List of countries by minimum driving age

The minimum driving age is the minimum age at which a person may obtain a driver's licence to lawfully drive a motor vehicle on public roads. That age is determined by and for 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 afterwards, 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 Canada, El Salvador, Iceland, Israel, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom (Mainland), United States and Zimbabwe. In several jurisdictions in the United States and Canada, drivers can be as young as 14.

Most jurisdictions recognise driver's 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 which normally has a higher driving age.

The minimum age may vary depending on vehicle type. This list refers to the minimum driving age for a motor vehicle with a maximum authorized mass not exceeding 3,500 kg and designed and constructed for the carriage of no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver (not including a trailer).

Africa

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Algeria 18
 Cameroon 16
 Ethiopia 18[1]
 Egypt 18[2]
 Ghana 18[3]
 Kenya 18[4]
 Lesotho 18[5]
 Libya 18
 Mali 18
 Mauritania 18
 Mauritius 15 (autocycles), 17 (motorcycles), 18 (cars)[6]
 Mayotte 18
 Morocco 18[7][8]
 Mozambique 18
 Namibia 18[9]
 Niger 18[10]
 Nigeria 18
 Réunion (France) 18
 Senegal 18
 South Africa 17 The National Road Traffic act specifies that a driver needs to be 17 to legally obtain a license for all motor vehicles under 3500 kg. 17 years old may allow one to obtain a learners license, to drive while supervised by an already licensed driver who has had their license for more than a year. Yet to obtain an actual drivers license, the age is 18 years old.[11]
 Swaziland 18[5]
 Tanzania 18[12]
 Tunisia 18[13]
 Zambia 16[14]
 Zimbabwe 16[15]

Americas

North America

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Canada 16 in most provinces
14 in Alberta
 Mexico 15 (with parental supervision), 16 (with parental agreement), 18[16]
 United States 14–16 (for permit)
14, 3 months – 17 (for restricted license)
varies between states

Central America

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Costa Rica 18
 El Salvador 15
 Guatemala 16 (with parental approval), 18
 Honduras 18
 Nicaragua 18
 Panama 16 (with approval), 18[17][18]

South America

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Argentina 17 21 is the minimum age to drive a truck, bus or emergency vehicle. 16 is the minimum age to drive a moped (without passengers)[19]
 Bolivia 18[20]
 Brazil 18[21] 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,[22] 20 (professional license)[23]
 Colombia 16[24]
 Ecuador 18[25]
 French Guiana 18
 Guyana 17[26]
 Paraguay 18
 Peru 18[27]
 Suriname 18
 Uruguay 18[28]
 Venezuela 18[29]

Caribbean

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Anguilla 18[30]
 Bahamas 17[31]
 Cuba 18[32]
 Dominican Republic 16
 Guadeloupe 18
 Jamaica 18
 Martinique 18
 Netherlands Antilles 18[33]
 Puerto Rico 16 (with learner's permit)[34]
 Saint Barthélemy 18
 Saint Martin 18
 Trinidad and Tobago 17
 St. Kitts and Nevis 17(for permit),[35] 18 (for license)[36]
 US Virgin Islands 16 (with learner's permit), 18[37]

Asia

Middle East

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Bahrain 18[38]
 Iran 18[39]
 Iraq 16 for motorcycles
18 for cars
 Israel 16y for motorcycles
16y9months for cars[40]
 Jordan 18[41]
 Kuwait 18[42]
 Lebanon 18
 Oman 18[43]
 Palestine 18[44]
 Qatar 18[45]
 Saudi Arabia 18 for cars
16 for motorcycles
17 for temporary permit for cars
Women were prohibited from driving until September 2017.[46]
 Syria 18[47]
 United Arab Emirates 18
 Yemen 18[48]

South Asia

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Afghanistan 18[49]
 Bangladesh 18[50]
 India 16 for gearless bikes under 50 cc
18 for geared bikes, cars and commercial vehicles
20 for heavy vehicles[51]
   Nepal 18
 Pakistan 18[52]
 Sri Lanka 18[53]

East Asia

State Minimum driving age Notes
 China 18[54]
 Hong Kong 18[55] Special Administrative Region of China
 Japan 16 (motorcycles under 400cc)
18 (Ordinary/Semi-Medium vehicle and motorcycles over 401cc)[56]
 Macau 18[57] Special Administrative Region of China
 South Korea 18 for motorbikes over 125cc
16 for personal use vehicles including motorbikes under 125cc
19 for commercial license
 Taiwan 18[58]

Southeast Asia

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Brunei 18[59]
 Burma 18
 Cambodia 18[60]
 Indonesia 17[61][62]
 Laos 18[63]
 Malaysia 16 (Motorcycles/B2, B), 17 (Light Vehicles/D), 21 (Commercial Vehicles/E)[64]
 Philippines 16 (Student Permit); 18(non-professional & professional driver’s license)[65]
 Singapore 18[66]
 Thailand 15 (Motorcycles), 18 (Cars)[67]
 Vietnam 18[68]

Europe

Minimum driving age in Europe:
  Minimum driving age is 18
  Minimum driving age is 18; Supervised driving at 17
  Minimum driving age is 18; Supervised driving at 16

  Minimum driving age is 17
  Minimum driving age is 17; Supervised driving at 16

  Minimum driving age is 16 (only Isle of Man)

European driving licence area

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Austria 18 for cars
15 for mopeds[69]
(17 with special training)
 Belgium 18[70]
 Bulgaria 18[71]
 Croatia 18[72]
 Cyprus 17
 Czech Republic 18
 Denmark 17 for cars[73]
15 for mopeds
The minimum age for driving a car without supervision is 18.
 Estonia 16 (14 for mopeds) [74] Driving age for cars is 16 with supervision.[74] Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Finland 18 for cars, but 16 [75]after 1.7.2018
15 for mopeds and micro cars
 France 15[76] Driving age for cars is 15[76] with supervision. Unrestricted licence available at 18[77]
 Germany 17 Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.[78]
 Gibraltar 17[79]
 Greece 18
 Hungary 17
 Iceland 16[80][81] Driving age for cars is 16 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 17.
 Ireland 17[82][83][84] 16 for work vehicles, tractors etc. and mopeds <45 km/h
 Italy 17[85] 17 with supervision of a person under 65 years in possession of full A1/B1 licence.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Latvia 18 for cars
14 for mopeds
 Liechtenstein 18
 Lithuania 18
 Luxembourg 17 Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Malta 18[86]
 Netherlands 17 for cars
16 for mopeds and tractors[87]
Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision.
Driving lessons available at 16½.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Norway 18 for cars
16 for mopeds and light motorcycles
 Poland 18
 Portugal 18 for cars

16 for motorcycles

 Romania 18
 Slovakia 17 Driving age for cars is 17 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Slovenia 16 for cars and motorcycles Driving age for cars is 16 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.
 Spain 15 for mopeds and quads
16 for motorcycles up to 125cc
18 for general license

[88]

 Sweden 18 for cars[89]
15/16 for mopeds and tractors
Driving age for cars is 16 with supervision.
Unrestricted licence available at 18.[90]
  Switzerland 18 for cars, 14 for mopeds[91]
 United Kingdom 17 (cars)

16 (mopeds and tractors) [92]

Rest of Europe

State Minimum driving age Notes
 Albania 18
 Andorra 18[93]
 Armenia 18[94]
 Azerbaijan 18[95]
 Belarus 18[96] 16 - mopeds (AM), <125cc/11 kW motorcycles (A1);
17 - <80 kW wheeled tractors and self-propelled machines (A) and all kinds of continuous tracked tractors, SPMs and bulldozers (C);
18 - all kinds of motorcycles (A), cars with light trailers and up to 8 passengers buses (B), trucks with light trailers (C), all kinds of wheeled tractors (B), SPMs (D), special vehicles (E) and <1m3 excavators (F);
21 - buses for more than 8 passengers(D), cars, trucks and buses with heavy trailers (BE, CE, DE), trams (F) and trolleybuses(I).[97]
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 18[98]
 Georgia 17[99]
 Guernsey 17[100]
 Isle of Man 16[101]
 Jersey 17[102]
 Kosovo 17[103]
 Macedonia 18 (16 with parental supervision)[104]
 Moldova 18[105]
 Monaco 18[106]
 Montenegro 18[107]
 Northern Cyprus 18
 Russia 18 (16 for motorcycles)[108]
 San Marino 18[109]
 Serbia 18 (17 with adult supervision)[110]
 Turkey 18 (cars)
16 (mopeds and light-motorcycles)[111]
 Ukraine 18[112][113]

Oceania

State Minimum driving age Notes
 American Samoa 16[114]
 Australia 15y9months (ACT)

16 (All other states and territories)

Learner drivers may drive, under qualified supervision from the minimum age set in each state or territory.
 Fiji 17[115][116]
 Guam 16[117]
 Marshall Islands 18[118]
 New Zealand 16 The minimum age to obtain a car or motorcycle learner licence which allows driving under supervision is 16. The minimum possible age to obtain a full licence, without any supervision or conditions, is 17½ years if a driver completes an advanced driving course.[119] Without an advanced driving course, the minimum age is 18, the same as a heavy vehicle licence.[120]
 Northern Mariana Islands 15y6months[121]
 Papua New Guinea 18
 Tonga 18[122]

See also

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