How Many Hours Do You Need to Drive Before Getting Your License?

What Are Behind-the-Wheel Hours

Behind-the-wheel hours are the supervised driving practice your state requires before you can take your road test. You sit behind the wheel. A licensed adult sits next to you. You drive. The hours get logged.

Every state that has a graduated driver licensing program requires some amount of this. The number ranges from 20 hours (Iowa) to 70 hours (Maine). Most states land around 50.

How Many Hours Do You Need

It depends entirely on your state. Here’s the range:

70 hours: Maine 65 hours: Pennsylvania 60 hours: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina 50 hours: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and 20 more states 45 hours: Virginia 40 hours: Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Utah, Vermont, and others 30 hours: Arizona, Texas 20 hours: Iowa 0 hours: Arkansas, Mississippi (no state-mandated minimum)

What Counts

Any driving with a qualified supervisor counts. Going to school. Picking up groceries. Driving to practice. Weekend road trips. It doesn’t have to be a dedicated practice session.

Most states require the supervisor to be at least 21 years old with a valid license. Some states (like California) require 25. Some (like Indiana) require 25 and a family relationship. Check your state’s rules.

Day vs Night

Most states split the total into day hours and night hours. The typical split is 40 day and 10 night. Night hours are defined differently by state — some use sunset-to-sunrise, others use fixed clock times like 10 PM to 6 AM.

Night hours are the part families put off. Start them early.

Behind-the-Wheel vs Professional Instruction

These are different things. Professional instruction (with a licensed driving school instructor) is separate from behind-the-wheel practice with a parent. Most states require both.

Your 6-10 hours with an instructor don’t usually count toward your behind-the-wheel total. They’re tracked separately. The behind-the-wheel hours are the ones you log with a parent or guardian.

Tracking Your Hours

You need a log. Your state may provide an official form, or you can use any method that records the date, time, duration, supervisor, and whether it was day or night.

Moda does all of this automatically. It tracks time, detects day vs night from actual sunset data, logs weather, and keeps a running total against your state’s requirements. When you’re ready, it exports the exact PDF your state expects.

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