Free North Carolina DMV practice tests

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, which sits inside the Department of Transportation; its pages are published under ncdot.gov. Its customer service line is 919-715-7000 and its mailing address is 3101 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-3101.

Eighty percent. The examination rule, 19A NCAC 03B .0201, says eighty percent of the questions shall be answered correctly to pass, and that percentage is the rule's own words. The rule sets no length for the form and neither the NCDMV pages nor the Driver Handbook chapter checked here gives one, so the count this site models is our figure, not a quotation from NCDMV.

Sixteen. G.S. 20-9(a) sets the minimum age for a regular Class C license at 16, against 18 for Class A and Class B. Anyone under 18 comes through graduated licensing rather than applying directly, and adults applying for a first North Carolina license must be at least 18 and apply in person at a driver license office.

20/40 or better in at least one eye for an unrestricted license. The examination rule adds the other half of the test: the license shall be restricted to corrective lenses if acuity is less than 20/40 in either eye or both eyes together. The Driver Handbook warns that the penalty for driving without the proper corrective lenses is the same as driving without a license.

Seven days. NCDMV releases new appointments each weekday, unless the seventh day falls on a state holiday, and none are available at license plate agencies. You have to confirm the appointment within 15 minutes of getting the link, and CDL road tests cannot be booked online at all — call 919-715-7000 for those.

Yes. Every driver license office serves walk-in customers from open to close, or until the capacity for that location has been reached. You check in with your cell phone at the office, wait in your vehicle or at a nearby business while watching your place in line, and a text tells you when there is room in the lobby.

By the year. G.S. 20-7(i) charges $6.50 for each year in the period the license is issued for, the same rate across Class A, B and C, plus $3.05 a year for a motorcycle endorsement. NCDMV's licenses-and-fees page carries the current totals and notes that its online service, PayIt, collects $3 per online transaction plus a 1.85 percent card processing fee.

Eight years for a driver 18 to 65 and five years from 66, expiring on the licensee's birthday in the eighth or fifth year after issuance under G.S. 20-7(f)(2). Renewals follow the same split. The renewal window opens 180 days before expiration, and the statute forbids the Division from accepting an application any earlier.

Often. NCDMV offers online renewal and self-service kiosks, and non-REAL ID licenses and state IDs can be renewed online two times in a row. A remote renewal waives the knowledge examination, the road signs test and the new photo, and replaces them with an attestation about residency, name, vision and physical or mental abilities. A suspended license, an outstanding debt, a restriction other than corrective lenses, or a Class A, Class B, commercial or learner credential sends you to a counter instead.

NCDMV says your license, permit or ID arrives in the mail within 20 business days, whether you renewed online, at a kiosk or in an office. In the meantime, G.S. 20-7(f)(5) has the Division issue a temporary driving certificate valid for 60 days — valid for driving purposes but not for identification, except when you are conducting business with the Division and it is not otherwise prohibited by federal law.

G.S. 20-7(i1) sets a restoration fee of $83.50 for a revocation under Chapter 20 other than one under G.S. 20-17(a)(2), and $167.25 where the revocation did come under G.S. 20-17(a)(2). It is payable to the Division before a new license is issued and sits on top of every other fee. The statute exempts licensees whose license was revoked or voluntarily surrendered for medical or health reasons.