Virginia requires every teen driver to complete 45 hours of supervised practice driving before they can take the road skills test and earn their driver’s license. At least 15 of those hours must be completed after sunset. This requirement exists because new drivers need real-world experience beyond what classroom instruction and professional driving lessons can provide on their own.
For most families, the parent or guardian is the supervising driver for all 45 hours. That is a significant time commitment, and the more organized you are about tracking and scheduling practice sessions, the smoother the process goes. This guide explains exactly what the 45-hour requirement involves, how to log your hours, strategies for building practice into your routine, and the mistakes families most commonly make.
What the 45-Hour Requirement Actually Involves
The 45-hour driving log is one of several requirements your teen must complete before they are eligible for the road skills test. Here is how it fits into the overall process:
- Your teen must have a valid Virginia Learner’s Permit before any practice driving can begin.
- A licensed driver age 21 or older must sit in the front passenger seat during every practice session.
- Your teen must log at least 45 total hours of supervised driving, with a minimum of 15 hours after sunset.
- The driving log must be completed before your teen can take the road skills test at their 7th Behind the Wheel appointment.
The 45-hour requirement runs in parallel with other steps in the licensing process. Your teen can log practice hours while completing Driver Education classes and while attending Behind the Wheel sessions. You do not need to finish one before starting the other. For a full picture of how everything fits together, see our Virginia teen license timeline.
How to Track Your Hours
Virginia does not provide an official driving log form, so you can use any format that works for your family. A notebook, a spreadsheet, or a notes app on your phone all work fine. The important thing is consistency.
For each practice session, record the following:
- Date of the session
- Start time and end time
- Total duration (in hours and minutes)
- Type of driving (daytime or nighttime)
- Driving conditions (residential, highway, rain, etc.)
- Name of the supervising driver
Keep the log organized and accurate. The driving school or the DMV may ask to see it, and a well-maintained log prevents any questions about whether the requirement has been met.
A Simple Log Entry Example
| Date | Start | End | Duration | Day/Night | Conditions | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/15/2026 | 4:00 PM | 5:15 PM | 1 hr 15 min | Day | Residential, light traffic | Mom |
| 3/18/2026 | 7:30 PM | 8:15 PM | 45 min | Night | Suburban, clear | Dad |
Building Hours Into Your Daily Routine
Forty-five hours is a lot of driving, but it does not need to happen in dedicated marathon sessions. The most effective approach is to weave practice into the driving you are already doing as a family.
Everyday Opportunities
- School commute: If your teen’s school is a 15-minute drive each way, that is 30 minutes of practice per day, or 2.5 hours per week.
- Errands: Grocery store, pharmacy, post office. Let your teen drive to routine errands instead of driving yourself.
- Weekend activities: Sports practice, friends’ houses, church. Any trip your family makes is a chance for practice.
- Family outings: Restaurants, parks, shopping trips. Longer drives on weekends add up quickly.
Suggested Pace
If your teen drives 3 to 5 hours per week, the 45-hour requirement is finished in 9 to 15 weeks. That is well within the 9-month permit holding period. Set a weekly goal and track your progress.
| Weekly Practice | Weeks to Finish |
|---|---|
| 3 hours/week | 15 weeks |
| 4 hours/week | ~11 weeks |
| 5 hours/week | 9 weeks |
Starting early and staying consistent is far easier than cramming 45 hours into the final weeks before the road test.
The 15-Hour Nighttime Requirement
At least 15 of the 45 hours must be completed after sunset. This is not optional, and it is one of the requirements families most commonly fall behind on.
Why Nighttime Practice Matters
Driving at night is genuinely different from driving during the day. Reduced visibility, headlight glare from oncoming traffic, harder-to-see pedestrians and cyclists, and fatigue all create challenges that your teen needs to experience before driving independently. Virginia includes the nighttime requirement because crash rates for teen drivers are significantly higher after dark.
Strategies for Getting Nighttime Hours
- Winter months are your best friend. From November through February, sunset comes early (around 5:00 to 5:30 PM). A 30-minute drive after dinner during winter months counts as nighttime practice without requiring a late-night outing.
- Dedicate 2 to 3 evenings per month. Even short sessions of 30 to 45 minutes add up. Over the course of the 9-month permit period, that is more than enough.
- Start in familiar, well-lit areas. Suburban roads with streetlights are a good starting point. As your teen gains confidence, progress to darker roads and busier nighttime traffic.
- Include highway driving at night. Highway driving after dark is part of the real-world experience your teen needs before taking the road test.
Tracking Nighttime Hours Separately
In your driving log, clearly mark which sessions are nighttime. This makes it easy to confirm that the 15-hour minimum has been met without having to review every entry.
What Counts as Practice Driving (and What Does Not)
It Counts
- Any driving with a licensed adult age 21+ in the front passenger seat
- Driving on public roads (residential, suburban, highway)
- Driving in any weather condition (rain, fog, etc.)
- Driving to and from any destination for any purpose
It Does Not Count
- Driving in a parking lot without entering public roads (though parking lot practice is still valuable for building basic skills)
- Time spent in a professional Behind the Wheel lesson (BTW sessions are tracked separately by your driving school)
- Driving without a supervising adult in the front passenger seat
- Driving with a supervising adult who is under 21 or does not hold a valid license
Common Mistakes Families Make
After working with hundreds of families since 2011, here are the most frequent issues we see with the 45-hour driving log:
Leaving Nighttime Hours for Last
This is the number one mistake. Families focus on daytime hours and then realize with a few weeks to go that they still need 10+ nighttime hours. During spring and summer when sunset is after 8:30 PM, nighttime sessions are harder to schedule. Start mixing in nighttime hours from the beginning.
Not Tracking Hours Consistently
Some families practice regularly but do not write down the hours. When it is time to present the log, they are guessing. Keep your log updated after every session.
Only Driving in One Type of Environment
If your teen only practices in the neighborhood, they will not be prepared for highway merging, busy intersections, or unfamiliar roads. Vary the driving environments throughout the 45 hours:
- Residential streets
- Suburban roads with traffic lights
- Highway driving (merging, lane changes, speed management)
- Downtown or busier commercial areas
- Parking lots for parking practice (parallel, perpendicular, backing)
Waiting Too Long to Start
The 9-month permit holding period goes faster than most families expect. If you do not start logging hours in the first few weeks after getting the permit, you may find yourself rushing to finish near the end. Start practicing the same week the permit is issued.
How Practice Hours and Behind the Wheel Work Together
The 45-hour driving log and professional Behind the Wheel training are separate requirements, but they work best when they overlap. Most families schedule BTW sessions while also logging parent-supervised practice hours on their own.
This parallel approach has two benefits:
- Skills transfer from BTW to practice sessions. After a professional lesson on highway merging, for example, your teen can practice that same skill with you over the following week.
- The instructor can address habits from practice driving. If your teen picks up a bad habit during parent-supervised driving, the BTW instructor can catch and correct it.
At Abba Driving School, Behind the Wheel training costs $340 for all 7 appointments, including the road skills test and the DTS-B certificate. Pickup may be available in your area.
Start Logging Hours Today
The sooner your teen begins logging practice hours, the less pressure you will feel as the road test date approaches. Get the permit, set a weekly goal, track every session, and mix in nighttime driving from the start.
If your teen is ready for professional instruction alongside their practice driving, register for Behind the Wheel training at Abba Driving School. We serve families throughout Haymarket, Gainesville, Bristow, and Warrenton, and our DMV-certified instructors will help your teen build the skills they need to pass the road test.