Indiana does not set an age at which seniors must take a driving test. No birthday automatically triggers a road test, a written exam, or any other skills evaluation. Instead, once you turn 75, your license renewal cycle gets shorter and you have to pass a vision screening each time you renew. A road test only enters the picture if someone files a specific concern about an individual driver’s fitness, and even then it’s based on evidence, not age.
No Age Triggers a Driving Test in Indiana
Indiana once required drivers 75 and older to take a driving skills test at renewal, but the state eliminated that rule. Today, no age triggers an automatic road test or written exam.1Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License You can keep renewing your license indefinitely as long as you pass the vision screening, haven’t accumulated six or more points on your driving record, and haven’t let your license lapse for more than 180 days. Even in those situations, you’d only need to retake the written knowledge exam, not a road test.
Illinois is the only state that forces seniors to take a road test at a specific age (75), so Indiana’s hands-off approach is the norm rather than the exception.
What Actually Changes at Age 75
Turning 75 shortens how often you renew. Drivers under 75 renew every six years for $17.50. After that, the schedule tightens:
- Ages 75 to 84: renew every three years, fee is $11.
- Age 85 and older: renew every two years, fee is $7.
These fees and renewal periods come directly from Indiana Code 9-24-12-5.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-24-12-5 – Renewal Requirements; Fees The per-year cost actually drops for older drivers.
Most renewals for drivers 75 and older have to be done in person at a BMV branch because of the vision screening requirement. You can renew online or at a kiosk every other cycle if a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist completes a Vision Screening Documentation form (State Form 56520) and submits it to the BMV’s Driver Ability Department within 30 days of your renewal.3Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. State Form 56520 – Vision Screening Documentation If your last renewal was done online, your next one has to be at a branch.
Vision Screening at Renewal
Every renewal for drivers 75 and older includes a mandatory vision screening.4Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Renewing a Driver’s License, Learner’s Permit, or Identification Card If you wear glasses or contacts while driving, wear them for the screening.
The general standard is 20/40 or better in both eyes for an unrestricted license. Vision that falls below that can still qualify you to drive, but with restrictions added to your license, such as requiring corrective lenses, requiring outside rearview mirrors, or limiting you to daylight driving only.5Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Vision Screening Driving in violation of one of those restrictions is a separate offense. If your acuity is below 20/50 in either eye and can’t be corrected, you can’t use the standard screening form and instead have to complete a Certificate of Vision through the Driver Ability Department.
When a Road Test Can Actually Be Ordered
The one situation where an Indiana driver, senior or otherwise, might be required to take an actual driving skills test is a Driver Ability Review. Anyone can file a Request for Driver Ability Review (State Form 54750) with the BMV. The form is a sworn statement, so filing a false report could constitute perjury.6Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Request for Driving Ability Review – State Form 54750 Law enforcement officers, physicians, court-appointed guardians, family members with power of attorney, and concerned citizens are all common filers.7Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Ability Program
Physicians in Indiana are not required to report medically impaired drivers, but doctors who do file reports are granted legal immunity. A driver can request a copy of the report, so the process is not fully anonymous.
If the Driver Ability Department decides a concern warrants investigation, it mails the driver a notice within 10 to 14 business days along with a Medical Review Form (State Form 54747) for the driver’s physician to complete. The driver has 60 days from the date of the notice to return the completed form. That deadline is firm: missing it means the BMV automatically invalidates driving privileges. The same 60-day window applies to any follow-up requests for medical or vision information.7Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Driver Ability Program
After reviewing the information, the BMV has several options under Indiana Code 9-24-10-7:8Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-24-10-7
- Take no action and leave the license unrestricted.
- Add restrictions such as daylight-only driving, required outside mirrors, or geographic limits.
- Suspend or revoke the license entirely.
As part of the investigation, the BMV may require a written test, a vision exam, or a behind-the-wheel driving skills test. This is the situation where an older Indiana driver might actually be asked to take a road test, and even then the trigger is individual evidence, not age.
If the BMV suspends, revokes, or restricts your license after a review, you have the right to request an administrative hearing before an administrative law judge, who must issue an order within 90 days.9Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Hearing and Review
Choosing to Stop Driving
If you decide on your own that it’s time to stop driving, you can surrender your license at any BMV branch. A standard state identification card costs $9, but if you’re at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and eligible to vote, the BMV will issue a free ID card.10Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Identification Cards Most seniors qualify for the free version.
For transportation afterward, Indiana receives federal funding through the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (Section 5310), which supports door-to-door transportation, volunteer driver programs, and non-emergency medical rides.11Federal Transit Administration. Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities – Section 5310 Your local Area Agency on Aging or public transit provider can tell you what’s running in your area.