SC · Drivers education
South Carolina drivers ed guide
A South Carolina teen licensed at 15 or 16 first completes driver education, eight hours in a classroom and six behind the wheel, at an SCDMV-licensed school or a high school program. Drivers 18 and older can skip the course. Points are handled separately: finishing an eight hour defensive driving course knocks four points off a South Carolina record, no more than once every three years.
Checked against South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles on 2026-10-23.
South Carolina Teen Drivers Ed, Step by Step for Families
This page is for parents of a South Carolina 14 or 15 year old planning the road to a license. The key decision is whether to go the early route, testing at 15 and a half or 16, and if you do, a course is part of it. Tee...
- Youngest age for a beginner's permit15
- Course hours8 in class, 6 behind the wheel
- Family practice log40 hours, 10 of them at night
South Carolina Driver's License for First-Time Adults
This page is for anyone 18 or older in South Carolina getting a first license, and wondering if a class is required. It is not. You get a beginner's permit, keep it at least 30 days, and pass the vision, knowledge and ro...
- Course needed at 18+No
- Shortest permit period at 18+30 days
- TestsVision, knowledge, road
Defensive Driving in South Carolina: Points, Tickets and Your Options
This page is for South Carolina drivers who just got a ticket or are watching their point total climb. The first thing to know: a defensive driving course here does not make a ticket go away. It lowers your SCDMV point t...
- Points the course removes4
- How often you can use itOnce in any 3 years
- Course length8 hours