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Vermont · Permit test

The Vermont driving test: what the examiner checks

You can take the road test once you've held your learner's permit for a year, and you book it as a DMV appointment. On the Vermont driving test the examiner has you stop and start on a hill, turn around using a side street and parallel park, and watches how you handle signs, speed and traffic. You bring a registered, inspected and insured car. The test costs $23 each time, and after a fail you wait at least a week.

Book on myDMV

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

When can you take the Vermont driving test?

  • You've held a Vermont learner's permit for at least one year, under the Graduated License Law.
  • If you're 16 or 17, your driver education is finished and your instructor has logged it with the DMV, a parent or guardian has certified 40 hours of practice with 10 at night, your record has been clean for six months, and a parent or guardian has signed your application.
  • If you're 18 or older, a licensed and unimpaired parent or guardian, driver education instructor or person 25 or older comes with you.
  • You've passed the other parts first, including a vision screening. The standard is 20/40, and below it you're referred to an eye doctor.
Vermont driver's education →Steps to a Vermont driver's license →

What the examiner checks

  • A stop and start on a hill: pull to the right, stop, set the parking brake and shift to neutral, then drive off uphill without rolling back.
  • A turnaround using a side street on your right.
  • Parallel parking, sometimes with only a front vehicle to park behind.
  • Whether you handle the car with skill, drive at a proper speed for the conditions and obey signs and the rules of the road.

The manual says you won't be asked to do anything illegal and no tricks will be played on you. No animals are allowed in the car during the test.

The Vermont turnaround, step by step

  1. As you near the side street on your right, slow down, check traffic in all directions and signal.
  2. Drive just past the street and stop about 18 inches from the curb or road edge.
  3. Shift into reverse, check all around and your blind spots, then back slowly into the side street, keeping to your own side and looking mostly through the rear window.
  4. Stop once you're all the way in, past any crosswalk or stop line.
  5. Signal left, shift to drive and make a proper left turn back out when nothing is coming.

Your car: what gets it turned away

The car must be registered and inspected, in any state, and you must show a valid insurance card and the registration certificate. The examiner won't test you in a car with any of these:

  • An exhaust leak, or tires with less than 2/32 inch of tread or exposed cords.
  • A damaged windshield, a driver's window that won't open for hand signals, or doors that don't work.
  • Front seat belts that are ripped, missing or broken, or front seats that won't lock.
  • A parking brake that doesn't work.
  • Front side windows or a windshield with tint that isn't from the maker.
  • Agricultural, antique or exhibition plates, or dealer plates unless you're immediate family of the dealer.
  • A rental car, unless the rental company gives you a letter allowing the road test.

Dual controls must be disconnected, and the examiner can refuse a car that's too dirty or smells.

Retakes and language help

Wait at least one week, then book again and pay the $23 road test fee again. If you fail three times, the minimum wait becomes one month. The DMV doesn't provide interpreters for road tests. You may bring a friend or family member to interpret the examiner's instructions, as long as they don't coach you, and for ASL or another disability accommodation you can email AOT.CRADA@vermont.gov or call 802-828-2000.

Booking a Vermont DMV appointment →
Sources: Vermont DMV and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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