Question: I’ve heard that you might have to retake your driving test in certain situations, but I have no idea when this would occur. When do you have to retake your behind-the-wheel driving test?
Answer:
You have to retake your driving test in a variety of situations that vary by state. Common scenarios include:
- When you reach a certain age.
- If you have a learner’s permit and you fail your driving test.
- If your license is suspended for a certain period of time.
- Not always, but possibly if your vision changes.
Do seniors have to retake a driving test?
Age is the most common factor for needing to retake your driving test, especially for drivers ages 65 and older. Not all states have differentiated rules though. For example, in a state like New York, there is no difference between renewing as a senior versus others. You just need to renew your license every eight years. Some other states that do not differentiate treatment are Alabama and Arkansas.
For states that do differentiate treatment, you’re not likely to need to retake a road test unless somebody makes a report about your driving. More commonly, older drivers will need to renew their licenses more frequently. Some states will also prohibit you from renewing online and require a vision test.
In rare cases, you must take a written test. California also requires you to take an open book, eLearning test that you can’t fail, when you renew your driver’s license.
Here are examples of states that differentiate between seniors and other drivers:
- Arizona: Drivers 65 or older must renew their license in person every five years; must take a vision test and might be subject to a road test if a report has been made against the driver.
- California: Drivers aged 70 or over must take a vision and written tests
- Colorado: Drivers 61 and older must renew licenses every five years; drivers over 65 must pass a vision test and can’t review online.
- Connecticut: Drivers aged 65 and older must renew their licenses in person every two years; must take a vision test if deemed necessary by a physician or DMV personnel, and may need to take a written test or a road test if the DMV identifies an impairment or if the license has been expired for two or more years.
- Hawaii: Drivers aged 72 and older must renew their licenses every two years; must take a vision test upon renewal, and may be required to take a written test or a road test at the discretion of the licensing authorities.
- Georgia: Drivers aged 60 and older must renew their licenses in person every five years; drivers aged 64 and older must take a vision test when renewing.
- Florida: Drivers aged 80 and older must renew their licenses every six years; must take a vision test upon renewal.
Retaking a driving test due to license suspension or expiry
In other cases, if your license was suspended by your state, you can only reinstate your driver’s license by doing a written and road test. For example, in New York, your license can be revoked for:
- Driving without insurance
- DUI
- Being involved in an accident that involved a fatality
To reinstate your license, you will need to pass the waiting period and get approved, and then you may have to take the written and driving tests again.
If your license is expired, sometimes you can’t just renew it. For example, in Connecticut, if your license has been expired for two or more years, you will have to go through the process of getting a license as if you were a new driver. That involves taking tests and other procedures.
Xuyun Zeng is a content strategist with a wide-ranging content background including tech, journalism, cars and health care. After graduating with highest honors in journalism, Xuyun led a newspaper to win eight awards, helped start an award-winning film industry podcast and has written over a hundred articles about cars repair, state laws and insurance. Prior to joining Jerry, Xuyun worked as a freelance SEO consultant with a mission to create the best content that will help readers and grow organic traffic.
Kevin Berry is the Senior Director of Content at Jerry and has been working in the digital content space since 2011 across the car insurance/repair, personal finance, travel and sports industries. Prior to Jerry, Kevin was a content team lead at NerdWallet overseeing the Multimedia Production and Travel Rewards teams. Previously, he worked for NBC Sports, Comcast Cable and Nike. He has a Master`s Degree from Arkansas State and a Bachelor`s from Oregon State University.
