The Colorado driving test

Written test first, then the drive test

People often call the permit test the 'written driving test'. That's the knowledge test you pass at home online or at a driver license office, before you get your permit.

The drive test is the second step, once you've practiced with your permit. Adults 18 and older have no minimum wait and can take it right away.

Before you can book it (under 18)

• At least 16 years old.
• Held your Colorado permit for 12 full months.
• A driving log showing at least 50 supervised hours, 10 of them at night, on the DMV's DR 2324 sheets or a log app.
• Under 16 and a half: 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an approved driving school. If you live more than 30 miles from one, you can log 12 extra supervised hours instead (62 in all).

Finding a tester and booking

Use the DMV's map or list of approved driving education and testing schools, then contact the school to book. The DMV doesn't schedule drive tests, and each school sets its own price.

Many schools offer a car for the test. If you bring your own, it has to pass the tester's checks below.

On the day: the tester's rules

• You bring your valid permit, and the tester checks it before you start.
• The car must be registered and insured, with both cards inside, plates front and back (or visible temporary tags), and it must pass a safety check.
• Only you and the tester ride along. No passengers, pets or interpreters.
• Tests happen in daylight on routes the DMV has approved. Phones are silenced, and there's no eating or drinking.
• Afterward the tester goes over how you did, outside the car.

If you fail, and after you pass

You can retake the drive test once a day, starting the day after you fail. Each retake carries a $15.40 state fee as of October 2026, plus the school's own fee.

When you pass, upgrade your permit to a license online on myDMV or at a driver license office. You'll drive on a paper temporary license until the card arrives, within 30 days.