Which States Have The Lowest Minimum Age For Getting A Driver's License?

Learning to drive might be less of a priority than it once was for American teenagers, but the majority still have their licence by the time they turn 19. Depending on where they live, some teens might need to wait a few years longer than others to get on the road. As shown by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the lowest age for getting an unrestricted driver's license varies from state to state, with some states requiring drivers to wait until they're 18 to drive without curfews and passenger restrictions.

In contrast, the lowest minimum age for an unrestricted driving license is 16. Only a handful of states allow drivers who have just turned 16 to hold a regular license: They are Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In Montana, 16 year old drivers have to have held their license for 12 months or more in order to get nighttime and passenger restrictions lifted. A range of other states lift restrictions at 16 years and six months, including Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, and New Mexico, among others.

The minimum entry age for learners similarly varies between states, with the lowest age across the country being 14 years old. Drivers in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota can all get a learner's permit at the age of 14.

Anyone looking to get their license will need a car to practise in, and if you're a first timer looking to purchase your first car, it's worth choosing your new ride carefully. Picking a car with modern safety features should give you extra reassurance in the case of an accident, even though it might not be the cheapest option on the market. When asked, Jay Leno suggested that cars from 2005 onwards are a good bet, but at a minimum, making sure you have something with airbags and modern seatbelts is advisable.

Plenty of car enthusiasts like the feeling of control and involvement that a manual transmission gives them, but learning to drive stick also comes with its own challenges. There are a few beginner tips worth keeping in mind when you start learning, like memorizing your car's shift pattern, that should make it a little easier.

After you pass the learner stage, all states have an intermediate stage that imposes restrictions about the time of day you can drive and the passengers you can carry. The restrictions vary considerably between states, so be sure to check restriction rules before you head out on the road. To have those restrictions lifted, you'll usually need to have held your license for a set period of months, or reach a specific age, but again, the time period and age requirements vary depending on where in the country you live.