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Montana · Permit test

The driving age in Montana

You can start at 14½ in a state-approved traffic education course, or at 15 at a Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) driver exam station. The driving age in Montana works in steps, and the limits on teen drivers end by your 18th birthday.

  • 14½Youngest permit age, in traffic education
  • 15Youngest permit age at an exam station
  • Under 18Who goes through the three teen steps
Read the learner license lawFree practice test

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

What’s the driving age in Montana for each step?

Montana’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) program, in § 61‑5‑131 of the Montana Code Annotated, takes drivers under 18 through three steps: a learner permit, a first-year restricted license and a full-privilege license. The ages, from state law and the MVD’s page for drivers under 18:

AgeWhat you can get
13A restricted license, only for an individual hardship the MVD accepts
14½A learner permit, in a state-approved traffic education course
15A learner permit at an MVD exam station
15 to 17A first-year restricted license, after six months on the permit
18No teen license steps, and any first-year limits end
21Online renewal, for U.S. citizens 21 to 63 who qualify
Learner permit rules →The restricted license →

Is the permit age 15 or 16 without traffic education?

Outside traffic education, state law sets 15 as the youngest age for a license, apart from hardship cases, and lets the MVD issue a learner license to anyone that age who passes the knowledge and vision tests (Montana Code Annotated, § 61‑5‑105 and § 61‑5‑106). The MVD’s page for drivers under 18 agrees: a learner permit at 15 or older at a driver exam station, with no driver training class.

The Montana Driver Manual gives a different rule: 16 without traffic education, or 15 after an approved course. This page follows the law and the MVD’s page. Before you rely on the age-15 route for a full license, read what the law says about traffic education under 18.

Is driver’s ed required? →

At 18 or older

The GDL steps don’t apply. You pass the written, vision and road tests and show the required documents, and the learner permit page has the rules while you practice.

Sources: Montana Legislature · Montana Motor Vehicle Division and 4 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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