Instructional permit — New Mexico Permit Test

A permit holder may drive only when supervised by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old.

A grown driver with years behind the wheel can spot danger you have not learned to see yet.

A permit allows you to operate a motor vehicle when supervised by another driver who is at least 21 years of age and who is licensed to drive that type of vehicle.

In any vehicle but a motorcycle, the supervising licensed driver must sit in the right front seat.

From the seat next to you, your helper can see the road the way you do and warn you in time.

In all vehicles except motorcycles, the licensed driver must sit in the right front seat.

When a permit holder practices on a motorcycle, the licensed driver must follow the learner.

Riding behind lets the helper watch every move the learner makes and keep an eye on traffic too.

On motorcycles, the licensed driver must follow the learner.

The youngest age for an instructional permit in New Mexico is 15 years.

Starting at 15 gives you a long stretch of supervised practice before you ever drive alone.

The minimum age for an instructional permit is 15 years of age.

To get an instructional permit you must pass a knowledge test and a vision test.

You need to know the rules and see the road clearly before you take the wheel at all.

To obtain an instructional permit you must be at least 15 years of age and pass the knowledge test and vision test.

A permit applicant under 18 must also have a consent form signed by a parent or guardian.

Your parent signs because they will help you practice and share the job of keeping you safe.

If you are under the age of 18, you must also have a consent form signed by your parent or guardian.

A permit holder 15 or older must be enrolled in and attending an approved driver education course that includes DWI education and practice driving.

A class teaches the rules and the danger of drinking and driving, not just how to steer.

A person 15 years or older must be enrolled in and attending a driver education course approved by the Traffic Safety Bureau and includes DWI education and practice driving.

An approved driving instructor in the seat beside the driver may supervise a permit holder.

A trained teacher knows how to coach a new driver and step in before a mistake turns into a crash.

The driver must have an approved instructor occupying the seat beside the driver; or,

A permit holder's supervising driver, if not an instructor, must be 21 or older and licensed for at least 3 years.

A helper who has only just learned to drive may not catch your mistakes in time.

The driver is with a licensed driver 21years of age or older who has been licensed for at least three years in this state or any other state.

You must hold your instructional permit for at least 6 months.

Six months of practice lets you drive in many kinds of weather and traffic before driving alone.

The driver must retain the instructional permit for at least six months.

How old must the licensed driver supervising a permit holder be?

21 years old. A grown driver with years behind the wheel can spot danger you have not learned to see yet. New Mexico Driver Manual, p.1: “A permit allows you to operate a motor vehicle when supervised by another driver who is at least 21 years of age and who is licensed to drive that type of vehicle.”