Minimum Driving Age by Country

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!
 


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

Minimum Driving Age in Caribbean

Minium Driving Age in Central America

Minimum Driving Age in East Asia

Minimum Driving Age in Europe

Minimum Driving Age in Middle East

Minimum Driving Age in North America

Minimum Driving Age in Oceania

Minimum Driving Age in Rest of Europe

Minimum Driving Age in South America

Minimum Driving Age in South Asia

Minimum Driving Age in Southeast Asia

*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.