Class E License Florida: Requirements, Tests, and Fees

A Class E license in Florida is the standard non-commercial driver license that covers personal cars, pickups, SUVs, passenger vans, and RVs under 26,001 pounds gross vehicle weight rating.¹ To get one, you meet the age and education prerequisites, bring the right documents, pass a knowledge test, a vision and hearing screening, and a driving skills test, and pay $48. The specifics vary depending on whether you are under 18, an adult applying for the first time, or moving to Florida with a license from another state.

What a Class E License Lets You Drive

A Class E authorizes any motor vehicle that does not require a commercial license. That means passenger cars, vans seating up to 15 people including the driver, trucks and RVs under 26,001 pounds GVWR, and two- or three-wheel motor vehicles of 50cc or less such as mopeds and small scooters.¹ Vehicles at or above 26,001 pounds GVWR require a Class A or Class B commercial license, and vehicles under that weight carrying hazardous materials or a certain number of passengers need a Class C with the appropriate endorsement.² For a standard personal vehicle, Class E is the only license you need.

Age and Education Requirements

If You Are Under 18

You can apply for a learner’s license at 15. Florida law requires minors to be enrolled in school, a home education program, or an equivalent approved by the district school board, or to have already earned a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.³ If the school reports that you are no longer meeting attendance requirements, the state can suspend your license.

As of August 1, 2025, applicants under 18 who have never held a license from any other jurisdiction must complete a 6-hour Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course before applying. This replaced the older 4-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course for minors. If you completed the TLSAE before August 1, 2025, your completion certificate remains valid for one year from the date you finished the course. You are also exempt from the DETS requirement if you are enrolled in a Florida Department of Education Traffic Safety classroom course or a Driver Education Licensing Assistance Program (DELAP) offered by your county school board.⁴

Once you have the learner’s license, you must hold it for at least 12 months with no moving traffic convictions before upgrading to a full Class E. If you do get a moving violation during that period, you can still qualify at 12 months by electing traffic school and having adjudication withheld.⁵ The 12-month holding requirement ends early if you turn 18 first.⁶

If You Are 18 or Older

Adults skip the learner’s license stage and the graduated licensing restrictions that apply to teens. You can apply directly for a Class E license by passing the required tests and providing your documents. The learner’s license statute and the driver education mandate apply specifically to those under 18.⁷

Documents You Need to Bring

Florida licenses comply with the federal REAL ID Act. Since May 7, 2025, the TSA requires a REAL ID-compliant license, or another acceptable form of identification like a passport, for domestic air travel and access to certain federal facilities.⁸ You need original documents in three categories.

For identity and legal presence, bring one primary document such as a U.S. birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization, or permanent resident card. For your Social Security number, bring your Social Security card, a W-2, or another document showing all nine digits. For residential address, bring two separate documents showing your name and Florida address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, lease agreement, or mortgage document.⁹ If your name has changed since your identity document was issued, bring legal proof of the change such as a marriage certificate or court order.

Names must match across documents. Mismatches between your Social Security card and your identity document are one of the most common reasons applicants get sent home to reschedule.

The Tests

Knowledge Exam

The Class E Knowledge Exam has 50 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws, traffic controls, and road signs. You need at least 40 correct answers, or 80%, to pass.¹⁰ The official Florida Driver License Handbook is the best study resource and is available free on the FLHSMV website.

Vision and Hearing

Both screenings are part of the Class E requirements.¹¹ Vision must be at least 20/40 in each eye, with or without corrective lenses. Reading worse than 20/40 in either eye triggers a referral to a licensed eye specialist. Applicants who cannot improve beyond 20/70 in one eye can still qualify if the other eye meets 20/40. Drivers with vision of 20/80 or worse in both eyes that cannot be corrected will not be licensed.¹²

Drivers who are deaf or cannot hear conversation spoken at a normal volume are not disqualified. They receive a restriction requiring either an outside left rearview mirror or the use of a hearing aid.¹¹

Driving Skills Test

You bring your own vehicle to the driving test. It needs a valid license plate, current registration, and proof of insurance covering personal injury protection and property damage liability.¹⁰ The examiner evaluates maneuvers including three-point turns, straight-in parking, parking on a grade, backing, quick stops, signaling and turning, passing, lane positioning, and following distance. The full list on the FLHSMV website is longer than most applicants expect; review it before your test date.

Fees

An original Class E license costs $48.¹³ That fee covers both the learner’s license and the Class E license itself, so you are not paying twice if you start with a learner’s permit. Applying at a tax collector’s office rather than a state-run service center adds a $6.25 service fee. Veterans who have provided proof of veteran status are exempt from that service fee.¹⁴

How the License Gets Issued

You must apply in person at a Driver License Service Center or a county tax collector office that provides licensing services. Once you have passed your tests and submitted your documents, the office processes payment and issues a temporary paper license you can use immediately. The permanent card arrives by mail at your residential address, typically within a few weeks.

During the application, you will be offered the opportunity to register to vote. Under the National Voter Registration Act, every driver license application must double as a voter registration form unless you decline.¹⁵ If you later update your address with the state, that change automatically carries over to your voter registration unless you opt out.

Restrictions That Apply After a Teen Gets Licensed

Florida’s graduated licensing system phases in driving privileges. With a learner’s license, a licensed driver at least 21 years old must always sit in the front passenger seat.⁷ For the first three months, driving is limited to daylight hours; after three months, the window extends to 10 p.m. You must also log 50 hours of supervised driving, at least 10 of them at night.⁶

Once you hold a full Class E license, curfews still apply until you turn 18:

At age 16, you can drive only between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., unless you are driving to or from work or are accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21.
At age 17, you can drive between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., with the same work and supervised-driving exceptions.

These curfews lift entirely at 18.⁶ A curfew violation counts as a moving infraction and can push back the 12-month clean-record window a teen needs to move from a learner’s license to full Class E.

Moving to Florida With an Out-of-State License

New residents who already hold a valid license from another state have 30 days after establishing residency to get a Florida Class E.¹⁶ The clock starts when you accept employment, start a business, or enroll your children in public school. Spouses and dependents are on the same 30-day timeline.

You still take the vision and hearing screenings, but you may be able to skip the written knowledge exam and the driving skills test if your out-of-state license is current and valid.¹⁷ You still need to bring all the standard REAL ID documents and apply in person. Florida also runs your information through the National Driver Register, a federal database that flags drivers whose privileges have been revoked, suspended, or denied elsewhere.¹⁸ An unresolved issue in another state has to be cleared before Florida will issue a license.

Validity and Renewal

A standard Florida Class E license is valid for eight years from the date of issue. If you are 80 or older, the validity period shortens to six years. Renewal costs the same $48, plus the $6.25 service fee at a tax collector office.¹⁴ Driving on an expired license can result in a citation, and letting it lapse too long may force you to retake the knowledge and driving tests rather than simply renewing.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. License Classes, Endorsements and Designations
2
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.54 – Classification
3
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.091 – Eligibility Requirements for Driving Privileges
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS)
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.05 – Persons Not to Be Licensed
6
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews
7
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.1615 – Learner’s Driver License
8
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
9
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. What to Bring
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Class E Knowledge Exam and Driving Skills Test
11
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. General Information
12
Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code Annotated R 15A-1.013 – Minimum Visual Standards for Licensing
13
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.21 – License Fees; Procedure for Handling and Collecting Fees
14
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
15
Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993
16
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.031 – Nonresident; When License Required
17
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. New Resident – Welcome to Florida
18
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register (NDR)