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Connecticut · Permit test

The Connecticut DMV driving test

You book the road test online once you've held your permit long enough: 120 days for teens trained at a driving school or high school, 180 days for home-trained teens and 90 days from age 18. The Connecticut DMV driving test checks how you set up the car, handle signs, signals and other drivers, and turn, back up and park. You bring your own registered, insured car. Fail it and you wait at least two weeks and pay $40 again (fees as of October 2026).

Book a road test

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

When can you take the Connecticut DMV driving test?

You areHold your permit at least
16 or 17, trained by a driving school or high school120 days
16 or 17, home trained180 days
18 or older90 days, with some exemptions

Teens also need their driver education finished, including the parent class. Adults who've never held a license need the 8-hour Safe Driving Practices course first.

CT drivers ed requirements →

What the inspector checks

  • How you adjust the seat, mirrors, steering wheel and seat belt.
  • Whether you can work the wipers, defroster, parking brake, headlights, high beams and horn, and recognize dashboard warning lights.
  • How you respond to signs, signals, road markings and other drivers, including yielding and pulling over for emergency vehicles.
  • Turns, backing up and parking.
  • Anything else the inspector asks you to do. The DMV posts a list of common driving commands so the wording doesn't surprise you.
CT DMV: Common road test commands (PDF) ↗

Your CT driving test checklist

Bring all of these, or you can lose the appointment:

  • Your road test appointment confirmation page.
  • Form R-229, completed. Under 18, your qualified trainer comes along and signs it to confirm your training.
  • Your learner's permit. Without it, you lose the appointment.
  • A registered, insured, mechanically safe car, with its registration certificate and a Connecticut insurance card in the same name.
  • Your driver education certificate, which your Connecticut driving school sends to the DMV electronically.
  • A translation from an approved translator, if you hold a foreign license that isn't in English.

When the car means no test

If the inspector finds the car unsafe, there's no test and you rebook. The DMV's examples:

  • Cracked windows, or defective brake lights or turn signals.
  • SRS or ABS warning lights on.
  • Worn tires or missing lug nuts.
  • A defective seat belt, speedometer or brakes.
  • After-market window tint without a DMV compliance sticker, or an ignition interlock you aren't required to have.

You can't test in a rental car unless you already hold a valid license. The car's insurance has to meet Connecticut's minimum of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage.

If you pass or fail

Pass, and you pay $84 for the license, either online or at the office, and it comes by mail. Fail, and you rebook online within 72 hours, wait at least two weeks for the retest and pay the $40 fee again.

From permit to CT driver's license →Booking the road test →
Sources: CT DMV · Connecticut Driver's Manual and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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