Minnesota DVS road test: what to expect
Three parts: vehicle safety equipment demonstration, vehicle control skills, and a driving test under normal traffic. Appointment required. You provide the vehicle (no NEVs; rental only if you are listed on the agreement). Backup cameras allowed but not as the only observation; parking assist cannot be used for parallel parking. No passengers, pets, phones or smoking.
What the examiner checks
- Safety equipment check: seat, seat belts, parking brake, high/low beams, hazard flashers, horn, wipers, defroster/fan, mirrors, fuel gauge
- Vehicle control
- Parallel parking
- Parking on a hill
- Response to traffic, road conditions, signs and signals
- Signaling and right and left turns
- Use of marked and unmarked lanes
- Observation of pedestrians and other drivers
- 90-degree backing into a 10-foot-wide space
Mistakes that end the test
- Disobeying a traffic law
- Driving dangerously, carelessly or recklessly
- Inability to control the vehicle or complete a maneuver without examiner assistance
- An avoidable crash, even if not legally at fault
- Not cooperating with or refusing the examiner's instructions
Your car
- Doors open from inside and outside
- Seat belts work
- Headlights, taillights, turn signals and brake lights work
- Equipment required by restrictions must work
- Vehicle must be smoke-free; loose objects removed
After you pass
Drivers under 18, or after holding the provisional license 12 consecutive months with no alcohol, controlled-substance or crash-related violations and no more than one other moving violation (under-21 Class D license) get a provisional or junior license first. Its restrictions:
- First 6 months: no driving midnight to 5 a.m. unless with a licensed driver 25 or older, between home and work, between home and a school event without school transportation, or for employment
- First 6 months: only one passenger under 20 unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle
- Second 6 months: no more than three passengers under 20 unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle
- Immediate family members under 20 are allowed in both periods
- Everyone must wear a seat belt or child restraint
- No cell phone use while driving, even hands-free (911 emergencies excepted)
- Vanessa's Law: a crash-related or alcohol/drug violation can mean no license until 18
How to prepare
- Practise in the car you'll take the test in, including parking and backing up.
- Drive the kinds of roads near the test site with your supervising driver: intersections, lane changes, school zones.
- Check the car the day before: lights, signals, horn, brakes, mirrors, tires, seat belts, and current registration and insurance documents.
- On the day, signal every turn and lane change, check mirrors and blind spots visibly, and come to full stops behind the line.
Questions
How long do I need my permit before the Minnesota road test?
At least 6 months (180 days) if 18 or younger; 3 months (90 days) if 19 or older. An 18-year-old who turns 19 during the wait follows the 19-and-older rule., with 50 hours of supervised driving (15 at night).
How old do I have to be to take the Minnesota road test?
16 (after 6 months on the permit with no moving or alcohol/drug violations, driver education complete, and a road test) for a provisional or junior license; restrictions end at 18, or after holding the provisional license 12 consecutive months with no alcohol, controlled-substance or crash-related violations and no more than one other moving violation (under-21 Class D license).
What makes you fail the Minnesota road test straight away?
Disobeying a traffic law; Driving dangerously, carelessly or recklessly; Inability to control the vehicle or complete a maneuver without examiner assistance; An avoidable crash, even if not legally at fault.
Source: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), checked 2026-10-27.