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How to Get Your Teen's First Drivers License in Michigan

How To Get Your Teen’s First Driver’s License In Ann Arbor

Getting your driver’s license is a right of passage for many teenagers. The process has certainly gotten longer and more complex than when I was a teen. We are part way through the process with our teen. We have all the details for getting your teen’s first driver’s license in Ann Arbor including Ann Arbor Road Test Options.

Michigan Driver’s License Steps for Teens

Michigan has a Graduated Drivers Licensing program for teens. They can start the process at 14 years and 8 months, but cannot complete it until 17 at the earliest.

The process of getting your teen’s graduated drivers license in Michigan is long and expensive.

ActivityMinimum AgeOther RequirementsDetailsCost
Driver’s Ed Segment 114 years 8 months24 hrs classroom
6 hrs drives
4 hrs observation
$320-480
Level 1 License14 years 9 monthsDriver’s Ed Segment 1$25 Standard
$45 Enhanced Licsense
Gain Experience on Level 1 LicenseWith Licensed Driver
50 Hours Total,
at least 10 at night
Driver’s Ed Segment 215 years3 Months with Level 1
30 Hrs Driving with
2 Hours at Night
6 Hours Class Time,
Written Test
$50-80
Road Test16 years6 months of Level 1 License,
50 Hours Driving, 10 at Night
$55-100
Level 2 License16 yearsSuccessful Road Test
90 days crash and violation free.
Can only drive from 5am-10pm
Only 1 passenger under 21 unless siblings or adult is present
Exceptions for School, Work & Church
None
Level 3 License17 yearsLevel 2 for at least 6 months, 12 months crash and violation freeNo RestrictionsNone
* Drivers License fees were moved to Level One in March 2021. If your teen already had a paper Level One License, you will return to SOS for Level 2 and pay then.

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Driver’s Education Segment 1

The state of Michigan requires Segment 1 of Driver’s Education. Start saving your money for Driver’s Ed – segment 1 classes seem to start at the $450+ range (in 2021). 

Segment 1 includes 24 hours of class time, 6 hours behind the wheel, and 4 hours observation time. My daughter’s class time runs for 2.5 weeks with 2 hours each day – Monday-Friday for two weeks. The third week Monday was a full class, Tuesday was a 30 minute parent meeting and Wednesday was the written test.

Classes can be difficult to find and fill up quickly. When my daughter took segment 1 of driver’s education in summer 2021, virtual classes with in person drives were offered. All-Star offered virtual classes in Summer 2023, but moves to in person classes in Fall 2023.

My daughter is a conscientious student. She wanted to take driver’s education in the summer to not conflict with school. She opted to take segment one in the summer.

Behind the wheel time is a maximum of one hour a day. Usually drives are scheduled with your observation time in a 2 hour block for 2 students. Each student will have 1 hour of drive time and 1 hour of observation time. This yields 6 hours of each, so you usually get 2 extra hours of observation time.

Behind the Wheel and Observation Time are supposed to be completed within 3 weeks of the end of the classroom time. In summer 2021, there was a backlog of drivers ed students due to the pandemic and a decrease in instructors. They definitely had some leeway on completing their drives.

The Behind the Wheel time starts with simpler drives, then progressed to highways and city driving. My daughter started by driving in neighborhoods on drive 1. In Drive 2, it was less busy roads like Wagner and Zeeb. On Drive 3 she drove on Eisenhower, Packard, and practiced parking at the EMU Convocation Center.

As she described her drives to me, I realized she needed to work on her directions and knowing the roads. The drives will progress to include city streets, main thoroughfares, and highways.

After completing Segment 1 of Driver’s Education, you will receive a certificate of completion. Take this certificate to the Secretary of State to obtain a Level One License.

At this stage, be prepared for your child to criticize your driving. Several of my friends have commented on getting criticism from our kids such as:

  • hands are in the wrong position
  • one hand on the wheel
  • driving too fast

Michigan Level 1 License

For the Level 1 license, a teen must be at least 14 and 9 months. They need to have completed Segment 1 of Driver’s Education. Parents also need to give written approval.

To get a license the teen driver and at least one parent need to go to the Secretary of State. You will also need:

  • Completion certificate
  • Proof of identity, residence, and legal presence

Teens will verify health and take a vision screening.

I strongly recommend making an appointment at the Secretary of State’s office in advance. This can decrease your wait times.

Level 1 Licenses are issued as cards that will become their drivers licenses. They will transition to Level 2 and Level 3 licenses without needing to return to the Secretary of State. They cost $25 or $45 if you want to get an enhanced license.

We decided to do an Enhanced License. Before our appointment, I was worried about what to bring for proof of my daughter’s residency. I brought extra documentation, but this is what they looked at:

  • Michigan Birth Certificate
  • Social Security Card
  • My Daughter’s Bank Statement (which I printed from online banking)
  • My Driver’s License

Other documents that I had or friends have used:

  • Tax returns with child’s SSN instead of SS Card
  • Utility Bills, Mortgage, Lease, in parent’s name
  • PSAT or NWEA Scores
  • I had my daughter’s grade history from AAPS Power School but it doesn’t show address
  • My daughter’s 8th grade ID Card (None were issued in 2020, her 9th grade year)

Also, consider bring a check or cash to pay the drivers license fee. They do accept a credit card with a SMALL fee. I forgot a check, and could have paid in cash, but the fee was only $0.65 for the $45 enhanced license.

Insurance Considerations

Make sure to check with your auto insurance company/plan before your teen gets their Level One license. I have heard that insurance costs can vary. It did not cost me anything to add my daughter as an unlicensed driver. A friend with the same insurance company had a nominal one-time fee (<$50) adding their teen.

I have heard that some companies begin to charge teens insurance on their permit. If your company charges insurance at teen rates, it may be worth changing companies.

Driving With a Level One License

  • Must be accompanied by a parent or designated adult age 21+
  • No cell-phone usage including with hands free devices except
    • to report an accident
    • in an emergency
    • if they feel unsafe

Once students have a Level One license, they need to gain experience driving. There are two milestones for progressing from a Level One license.

  • Segment Two Drivers Ed Requirements
    • 3 Months of Level One License
    • 30 hours driving
    • including 2 hours driving at night
  • Michigan Road Test
    • Completion of Segment Two Drivers Ed
    • 6 months of Level One License
    • 50 Hours driving
    • including 10 hours at night
    • No moving violations or crashes for 90 days

While the student is gathering experience, they need to log their drives. The Road Ready app (available for both iOS & Android) is approved by the state of Michigan and appears on their literature. It was recommended by the driving school my daughter used.

When you get in the car, you select the child and click Start Drive. Remember to click Stop Drive when you finish. It will log the time of the drive, distance, day/night, road conditions, and add it to your child’s tally.

There are likely other apps to log driving. Make sure sure the app you use is approved by the state of Michigan. 

Our Experience

When my daughter started driving, we got a set of student driver magnets for the car. There are sticker options for vehicles with plastic frames. My daughter also realized sunglasses would be helpful for driving.

I recommend you learn from our experience, pick an easy first drive! I had my daughter leave the Washtenaw Avenue Secretary of State office and drive to the Pittsfield Branch library. This had her driving 23South to 94West. The 23S to 94W merge can be tricky even for experienced drivers, let alone 10 minutes after getting your license. She flat out refused to drive I-94E back home.

Since then we planned our routes to avoid some tricky situations. We gradually introduced some more complicated intersections (State and Ellsworth circle) at less crowded times of day. Even 2 years later, we suggest she avoid some complex/crash prone intersections.

With my daughter starting her Level One license in the summer, night hours were tricky to earn. I asked at the Secretary of State. Curfew hours from the Level 2 license do not apply when with a parent on a Level 1 license.

Try to keep your driving momentum up. My daughter did lots of driving in August. However, once school started, she stopped driving as often. Even a year later we see a decrease in her driving during the school year.

Driver’s Education Segment 2

How many hours do you need for segment 2?

Before taking segment 2, a student has to meet 3 criteria:

  • Have a Level 1 license for 3 months
  • 30 hours of supervised driving
  • At least 2 of these hours must be at night.

Segment 2 is 6 hours of class time followed by a short written test. It does not include any additional drive time. The good news is this makes Segment 2 is considerably less expensive than Segment 1.

With the shorter class, my daughter was able to take it during winter break.

Ann Arbor Road Test

Teen drivers can take the road test after completing Segment 2 and all of their driving. They also need to be 90 days crash and violation free. The road test includes both off-road (parking) and on road sections. The Road Test is usually taken in your own vehicle and is conducted by one of the testing companies.

Michigan Level 2 License

To get their Level 2 License, teens must have:

  • Completed the road test
  • Be 16 years of age
  • Be crash and violation free for 90 days. 

A Level 2 License in Michigan has some license restrictions:

  • No driving between 10 pm and 5 am other than to/from school, work, or authorized activity
  • Only one passenger under 21 unless
    • they are siblings
    • a 21+ is present
    • to/from school, work, or authorized activity
  • No cell-phone usage including with hands free devices except
    • to report an accident
    • in an emergency
    • if they feel unsafe

Remember to make an advance appointment at the Secretary of State to convert their license. This is also when they will need to be listed as a driver on your insurance.

Level 3 License Michigan

With a Level 3 License teens have full driving privileges. A Michigan Level 3 license requires:

  • 17 years of age
  • 6 months with a Level 2 license
  • Crash and violation free for 12 months.

When do you get your level 3 license in Michigan?

The upgrade to a Level 3 license is automatic. My daughter received an upgrade letter from Secretary of State a few days after her 17th birthday. I would guess the letter would come within a few days if one of the other criteria is the limiting step.

Companies offering Driver’s Education near Ann Arbor

There are a number of companies who offer driver’s education classes in and near Ann Arbor:

Driving SchoolLocation(s)Segment 1 CostSegment 2 Cost
All Star Driver’s EducationAnn Arbor (by UM Stadium)
Ypsilanti HS
Lincoln HS
Dexter HS
Milan HS
$479$70
Ann Arbor Driving School1707 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor$495$90
APlus Driving School2500 Packard St #200, Ann Arbor$499$89
Champion Driving School2512 Carpenter Rd, Ann Arbor
Lincoln High School, Ypsilanti
958 E Michigan Ave Saline
Saline HS
Virtual
$479$79
Official Driving School3131 S State St, Ann Arbor
Virtual
$470$80
Coach Richmond’s Driving School301 W Michigan Ave Ste A70, Ypsilanti$300$70
Accler8 Driving School
(No classes as of July 17, 2023)
Manchester HS$345N/A
Master Driving School
(Note website says Copyright 2014.
No current classes are listed.
They do have an active license with the state)
Lincoln HS
Strong Tower Ministries, Ypsilanti
$320$50

We chose to go with All Star because I heard they had openings. I was able to get my daughter signed up. I did not want to take time to do research and have the class fill up.

You can take drivers ed online in Michigan. My daughter took both Segment 1 and 2 virtually in summer and December 2021. A few companies still offer virtual drivers ed in Michigan. The practice drives and written tests were in person, so you will still want a local drivers ed company.

There were a few challenges to be aware of:

  • Class Time – We registered for a 10a-noon class, and it was changed to 9-11a without an email notification.
  • Student Privacy – The written test is graded on the spot as each student finishes. They are told at the desk if they passed or failed and other students can hear.
  • Drive Scheduling* – My daughter was allowed to schedule 2 drives at first. We registered for them to occur the second week of class. She was not allowed to schedule drives 3-6 until the Friday after class ended with drives not available for several days. This caused a 2 week gap between drives 2 and 3.
  • Certificate of Completion- It took 10 days after her last drive (completing the class) to receive her certificate.

*I have heard friends having similar scheduling issues with other companies in 2021 and 2022. Hopefully it is no longer as difficult.

Ann Arbor Driving Test Companies

In May 2022, when my daughter took the Michigan road test, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County had no testing companies. She took the driving test with Champion Road Skills in Brighton based on recommendations from friends. It was a good experience and we do recommend that testing service. They currently (July 2023) charge $80.

How much is a road test in Michigan? The table below includes companies offering the driving test in Ann Arbor area and their associated fees.

CompanyLocation(s)CostNotes
All Star Drivers Education211 N, Maple Drive (Maple Village Shopping Center), Ann Arbor$99Cannot use if you did drives with their testing agent
Same Day Road Test480. Briarwood Circle, Ann Arbor$90Despite the name, I found next day, but not same day testing
Hoth Testing1885 Packard Rd (YCS Central Office), Ypsilanti$70Make Appointments by calling 734-819-8980
EZ Way Driver TestingArctic Coliseum, 501 Coliseum Drive, Chelsea$80269-353-8704

Note the All Star Driving Road Test is conducted by a tester who is also an instructor. If you did training drives with the tester, you cannot take the test with them.

You can find a list of approved companies offering the Michigan drivers test on the Secretary of State’s website. Use this link to find currently approved testing providers.

Preparing Your Child to Drive

Even before my daughter began driver’s education, we started preparing her. The number one thing I would do is have her give me directions. As a kid, this came naturally to me. Some kids (my brother) do not have a natural sense of direction or just don’t pay attention.

Once they are old enough to sit in the front seat, make sure they’re aware of the controls. Make them in charge of the HVAC, talk to them about the different buttons.

As they get closer to drivers ed, I started talking through my driving. I have my daughter tell me when to turn on blinker, when to brake, what the speed limit is. I talk to her about why I change lanes when I do.

Before their first drive be sure to show them basic vehicle controls.

  • Adjusting the seat* and mirrors
  • Turning on headlights, turn signals, wipers
  • Putting the car in gear
  • Turning the parking brake on or off, etc.

* If you have electric drivers seat but manual passenger seat, show them how to adjust manually in the passenger seat. The drivers ed car probably doesn’t have electric seat controls.

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