The Law To Know

Driving Ages Around the World

At what age can you drive a car alone? In most of the world the answer is 18, but in much of the United States and Canada it is 16, and in several countries it is 17. This guide sets out the minimum driving age, the learner age where we are confident of it, and the side of the road for 103 countries.

Part of the comparative law toolkit. See also Legal Ages Around the World for the age of majority, marriage, voting and more.

Colour the map by:
16 or younger (3)17 (10)18 (90)Not yet covered
Albania: drive alone from 18; keeps rightAlgeria: drive alone from 18; keeps rightArgentina: drive alone from 17; keeps rightArmenia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightAustralia: drive alone from 17; keeps leftAustria: drive alone from 18; keeps rightAzerbaijan: drive alone from 18; keeps rightBangladesh: drive alone from 18; keeps leftBelarus: drive alone from 18; keeps rightBelgium: drive alone from 18; keeps rightBosnia and Herzegovina: drive alone from 18; keeps rightBotswana: drive alone from 18; keeps leftBrazil: drive alone from 18; keeps rightBulgaria: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCambodia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCanada: drive alone from 16; keeps rightChile: drive alone from 18; keeps rightChina: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCosta Rica: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCroatia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCuba: drive alone from 18; keeps rightCyprus: drive alone from 18; keeps leftCzechia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightDenmark: drive alone from 18; keeps rightDominican Republic: drive alone from 18; keeps rightEcuador: drive alone from 18; keeps rightEgypt: drive alone from 18; keeps rightEstonia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightEthiopia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightFinland: drive alone from 18; keeps rightFrance: drive alone from 18; keeps rightGeorgia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightGermany: drive alone from 18; keeps rightGhana: drive alone from 18; keeps rightGreece: drive alone from 18; keeps rightHong Kong: drive alone from 18; keeps leftHungary: drive alone from 18; keeps rightIceland: drive alone from 17; keeps rightIndia: drive alone from 18; keeps leftIndonesia: drive alone from 17; keeps leftIran: drive alone from 18; keeps rightIraq: drive alone from 18; keeps rightIreland: drive alone from 17; keeps leftIsrael: drive alone from 17; keeps rightItaly: drive alone from 18; keeps rightJamaica: drive alone from 17; keeps leftJapan: drive alone from 18; keeps leftJordan: drive alone from 18; keeps rightKazakhstan: drive alone from 18; keeps rightKenya: drive alone from 18; keeps leftKuwait: drive alone from 18; keeps rightLatvia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightLebanon: drive alone from 18; keeps rightLithuania: drive alone from 18; keeps rightLuxembourg: drive alone from 18; keeps rightMalaysia: drive alone from 17; keeps leftMalta: drive alone from 18; keeps leftMexico: drive alone from 18; keeps rightMoldova: drive alone from 18; keeps rightMongolia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightMontenegro: drive alone from 18; keeps rightMorocco: drive alone from 18; keeps rightNamibia: drive alone from 18; keeps leftNepal: drive alone from 18; keeps leftNetherlands: drive alone from 18; keeps rightNew Zealand: drive alone from 16; keeps leftNigeria: drive alone from 18; keeps rightNorth Macedonia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightNorway: drive alone from 18; keeps rightPakistan: drive alone from 18; keeps leftPanama: drive alone from 18; keeps rightPeru: drive alone from 18; keeps rightPhilippines: drive alone from 17; keeps rightPoland: drive alone from 18; keeps rightPortugal: drive alone from 18; keeps rightQatar: drive alone from 18; keeps rightRomania: drive alone from 18; keeps rightRussia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSaudi Arabia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSerbia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSingapore: drive alone from 18; keeps leftSlovakia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSlovenia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSouth Africa: drive alone from 18; keeps leftSouth Korea: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSpain: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSri Lanka: drive alone from 18; keeps leftSweden: drive alone from 18; keeps rightSwitzerland: drive alone from 18; keeps rightTaiwan: drive alone from 18; keeps rightTanzania: drive alone from 18; keeps leftThailand: drive alone from 18; keeps leftTunisia: drive alone from 18; keeps rightTurkey: drive alone from 18; keeps rightUganda: drive alone from 18; keeps leftUkraine: drive alone from 18; keeps rightUnited Arab Emirates: drive alone from 18; keeps rightUnited Kingdom: drive alone from 17; keeps leftUnited States: drive alone from 16; keeps rightUruguay: drive alone from 18; keeps rightVenezuela: drive alone from 18; keeps rightVietnam: drive alone from 18; keeps rightZambia: drive alone from 18; keeps left

Every country, side by side

Type a country to find it. Open a country for the notes.

CountryDrive alone fromLearnerSide
Albania18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Algeria18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Argentina17Ask the authorityKeeps right
Armenia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Australia1716 in most states and territoriesKeeps left
Austria1817, for accompanied driving after trainingKeeps right
Azerbaijan18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Bangladesh18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Belarus18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Belgium1817, for accompanied driving after trainingKeeps right
Bosnia and Herzegovina18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Botswana1816, for a learner's licenceKeeps left
Brazil18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Bulgaria18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Cambodia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Canada16From 14 to 16, depending on the provinceKeeps right
Chile18Ask the authorityKeeps right
China18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Costa Rica18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Croatia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Cuba18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Cyprus18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Czechia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Denmark18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Dominican Republic18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Ecuador18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Egypt18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Estonia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Ethiopia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Finland18Ask the authorityKeeps right
France1815, for accompanied driving after trainingKeeps right
Georgia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Germany1817, for accompanied driving with a named adultKeeps right
Ghana18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Greece18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Hong Kong18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Hungary18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Iceland17Ask the authorityKeeps right
India18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Indonesia17Ask the authorityKeeps left
Iran18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Iraq18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Ireland17Ask the authorityKeeps left
Israel1716 and a halfKeeps right
Italy18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Jamaica17Ask the authorityKeeps left
Japan18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Jordan18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Kazakhstan18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Kenya18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Kuwait18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Latvia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Lebanon18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Lithuania18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Luxembourg18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Malaysia17Ask the authorityKeeps left
Malta18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Mexico18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Moldova18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Mongolia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Montenegro18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Morocco18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Namibia1816, for a learner's licenceKeeps left
Nepal18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Netherlands1817, for accompanied drivingKeeps right
New Zealand16Ask the authorityKeeps left
Nigeria18Ask the authorityKeeps right
North Macedonia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Norway18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Pakistan18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Panama18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Peru18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Philippines1716, for a student permitKeeps right
Poland18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Portugal18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Qatar18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Romania18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Russia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Saudi Arabia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Serbia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Singapore18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Slovakia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Slovenia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
South Africa1816, for a learner's licenceKeeps left
South Korea18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Spain18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Sri Lanka18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Sweden1816, practice with an approved supervisorKeeps right
Switzerland1817, for a learner permitKeeps right
Taiwan18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Tanzania18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Thailand18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Tunisia18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Turkey18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Uganda18Ask the authorityKeeps left
Ukraine18Ask the authorityKeeps right
United Arab Emirates18Ask the authorityKeeps right
United Kingdom17Ask the authorityKeeps left
United States16From 14 to 16, depending on the stateKeeps right
Uruguay18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Venezuela18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Vietnam18Ask the authorityKeeps right
Zambia18Ask the authorityKeeps left

Read this first

This guide gives the general minimum age to drive an ordinary car in each country, from our own knowledge. Ages and rules are reformed from time to time, federal countries let each state or province decide, and a blank learner age means 'ask the licensing authority', not 'none'. Check the national or local licensing authority before you rely on a figure. It is general information, not legal advice.

What to remember anywhere

Other vehicles have their own ages

Mopeds, motorcycles, lorries, buses and taxis usually have their own minimum ages, sometimes lower and often higher than the age for a car. This guide covers an ordinary passenger car only.

New drivers often face limits

Many countries give young drivers a graduated or probationary licence: no night driving, few passengers, a lower alcohol limit, a trial period before the full licence. The age to drive alone is often the start of those limits, not the end.

Driving abroad on your own licence

Licences issued in the European Union are recognised across it. Elsewhere, a visitor can usually drive on a home licence for a limited time, and many countries also ask for an International Driving Permit: a translation of your licence, issued by your home country's motoring organisation before you leave, that is not a licence by itself. Residents may have to exchange their licence or pass a test after some months. Ask the destination's licensing authority and your insurer.

Renting a car has its own age rules

Rental companies set their own minimum ages, often 21 or 25, and charge a young-driver fee. That is a contract term, not the law, and it can be higher than the legal driving age.

Crossing between left and right

Moving between a country that keeps left and one that keeps right changes which way you look, where you sit and how roundabouts work. Take extra care in the first hours after a border, and on the first turns after leaving a car park.

Read the official rules

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<a href="https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/driving-ages">Driving Ages Around the World</a>, TheLawToKnow

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TheLawToKnow Tools. Driving Ages Around the World. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/driving-ages.

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