Photo: Alfa117, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
California teens need two separate courses: driver education (30 hours of classroom or equivalent online study) before the permit, and driver training (at least 6 hours behind the wheel with a professional instructor) before the drive test. Both are required if you are under 18 when you apply. Here is what each involves, who must take them and how to pick a school.
Driver education vs driver training in California
| Driver education (DE) | Driver training (DT) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Classroom theory | Behind-the-wheel lessons with a professional instructor |
| Minimum | 30 hours, or 2½ semester periods (breaks and meals don’t count) | 6 hours |
| Online option | Yes: online or home study, if it meets the classroom standard | No: it’s in-car |
| Limits | None stated | No more than 2 hours a day; time watching another student drive doesn’t count |
| When you need it | Before applying for the permit | Before the drive test |
| Proof | Certificate of Completion of Driver Education (or Certificate of Enrollment in an integrated DE/DT program) | Certificate of Completion of Driver Training |
Who has to take driver’s ed in California?
- Under 17½: both DE and DT, with certificates, to get a permit and then a license.
- 17½ to 18: you can get a permit without DE/DT certificates, but you can’t take the drive test until you turn 18.
- 18 and over: neither is required. See getting a California license at 18 or older.
How DE and DT fit into the licensing timeline
- Complete driver education and get your certificate.
- Apply for your permit at 15½ or older: teen permit checklist.
- Start driver training. Your instructor validates your permit; until then you can’t drive on it.
- Finish the 6 hours and get your Certificate of Completion of Driver Training.
- Log your 50 supervised practice hours, the instructor and parent sign your permit, and you take the drive test after 6 months.
Choosing a California driving school
- Check the license. Schools must be licensed and bonded by the DMV. Use the DMV Occupational License Lookup or the DMV driving school list.
- Check the instructor. Instructors carry a DMV instructor ID card; ask to see it. They must pass qualifying exams every three years or show continuing traffic safety education.
- High schools may also offer DE and DT.
- Complaints: about a licensed driving school, file through the DMV’s online driving school complaint form; about a public or private high school, contact the school district.
Questions to ask a school before you pay:
- Is the online DE course DMV-approved, and how is the certificate issued?
- How are the 6 DT hours split? (Remember the 2-hours-a-day maximum.)
- Do lessons cover the test maneuvers: straight-line backing, lane changes, turns using bike lanes? See what the examiner scores.
- Can the school car be used for the drive test, and on what terms?
Did driver ed in another state?
The DMV accepts a letter from your out-of-state secondary school, signed by a school official, stating the courses are equivalent to a California course. Use form DL 33. An out-of-state permit on its own is not proof of driver education. Moving here? See moving to California.
Common questions
How many hours is driver’s ed in California?
30 hours of classroom instruction (or 2½ semester periods), or an equivalent online or home-study course. If a school quotes a different figure, go by the current DMV driver training schools page.
Can I do California driver’s ed online?
Yes, for the classroom part, if the course meets the same requirements. Driver training (behind the wheel) can’t be done online.
Can I do all 6 hours of driver training in one day?
No. Driver training can’t go over 2 hours a day, so it takes at least 3 days.
Do I need driver’s ed if I’m 17 and a half?
Not for the permit, but without it you must wait until 18 for the drive test.
Do the 6 training hours count toward the 50 practice hours?
The DMV lists them as separate requirements. Plan for 50 supervised hours in addition to training.
Full roadmap: learning to drive in California.
Sources
- California DMV, “Driver Training Schools” (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “Instruction and Learner’s Permits” (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “Section 2: Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver’s License” (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “Parent-Teen Training Guide (DL 603)” (dmv.ca.gov)