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Minimum Driving Age by Country

The age at which individuals are eligible to obtain a driver's license varies from one country to another:

The minimum age to drive a car varies depending on what country you are in and in some countries like the USA (minimum age to drive in the USA is set by state), Canada and Australia whilst there is a national guidance, some states set their own laws which allows younger people to legally drive a car. We have looked at all the countries around the world to check the minimum age to drive a car, unsupervised on a full driving license. In many countries you are legally permitted (subject to having the correct insurance and required supervision) to learn to drive at an age younger than the minimum age to hold a full driving license, enabling young drivers to learn how to drive before the legal minimum driving age in their country. As an example, in France you can obtain a learners license and are legally allowed to drive with supervision from age 15, however you can only apply for and be granted a full driving license from the age of 18, giving you 3 years to learn!
 
minimum driving age by country

The oldest minimum age of any country to drive a car is 18, also the most common age with 78% of all countries requiring you to be at least 18 to obtain a driving license and drive legally. The youngest age to drive in any country is held my El Salvador, where you can obtain a full license to drive a car at just 15! Here we look at the minimum age to drive a car* in countries all over the world;

Minimum Driving Age in Africa

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Algeria18
Angola18
Angolia
Benin
Botswana18
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cameroon16
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo18
Congo, Democratic Republic Of The
Djibouti
Egypt18
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon18
Gambia
Gambia, The
Ghana21
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya18
Lesotho18
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi18
Mali18
Mauritania
Mauritius18
Morocco18
Mozambique18
Namibia18
Niger
Nigeria18
Republic Of The Congo
Reunion Island
Rwanda
São Tomé & Príncipe
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal18
Seychelles18
Somalia
South Africa18A full driving licence will only be issued from 18 years old, however a learners license can be applied for at 17
South Sudan
Sudan
Swaziland18
Tanzania18
Togo18
Tunisia18
Uganda18
Zambia16
Zimbabwe16

Minimum Driving Age in Caribbean

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Anguilla18
Antigua1823
Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba18
Bahamas17
Bahamas, The
Barbados16
Bonaire18
Cayman Islands18
Cuba
Curacao18
Dominica18
Dominican Republic16
Grenada18
Guadeloupe18
Haiti18
Jamaica18
Martinique18
Puerto Rico18Learners permit from 16
Reunion
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia18
Saint Vincent & The Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
St Lucia18
St Maarten18
St Vincent and the Grenadines18
Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago17

Minium Driving Age in Central America

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Belize18
Costa Rica18
CostaRica
El Salvador15
Guatemala1618 without parental approval
Honduras18
Nicaragua18
Panama1618 without parental approval

Minimum Driving Age in East Asia

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
China18
Hong Kong18Special Administrative Region of China
Japan18
Korea
Mongolia
North Korea
South Korea18
Taiwan18

Minimum Driving Age in Europe

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Austria18Special training from 17
Belgium18
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria18
Canary Islands18
Croatia18
Cyprus17
Czech Republic18
Czechia
Denmark18From 17 with supervision
England17
Estonia18From 16 with supervision
Faroe Islands18
Finland18
France18From 15 with supervision
Georgia18
Germany18From 17 with supervision
Gibraltar17
Greece18
Holland18Learners permit available from 16.5 years old
Hungary17
Ibiza18
Ibiza18
Iceland18From 16 with supervision
Ireland1716 for agricultural vehciles restricted to 45kph
Italy18From 17 with supervision
Lanzarote18
Lanzarote
Latvia18
Liechtenstein18
Lithuania18
Luxembourg18From 17 with supervision
Mallorca18
Mallorca
Malta18
Monaco
Netherlands18Learners permit available from 16.5 years old
Northern Ireland17
Norway18
Poland18
Portugal18
Romania18
Russian Federation
San Marino
Scotland17
Sicily18
Slovakia18From 17 with supervision
Slovenia18From 16 with supervision
Spain18
Sweden18From 16 with supervision
Switzerland18
Tenerife18
Tenerife
UK17
Vatican City
Wales17

Minimum Driving Age in Middle East

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Bahrain18
Iran
Iraq
Israel17
Jordan18
Kuwait18
Lebanon18
Oman18
Palestine
Qatar18
Saudi Arabia18Learners permit from 17 - women allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia from 2018.
Syria18
UAE18
United Arab Emirates
Yemen18

Minimum Driving Age in North America

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Canada16Varies by province, as young as 14 in Alberta
Greenland17
Mexico18You can drive a car at 15 with parental surpervision and at 16 with parental consent, otherwise 18 is the minimum age
USA
Vermont

Minimum Driving Age in Oceania

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Australia16Learner driver min age set by state, ACT min driving age 15 years 9 months
Federated States Of Micronesia
Fiji17
Guam

15

Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
New Caledonia17
New Zealand17.5From 16 with supervision
Palau
Papua New Guinea18
Samoa18
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu23

Minimum Driving Age in Rest of Europe

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Albania18
Andorra18
Azerbaijan18
Belarus18
Bosnia and Herzegovina18
Guernsey17
Isle Of Man16
Jersey17
Kosovo17
Macedonia18From 16 with supervision
Moldova18
Montenegro18
Russia18
Serbia18From 17 with supervision
Turkey18
Ukraine18

Minimum Driving Age in South America

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Argentina18
Bolivia18
Brazil18
Chile1818 without parental approval
Colombia16
Ecuador18
Guyana
Paraguay18
Peru18
Suriname
Uruguay18
Venezuela18

Minimum Driving Age in South Asia

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Afghanistan
Bangladesh18
Bhutan
India18
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan18
Sri Lanka18

Minimum Driving Age in Southeast Asia

CountryMinimum driving ageNotes
Cambodia18
Indonesia17
Laos18
Malaysia17
Philippines18Student permit from 17
Singapore18
Thailand18
Vietnam18
Vietnam

*in many countries you can obtain a license to drive a car under supervision at a lower age (see tables above). You may also be able to ride a motorcycle or drive agricultural machinery on the roads at younger ages in many countries.

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