Licensing, insurance and the law
Your driver's license is about to expire and you are 72 years old. How must you renew it?
- In person, and you must pass a vision test. Correct answer
- Online, with a vision test at your next visit to a DMV office.
- In person, and you must pass the knowledge test again.
Why
From 70 on, renewal moves back into a DMV office: in person, with a vision test. A knowledge test is not automatic. The handbook says other exams may be required in some cases, and if one is, you may be able to choose eLearning when you complete the application online, so retaking the knowledge test is a possibility rather than a rule. Renewing online is not on offer at this age. About 90 days before expiry, DMV mails a renewal notice to whatever address it has on record, and if it does not arrive you complete a Driver License or Identification Card Application yourself rather than wait for it. Worth knowing alongside this: the handbook states that there are no restrictions specific to seniors, because all restrictions are based on conditions rather than age.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is In person, and you must pass a vision test.
The rule behind this one
License, points and insurance in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on licensing, insurance and the law
- A law enforcement officer pulls you over. Which documents must you, as the driver, produce?
- You lend your car to someone who turns out to have no driver's license, and they are stopped by police. What can happen to your car?
- A physician diagnoses a patient with a condition that can cause a lapse of consciousness. From what age must the physician report it to DMV?
- Your California driver's license is not REAL ID compliant. Which of these can you still use it for?