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New Mexico · Permit test

Drivers ed in New Mexico

If you’re under 18, you must be enrolled in an approved driver education course before you can get an instructional permit. Drivers ed in New Mexico comes in two forms: 30 hours in class plus 7 hours of driving with a private school, or 56 classroom hours with no driving, which public high schools usually run. It can’t be taken online, though some students qualify for a correspondence course. From January 1, 2027, every approved course must include at least three hours on driving around vulnerable road users.

  • $800Cap on a course, tax included
  • $100Cap per extra driving hour
  • January 1, 2027Vulnerable road user hours added
Find an approved school

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

Which drivers ed courses count in New Mexico?

CourseClassDriving
Private driving school30 hours7 hours
Classroom only, such as high school56 hoursNone

Either way, an instructor certified by the Traffic Safety Bureau (TSB) of the New Mexico Department of Transportation teaches the course, and at least four of the seven driving hours are on the street.

The bureau’s rule, 18.20.3 of the New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC), requires at least six classroom hours on DWI (driving while intoxicated) prevention and other impairments and distractions, plus information on organ donation. The Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) permit page still describes a 3-hour DWI part, so go by the rule’s six hours.

Can you take New Mexico drivers education online?

No. The New Mexico Traffic Safety Center at the University of New Mexico says online driver’s ed isn’t allowed under the NMAC. The state prefers face-to-face classes: first a high school program, then an approved private school.

A correspondence course is the exception, for students with a specific reason they can’t attend in person. You apply online, and each reason needs supporting papers from a parent or guardian. The reasons accepted are:

  • Home school
  • School activities during the school year
  • A job while attending school
  • Other circumstances, reviewed case by case

From referral card to certificate

  1. Sign up with an approved school. You must turn 15 on or before the last day of the classroom part.
  2. After at least 9 classroom hours, get a referral card from your instructor and take it to MVD for your instructional permit.
  3. Finish the classroom hours. In a 30-hour course, the final exam has 50 questions and you need 70% or better.
  4. Drive your 7 hours with the school, one on one. The MVD road test doesn’t count toward them, and schools give at most one hour a day on school days and two hours on other days.
  5. Get your certificate of completion, then finish your 50 hours of practice with a parent or guardian before you apply for a provisional license.
The permit and the knowledge exam →New Mexico provisional license →

Costs and help for students

A school may charge no more than $800, including tax, for a driver education course, plus up to $100 for each extra hour of driving beyond the seven in the course. Schools must make reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For students under 18, the bureau pays for a sign language interpreter if the school asks at least 14 days before the course starts.

If you have a problem with a school or instructor, the Traffic Safety Center takes complaints on its feedback form.

Adults, None for the Road and the 2027 change

At 18 or older you don’t need driver education. First-time drivers 18 to 24 complete the None for the Road DWI class instead. If an adult does take a private course, they must finish all 30 classroom and 7 driving hours to get the certificate, and need a learner’s permit before driving with the school.

Senate Bill 73, signed in March 2026, takes effect January 1, 2027. It requires approved driver education courses to include at least three hours of education and training on driving with vulnerable road users: people on foot or working along the road, riders of bicycles, scooters, mopeds and motorcycles, wheelchair users and others without a car’s protection.

None for the Road →
Sources: New Mexico Traffic Safety Center · New Mexico State Records Center and Archives · New Mexico MVD and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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