What 50-Plus Adults Need to Know About Renewing a Driver's License

Older adults often have added requirements

Special renewal requirements for older adults may seem like age bias, but there is a reason. Loosening the time between in-person renewal requirements was linked to increased crash rates among drivers aged 65-74 and higher injury rates for drivers aged 75-plus, a study published in January 2025 in the journal Injury Epidemiology found.

Renewal requirements for older drivers can vary from state to state. Some states, for example, require older drivers to renew their licenses more frequently than younger drivers. The Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) maintains a list of requirements for every state on its website.

You might need to renew sooner. In Arizona, for example, drivers age 60 and over need to renew their license every five years, compared to every 12 years for the rest of the state’s drivers. In Hawaii, drivers over 72 must renew every two years; the general population does it every eight years.

In-person might be mandatory. Many states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, also require drivers age 70-plus to renew their licenses in person (in Maine, that requirement starts at 62; in Kansas, it’s 65).

Most states require proof of adequate vision. Iowa drivers aged 70+ must demonstrate acceptable eyesight every time they renew their license. Younger drivers only do it when they renew in person. In Maryland, proof is required starting at age 40.

A road test may be part of the process. One state, Illinois, requires drivers to take a road test at age 75-plus.  “The driving test was associated with lower insurance claim frequencies, especially in densely populated areas of Illinois,” says Jessica Cicchino, vice president of research for IIHS.

Increasing your renewal odds

There are ways to give yourself a leg up when you're trying to get your driver's license renewed.

Study your state’s driver handbook. Each state offers a driver’s handbook that includes safety information and updates on new laws. “You might need a lot of caffeine to read it,” jokes William Van Tassel, manager of driver training programs for the American Automobile Association (AAA), “but it’s a great way to stay current.”

Freshen up your skills (and maybe even save money). If you want to improve your odds of renewing your license — not to mention protecting yourself, your passengers, and other drivers — it helps to refresh and maybe even improve your driving skills. Here are some ways you can become a better driver and meet the renewal requirements.

Take a driving class (it might even save you money). AARP’s Smart Driver course is available online and in a classroom setting. The class covers everything from understanding new car technologies to handling left turns and maintaining proper distances behind cars (with age, we become less effective at estimating the size of the gap between vehicles). AAA offers RoadWise Driver, a defensive driving course for people age 55 and over, and many states, such as California and Virginia, offer courses as well. Need incentive? States often allow or even require insurance companies to give an auto insurance discount to people aged 55-plus who take driver safety courses.

Talk to your doctor about medications and driving. A key topic discussed in driving courses: medications. In the AAA Foundation’s "Long Road" study, one in five drivers aged 65-plus took medications that could impair their driving abilities. Fifty percent of participants were taking seven or more medications.

“Some older drivers think, 'Oh, if a medication is prescribed, or if it’s over the counter, I can legally drive after taking it,'” Van Tassell says. Guess again. If you’re swerving or you get in an accident, “The law doesn’t care where it came from or how you got the drug,” he says. Older people are also twice as likely to experience side effects — including dizziness and blurred vision — compared to younger people, he adds.

Hire a pro. If you want in-the-vehicle, behind-the-wheel guidance, book time with an instructor from a driving school. Yes, you’ve got enough experience to be a teacher, not a student. But an instructor can help identify bad habits and address nagging concerns you may not even realize“It’s not a bad idea,” Van Tassel says, “to get some objective feedback.”