Free California DMV Car / Permit Practice Test 2026
The California Car / Permit knowledge test has 36 questions, and you need 30 correct (83%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official California driver handbook — every one has a clear explanation, and you can retake as often as you like with no sign-up.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
What's on the California written test
The California Car / Permit knowledge test has 36 questions; you need 30 correct (83%) to pass.
Based on the official California exam format — always confirm current details with your state DMV.
The 36-question figure is the adult (18+) Class C test; applicants under 18 take a longer 46-question version.
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California Practice Test Pack — 2026 Printable Edition
All 492 California practice questions with worked explanations and answer keys — car, motorcycle, CDL and air brakes, in English and Spanish. Eight print-ready PDFs, 664 pages; the car and CDL editions add 146 cut-out road-sign flashcards.
Get the printable edition — $4.99- One-time purchase
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Practice by topic
Focus on one area at a time — each topic has its own set of California practice questions.
Learn the shapes, colors, and meanings of regulatory, warning, and guide signs — from stop and yield to construction and school-zone signs.
Speed limits, turning and signaling rules, headlight and seat-belt requirements, and the everyday laws every driver must follow.
How to read traffic signals, lane lines, and pavement markings — including yellow and white lines, arrows, and flashing lights.
Who goes first at intersections, four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks, and how to yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
How to pass the first time
- Read the official California driver handbook at least once before test day.
- Practice by topic to find your weak spots, then fix them.
- Take full-length practice tests until you pass comfortably every time.
- Read every explanation — understanding beats memorizing.
California Car / Permit test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the California Car / Permit test?
The California Car / Permit knowledge test has 36 questions, and you need 30 correct (83%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the California Car / Permit test?
You can miss up to 6 of the 36 questions and still pass — you need 30 correct, which is 83%.
Can I retake the practice test?
Yes — practice as often as you like, completely free. The questions and answer choices are shuffled each time.
Can I take the California practice test in Spanish?
Yes. Every question here is available in English and Spanish — switch languages anytime. Many states also offer the real knowledge test in languages other than English; confirm what California offers with your DMV.
Can I practice on my phone?
Yes. The practice tests work in any mobile or desktop browser — no app or sign-up needed — so you can study anywhere.
Are these the real DMV test questions?
No. Our questions are original, written from the current official California driver handbook to match the real test's topics and style. We are not affiliated with any DMV or government agency.
What's the best way to study?
Read the California driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other California practice tests
Take the Car / Permit test in another state
Every California question is written from the official California driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free
California Car / Permit questions with answers
20 sample questions from the California Car / Permit question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
Show all 20 questions with answers
1. While driving, using a hand-held cell phone is:
Correct answer: Illegal; the phone must be hands-free (and no use at all if under 18)
Using a handheld cell phone while you drive is both unsafe and against the law. Adults should use a phone only in hands-free mode, and only when necessary. Minors may not use a phone or wireless device to answer calls or send and answer texts while driving. Driving slowly or on surface streets does not make handheld use acceptable.
2. When a pedestrian is crossing in a marked or unmarked crosswalk, you must:
Correct answer: Yield and let the pedestrian cross
Pedestrians have the right-of-way in marked and unmarked crosswalks, so you must slow down or stop and let them finish crossing. Paint is not required for a crosswalk to count. Honking or trying to beat the pedestrian across is wrong, and you should also never pass a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk.
3. What does a yellow diamond-shaped sign showing a red-and-white yield symbol mean?
Correct answer: A yield sign is ahead; be prepared to yield.
A diamond-shaped sign showing a yield symbol is the Yield Ahead warning sign. It tells you a yield sign is coming, so be ready to give way. When you reach the yield sign itself, slow down and be ready to stop for any vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian. It is not a farm-equipment or merging warning.
4. If your brakes suddenly stop working, you should first:
Correct answer: Pump the pedal, downshift, and use the parking brake gradually
When the brake pedal sinks to the floor, pump the brakes quickly by applying and releasing pressure. Then shift down into a lower or neutral gear to slow the vehicle, and try the emergency brake to stop. Turning off the engine is not among these steps, and none of the handbook's guidance involves steering into oncoming traffic.
Source: California Driver Handbook — Handling Emergencies / Brake Failure
5. You may not park within how many feet of a fire hydrant?
Correct answer: 15 feet
Never park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. The handbook also bars parking within 15 feet of a fire station driveway. Ten feet or less is too close under this rule. Do not confuse it with the 20-foot distance that applies near a crosswalk, since the two numbers come from different rules.
6. When following a large truck or bus that blocks your view, you should:
Correct answer: Increase your following distance so you can see ahead
A large truck or bus blocks your view of the road ahead, and tailgating it cuts your safe distance. Staying farther back gives you more time to react. Following closely never saves anything worth the risk, and lingering in the truck's blind spots, or No Zones, is dangerous because the driver cannot see you if you cannot see the mirrors.
7. A school bus ahead has stopped and is flashing red lights with its stop arm out. You must:
Correct answer: Stop until the red lights stop flashing
When a school bus flashes red lights, you must stop from either direction and stay stopped until the children are across and the lights stop flashing. Slowing to a lower speed to pass is not allowed. The one exception is a bus on the far side of a divided highway or a highway with two or more lanes in each direction.
8. While driving in California, you are required to carry proof of:
Correct answer: Vehicle insurance (financial responsibility)
You must have proof of financial responsibility, meaning insurance, whenever you drive, and you must show it to other drivers after a collision. Birth certificates, first-aid certificates, and smog receipts are not part of that requirement. Driving without proper coverage can lead to a suspended driving privilege if you are in a collision.
Source: California Driver Handbook — Financial Responsibility
9. According to the BAC table in the California handbook, what lowers your blood alcohol concentration after you drink?
Correct answer: Only the passage of time
The handbook's BAC table says to subtract 0.01% for each 40 minutes that pass between drinks, so the passage of time is what lowers your BAC. Nothing in it credits coffee, a cold shower, or a meal. The handbook adds that a single drink can already affect your driving.
10. A solid yellow line on your side of the center of a two-way road means:
Correct answer: Passing is not allowed on your side
A solid yellow line on your side of the road means you must not pass a vehicle ahead of you when only one lane goes your direction. Traffic being clear does not change that, because the line marks the center of a two-way road. A broken yellow line is the marking that permits passing when it is safe.
11. California law requires you to turn on your headlights whenever you:
Correct answer: Use your windshield wipers because of weather
When fog, rain, or snow makes you run the windshield wipers, your low beams must be on too. The wipers are the trigger, not your speed or where you drive. Headlights make you easier for others to see in poor weather, and this is separate from the rule about lights from dusk to dawn.
12. To drive safely, you should scan the road ahead by looking:
Correct answer: At least 10 seconds ahead, keeping your eyes moving
To give yourself time to react and avoid last-minute moves, keep your eyes moving, looking down the road a minimum of 10 seconds ahead. Watching only the car in front of you shortens your reaction time, and fixing your gaze on the speedometer or mirrors means you miss hazards that are coming up.
13. When you are turning left at an intersection, you must:
Correct answer: Yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians
When you turn left, you must give the right-of-way to any approaching vehicle that is close enough to be dangerous, and to pedestrians. Being the one turning does not give you priority. Wait for a safe gap, and do not assume an oncoming driver with a turn signal on will actually turn before reaching you.
14. You approach a white rectangular sign reading 'DO NOT PASS'. What does it tell you to do?
Correct answer: Passing other vehicles is prohibited beyond this sign.
Passing other vehicles is prohibited beyond this sign. (This is the "Do Not Pass" sign.)
15. When driving in high winds, you should avoid using cruise control because:
Correct answer: You need full control of the accelerator to react to gusts
In high winds, do not use cruise control, so you keep maximum control of the accelerator if a gust hits. Gusts are unpredictable, so also reduce your speed and keep a firm hold on the steering wheel. The handbook does not say cruise control is illegal during storms or that it affects the vehicle on its own.
Source: California Driver Handbook — High Winds
16. Under California's "daylighting" law, you generally may not stop or park within 20 feet of:
Correct answer: The approach side of a crosswalk
You may not park within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, or within 15 feet when the crosswalk has a curb extension. This keeps pedestrians easy to see, and it applies even where the curb is not painted red. A bus or an on-ramp is not what triggers this distance.
Source: California Driver Handbook — Parking / Daylighting Law
17. You should increase your following distance when:
Correct answer: The road is wet or your view is blocked
Increase your following distance on slippery roads such as wet pavement, and in fog. Tailgating also blocks your view of the road ahead, so leave more room behind vehicles that hide what is in front of them. Being in a hurry or following a small car is no reason for more space, and neither is a reason to follow closer.
18. When approaching a light rail vehicle on the tracks, you should never:
Correct answer: Turn in front of an approaching light rail vehicle
Light rail vehicles follow the same road rights and duties as other vehicles, so never turn across the path of one that is approaching. Check for light rail vehicles before you turn across their tracks, and complete your turn only when the traffic light says you may go. They can also interrupt traffic lights.
Source: California Driver Handbook — Light Rail Vehicles
19. Your driving privilege may be suspended as a "negligent operator" if you receive:
Correct answer: 4 points in 12 months
DMV may consider you a negligent driver and suspend your license if your record shows 4 points in 12 months, 6 points in 24 months, or 8 points in 36 months. One point in a year is not enough, and a single ticket alone does not trigger it. Courts can also suspend a driving privilege separately.
20. In California, it is illegal to have an open container of alcohol:
Correct answer: In the passenger area of the vehicle
It is illegal to keep an open container of alcohol where passengers sit, and that includes the glove box. A sealed, unopened container is fine. If a container is open, it must go in the trunk or somewhere passengers do not sit. It does not matter whether the driver is drinking from it.