It depends on your age and drivers license status. In general, if you’ve just moved to California from another state and have a driver license, you don’t need to take either course.

CA Drivers Education

You’ll need to take drivers education classes if you are under age 18.

Complete the course before you apply for a learners permit, or be enrolled in when you apply for your permit; you’ll need to show proof.

If you are older than age 18, then you don’t need to take the drivers ed class to get a drivers license. However, it’s still an excellent idea to take the drivers ed course anyway. A California drivers education course will:

• Help you pass the written test.
• Teach you the laws you need to know to drive in CA.
• May get you an insurance discount. Talk to your insurance provider.

These days, CA accepts some drivers education online courses, too. These can be completed fairly quickly and conveniently. This means no more sitting in a classroom for hours. You can complete the online classes at your own pace. Their larger volume makes them more economical than most in-person classes, too.

Practice Tests

Whether or not you take the drivers ed class, you will have to take an exam to get your driver license. To pass the exam, you need to study the CA Drivers Manual and take practice tests. These are multiple choice questions. The CA DMV has around 30 free questions, but the questions don’t cover absolutely everything in the manual. Consider purchasing a practice test with 100 or so questions on it to make sure you know all the material. These test are sold online and cost under $20.

CA Drivers Training

Drivers training refers to behind-the-wheel training, where you practice driving with a certified instructor for five hours. If you’re under age 18 and have a learners permit, you will need to enroll in a drivers training course before getting your regular drivers license.

If you are over age 18 and are:

• A new driver
• New to the United States

Then you will be issued a learners permit first, before you get a license. But you will not be required to take drivers training.

Although the state may not require drivers training for you, it’s still smart to take a drivers training course if you’ve never driven before, or are new to this country. The instructor will show you driving nuances, such as how to hug a curb as you turn right, and how to properly merge onto a freeway. Also, the instructor has his own steering wheel (in many cases) and his own brake pedal, so it will be safer to learn with an instructor than with a friend or family member. It will only make you a better driver.