be legally allowed to drive with supervision at age 15. A full driving license will be fully granted by age 18. |
Rwanda | 18[23] | |
Senegal | 16[24] | |
South Africa | 17 | The National Road Traffic act specifies that a driver needs to be 17 to legally obtain a licence for all motor vehicles under 3500 kg. 17-year-olds may allow one to obtain a learners licence, to drive while supervised by an already licensed driver who has had their licence for more than a year. To obtain an actual driving licence, the age is 18 years old.[25] |
18[26] | ||
Tunisia | 18[27] | |
Uganda | 18[28] [29] | |
Zambia | 16[30] | |
Zimbabwe | 16[31] | |
Country | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
varies between provinces | See also: Driver's licences in Canada. | ||
Mexico | 15 (with parental supervision), 16 (with parental agreement), 18[32] | ||
varies between states | See also: Driver's licenses in the United States. |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Costa Rica | 18[33] | ||
El Salvador | 15[34] | Driving age for cars is 15 with supervision. Unrestricted licence available at 18.[35] You can't drive in El Salvador if you are over 75 years. | |
Guatemala | 16 (with parental approval), 18[36] | ||
Honduras | 18[37] | ||
Nicaragua | 18[38] | ||
16 (with parental approval), 18[39] [40] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 17 (with parental approval), 18 (without) | 21 is the minimum age to drive a truck, bus or emergency vehicle. 16 is the minimum age to drive a moped (without passengers). Parental approval is necessary for any license issued to any individual aged under 18.[41] | |
18[42] | |||
Brazil | 18[43] | Drivers have to be previously licensed in cat. 'B' for at least one year before applying for a professional license. 'C' category are usually for load trucks, 'D' for buses and trucks and 'E' for articulated vehicles. | |
Chile | 17 (with parental approval), 18,[44] 20 (professional license)[45] | ||
Colombia | 16,[46] 18 (professional license)[47] | ||
Ecuador | 18[48] | ||
17[49] | |||
French Guiana | 17[50] | ||
Guyana | 17[51] | ||
Paraguay | 18[52] | ||
Peru | 18[53] | ||
Suriname | 18[54] | ||
Uruguay | 18[55] | ||
18[56] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Anguilla | 18[57] | ||
Bahamas | 17[58] | ||
Cayman Islands | 17[59] | ||
Cuba | 18[60] | ||
18[61] | |||
Dominican Republic | 18[62] | ||
Guadeloupe | 17[63] | ||
Jamaica | 16-17 (learners permit or with adult supervision), 18 fully licensed[64] | ||
Martinique | 17[65] | ||
Puerto Rico (American territory) | 16 (with learner's permit), 18[66] | ||
17[67] | |||
18[68] | |||
Trinidad and Tobago | 17[69] | ||
17 (for permit),[70] 18 (for license)[71] | |||
(American territory) | 16 (with learner's permit), 18[72] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Bahrain | 18[73] | ||
18[74] | |||
Iraq | 16 for motorcycles 17 for cars[75] | ||
Israel | 16 years for motorcycles 16 years 6 months with driving teacher 16 years 9 months for cars with 3 months parental supervision all times and 3 more months at night[76] | ||
Jordan | 18[77] | ||
Kuwait | 18 for Kuwaitis 21 for non-Kuwaitis[78] | ||
Lebanon | 18[79] | ||
Oman | 18[80] | ||
Qatar | 18 for light motor vehicles [81] 21 for heavy vehicles[82] | ||
Saudi Arabia | 18 for cars, 17 for temporary permits,16 for motorcycles[83] | ||
18[84] | |||
United Arab Emirates | 17 for motorcycles, 18 for cars[85] | ||
Yemen | 18[86] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 18[87] | As of 2024, the right to drive is not extended to women. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/taliban-driving-licence-afghan-women-b2072058.html | |
Bangladesh | 18[88] | ||
18 | See also: Driving licence in India. | ||
Nepal | 16 for two-wheelers, 18 for four-wheelers[89] | ||
Pakistan | 18[90] | ||
Sri Lanka | 17[91] | ||
Maldives | 18[92] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
18[93] | |||
Hong Kong | 18[94] | Special Administrative Region of China | |
16 (motorcycles under 400 cc) 18 (ordinary/semi-medium vehicle and motorcycles over 401 cc)[95] | See also: Driving license in Japan. | ||
18[96] | Special Administrative Region of China | ||
18 for regular passenger cars and motorbikes over 125 cc 16 for motorbikes under 125 cc 19 for commercial license | See also: Driving license in South Korea. | ||
18[97] | See also: Driver's license in Taiwan. |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
18[98] | |||
Myanmar | 18[99] | ||
Cambodia | 18[100] | ||
Indonesia | 17[101] [102] | See also: Driving license in Indonesia. | |
18[103] | |||
Malaysia | 17 (cars), 16 (motorcycles)[104] | See also: Driving licence in Malaysia. | |
Philippines | 16 (student permit); 17 (non-professional driver's license); 18 (professional driver's license)[105] | See also: Driving license in the Philippines. | |
Singapore | 18[106] | See also: Driving licence in Singapore. | |
Thailand | 18 (cars and motorcycles); 15 (motorcycles with 110 cc or smaller engines)[107] [108] | See also: Driving licence in Thailand. Other restrictions apply to large or specialised vehicles. | |
16 (motorcycles under 50cc), 18[109] |
State | Minimum driving age | Notes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Austria | 17 for cars 15 for mopeds[110] | (Start with 15,5 under L17 attendant driving training | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 16 for mopeds[111] | 17 for cars, with learners permit (supervised) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgaria | 18[112] 16 for mopeds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Croatia | 18 15 for mopeds[113] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cyprus | 18 | See also: Driving licence in Cyprus. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech Republic | 18 17 with supervision [114] | 15 for mopeds.[115] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denmark | 24 for heavy bus, 21 for heavy truck, 17 for cars[116] 15 for mopeds, quads and snowmobiles* | The minimum age for driving a car without supervision is 18. The minimum driving age for heavy truck and heavy bus can go down to 18, if the license is obtained during military service *It is only possible to obtain a license for snowmobiles on Greenland.|-| Estonia| style="text-align:center;"|18 for cars, See also: Driving licence in Finland. |-| | style="text-align:center;"|17, See also: Driving licence in Germany. Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision. See also: Driving licence in Italy. Driving 17 with supervision of a person under 60 years in possession of full B licence (or superior). See also: Driving licence in the Netherlands. Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision. See also: Driving licence in Norway. |-| Poland| style="text-align:center;"|18 See also: Driving licence in Poland. |-| Portugal| style="text-align:center;"|18 for cars,[142] See also: Driving licence in Sweden. Driving age for cars is 16 with supervision. See also: Driving licence in the United Kingdom. |} Rest of Europe
Oceania
References] |