Behind-the-wheel training is required in Virginia for anyone under 18 who wants a driver’s license, but it is optional for adults 18 and older. Minors must complete it as part of a state-approved driver education program before the DMV will issue a license. Adults can skip it entirely by holding a learner’s permit for 60 days and passing the DMV road skills test, though taking a driver education course waives both of those steps.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Drivers License
If You’re Under 18
Virginia law requires minors to complete a state-approved driver education program before they can be licensed. The in-car portion of that program is the behind-the-wheel requirement, and it has specific hour counts you can’t substitute around.
The full program has two parts: 36 classroom sessions on traffic laws and safe driving, and 14 in-car sessions split evenly between driving and observing another student drive. Each session runs 50 minutes.2Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver Education At least six of the 14 in-car sessions must happen on actual streets rather than a closed range or simulator.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Administrative Code 8VAC20-340 – Driver Education Program A road skills exam given by the driving instructor closes out the program, and passing it means the student does not take a separate road test at the DMV.
Behind-the-wheel training is one piece of a larger set of requirements for drivers under 18. The others:
- Hold a learner’s permit for at least nine months before licensing. A permit can be issued as early as 15 years and six months old.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-335 – Learners Permits, Fees, Certification Required
- Complete at least 45 hours of supervised practice driving with a licensed adult, including a minimum of 15 hours after sunset. A parent or guardian certifies these hours on the completion certificate.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Learner’s Permit
- Be at least 16 years and three months old at the time of licensing.
The 45 practice hours are separate from the 14 in-car sessions in driver education. They happen with a parent or other licensed adult, not with the driving school.
If You’re 18 or Older
Adults who have never held a driver’s license from any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country have two routes to a Virginia license, and behind-the-wheel training is only involved if you choose it.
- Complete a state-approved driver education program that includes behind-the-wheel instruction. This waives both the 60-day learner’s permit holding period and the DMV road skills test. You still have to pass the two-part knowledge exam at the DMV.
- Hold a learner’s permit for at least 60 days, then pass both the knowledge exam and the road skills test at the DMV. No formal driver education required.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Drivers License
The driver education route is faster if you’re starting from zero, because it eliminates the waiting period and the DMV road test. The permit-and-test route works fine if you prefer to handle the process yourself, but you’ll wait at least 60 days and you’ll need to schedule and pass the road skills test with a DMV examiner.
Homeschool Families Can Teach the In-Car Portion
Parents of homeschooled students can provide the behind-the-wheel instruction themselves, but only with DMV authorization in advance. The parent or guardian must submit a Home-Schooled In-Car Driver Education Parental Authorization Application (form HS-1), along with either a letter from the school division superintendent confirming the student is homeschooled or a copy of the notice of intent to homeschool filed with the superintendent.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Information for Home Schoolers
The classroom portion still has to be completed through an approved program first. Original proof of classroom completion goes in with the HS-1, and a separate form is required for each child.
Moving to Virginia Under 18
Minors who move to Virginia with a valid learner’s permit from another state get credit for time already held on that permit toward Virginia’s nine-month requirement. A driver education program completed in the previous state will satisfy Virginia’s standards if it included at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of in-car instruction.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-334 – Conditions and Requirements for Licensure of Persons Under 18
Virginia will also exchange an out-of-state license for a Virginia license if the minor is at least 16 years and three months old, holds a valid license, and completed a driver education program meeting those same minimum hours.2Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver Education You’ll need documentation showing the hours.
When Behind-the-Wheel Becomes Required for Adults
One situation forces an adult into behind-the-wheel training even though it was optional at the start: failing the DMV road skills test three times. After a third failure, you must complete the behind-the-wheel component of a driver education course, which is seven 50-minute driving periods, before you can attempt the test a fourth time.8Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver Training for Three Exam Failures
The training has to be completed after the date of your third failure. Courses taken earlier don’t count, and driver improvement clinic classes do not satisfy the requirement either.
Repeated failure of the knowledge exam triggers a different requirement. For an applicant under 18 with no prior classroom instruction, three failures mean completing the full 36 classroom sessions. For an under-18 applicant who already finished classroom instruction, or any applicant 18 or older, three failures mean completing an eight-hour driver’s manual course, available online or in person.8Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver Training for Three Exam Failures
What You Still Owe at the DMV
Completing behind-the-wheel training doesn’t finish the licensing process. Every applicant has to pass the DMV’s two-part knowledge exam: 10 road sign questions, where a perfect score is required, and 30 general knowledge questions, where you need at least 24 correct.9Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The Knowledge Exam The sign section trips up more applicants than people expect; study the shapes and colors, not just the words.
For a student under 18 who passes the instructor’s road skills exam, the driving school issues a Virginia Driver Training Certificate (DTS-B or TDL-180). Paired with a valid learner’s permit, that certificate works as a temporary driver’s license for 180 days from the eligibility date, which is the later of the day the permit has been held for nine months or the day the student turns 16 years and three months old.10Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Teen Driver Frequently Asked Questions11Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia Driver Training Certificate DTS-B A parent or guardian has to sign the certificate first, certifying the 45 hours of supervised practice driving and confirming the student’s academic standing.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Learner’s Permit The instructor forwards a copy to the DMV, and the permanent license comes in the mail.
Adults who finished a driver education program bring their completion certificate and required identification to the DMV, pass the knowledge exam, and get licensed without a road test.12Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Eligibility Requirements Adults who went the permit-and-test route still have the road test ahead of them.