Florida driving test requirements

Who takes the Class E knowledge exam

Anyone applying for a Florida learner's licence, and first-time Class E applicants who have not passed it. Passing the exam is required before a learner's licence is issued. The learner's licence starts at age 15, and it must be held for 12 months before a Class E licence, unless the driver turns 18 first.

The course before the test

Under 18 and never licensed anywhere: the 6-hour Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course, required since August 1, 2025. A TLSAE course finished before that date stays usable for one year, and the DELAP and FDOE classroom courses can substitute. Age 18 or over and never licensed in any state or country: the 4-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course.

How the exam works

Fifty multiple-choice questions covering Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices, and identifying traffic controls, in FLHSMV's own topic list. Forty right passes. FLHSMV publishes no time limit, no split of the 50 questions between topics, and no same-day attempt rule, and this page prints none. Vision and hearing tests happen at the office visit too.

Where it is taken

In person at a driver licence service centre or a tax collector office. Applicants under 18 can also take it online or in a classroom through approved third-party administrators. One catch worth knowing before you choose that route: a customer who passes through a third-party administrator can be picked at random for a no-fee retest at an office, without notice, and failing that retest means a re-exam fee at the next attempt.

What it costs

The original Class E licence is $48, and that includes the learner's licence. Renewal is also $48. A knowledge retest is $10 and a skills retest is $20. A tax collector office may add a $6.25 service fee to a credential it issues.

Language

Since February 6, 2026, all Florida driver licence knowledge and skills exams are given in English only, for every licence class, including exams given orally. Translation services are not permitted during an exam, and printed exams in other languages were withdrawn. Study in Spanish if that helps you learn, and know that the test itself is in English.

Official information and booking: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (official site).