Illinois Driver License: Equipment and Owning a Vehicle

25 questions with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Topic: Equipment and Owning a Vehicle. Free, no account needed.

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1. A car traveling 20 mph brakes hard using only the regular foot brake. Within how many feet must the car be able to stop?

  1. 100 feet
  2. 55 feet
  3. 20 feet
  4. 30 feet

Answer: D — 30 feet

The foot brake must stop a vehicle from 20 mph within 30 feet; 55 feet is the distance allowed for the emergency or parking brake instead.

2. A driver has high-beam headlights on at night and sees an oncoming vehicle approaching. At what distance from that vehicle must the high beams be dimmed?

  1. 1,000 feet
  2. 500 feet
  3. 200 feet
  4. 300 feet

Answer: B — 500 feet

High beams must be dimmed 500 feet before meeting an oncoming vehicle; 300 feet applies when passing a vehicle traveling the same direction.

3. At night, from how far away must a vehicle's license plate light make the plate's characters readable?

  1. 200 feet
  2. 300 feet
  3. 50 feet
  4. 500 feet

Answer: C — 50 feet

The license plate light must make the plate readable from 50 feet and must be on whenever the headlights are on.

4. A car was manufactured in 1970. Under equipment rules, can it legally be sold or driven without safety belts?

  1. Yes, belts are optional for anything built before 1975
  2. No, but only vehicles built after 1970 need them
  3. No, vehicles built in 1965 or later must have safety belts
  4. Yes, belts are only required for vehicles built 1980 or later

Answer: C — No, vehicles built in 1965 or later must have safety belts

Vehicles built in 1965 or later may not be sold or driven without safety belts, and 1970 falls after that cutoff.

5. How far behind a vehicle must the rearview mirror allow the driver to see?

  1. 50 feet
  2. 100 feet
  3. 200 feet
  4. 300 feet

Answer: C — 200 feet

The rearview mirror must show at least 200 feet behind the vehicle.

6. How much tint, if any, is allowed on a vehicle's front windshield?

  1. None at all
  2. A 4-inch strip along the top
  3. A 6-inch strip along the top
  4. A 12-inch strip along the top

Answer: C — A 6-inch strip along the top

No tint is allowed on the front windshield except a 6-inch strip along the top.

7. Front and rear bumpers are required on vehicles weighing up to how many pounds, and on all RVs regardless of weight?

  1. 9,000 pounds
  2. 6,000 pounds
  3. 10,000 pounds
  4. 8,000 pounds

Answer: A — 9,000 pounds

Bumpers are required on vehicles of 9,000 pounds or less and on all RVs; 8,000 pounds is the separate weight cutoff used for B-truck registration fees.

8. A pickup truck's load of lumber extends 5 feet past the rear of the truck, and the truck is being driven after dark. What must be displayed on the overhang?

  1. A white light visible 300 feet
  2. A red flag only
  3. A red light visible 500 feet
  4. An amber flashing light

Answer: C — A red light visible 500 feet

Loads projecting 4 feet or more need a red flag by day, but at night or in poor visibility a red light visible 500 feet is required instead.

9. A vehicle with its spotlight on meets an oncoming vehicle at night. How far ahead, at most, may the spotlight be aimed?

  1. 300 feet
  2. 200 feet
  3. 500 feet
  4. 100 feet

Answer: D — 100 feet

A spotlight must be aimed neither left nor more than 100 feet ahead when meeting another vehicle.

10. A driver wants to mount a red light facing forward on a personal, non-emergency vehicle. Is this allowed?

  1. No, forward-facing red lights are reserved for police and designated emergency vehicles
  2. Yes, if the light is amber-tinted
  3. Yes, if it is only used at night
  4. No, no vehicle may display any forward-facing light besides headlights

Answer: A — No, forward-facing red lights are reserved for police and designated emergency vehicles

Red lights visible from the front are for police and designated emergency vehicles only.

11. Between November 15 and April 1, who may legally use studded tires on unincorporated county or township roads?

  1. Rural mail carriers and holders of disability or Disabled Veteran plates
  2. School bus drivers
  3. Commercial delivery drivers
  4. Any driver during winter weather

Answer: A — Rural mail carriers and holders of disability or Disabled Veteran plates

That seasonal exception is limited to rural mail carriers and holders of disability or Disabled Veteran plates living on those roads.

12. A driver buys a car from a licensed dealer. Within how many days must the dealer send the signed title and application to the Secretary of State?

  1. 15 days
  2. 10 days
  3. 20 days
  4. 30 days

Answer: C — 20 days

A dealer must send the Application for Vehicle Transaction and signed title within 20 days.

13. A driver buys a used car from a private seller for $12,000. What determines the Vehicle Use Tax owed?

  1. A flat statutory fee
  2. The selling price
  3. The model year
  4. The vehicle's current market value

Answer: C — The model year

Below $15,000, the Vehicle Use Tax is based on the model year; at $15,000 or more it is based on the selling price instead.

14. A driver buys a used vehicle from a seller in another state. Besides the application, fees, and the assigned title, what document must be sent to complete the transaction?

  1. A Bill of Sale
  2. The registration ID card
  3. A notarized appraisal
  4. A smog certificate

Answer: A — A Bill of Sale

An out-of-state purchase requires a Bill of Sale; the registration ID card is only needed if plates are being transferred.

15. A driver renews their registration six weeks after it expired. What late fee applies?

  1. $6
  2. $20
  3. $151
  4. $30

Answer: B — $20

A $20 late fee applies once registration is more than a month past expiry.

16. What is the annual registration fee for a standard passenger vehicle?

  1. $71
  2. $41
  3. $20
  4. $151

Answer: D — $151

Passenger vehicles and B-trucks pay $151 annually; $41 is the motorcycle fee and $71 the autocycle fee.

17. How many plates must a passenger vehicle display?

  1. Two, front and rear
  2. None, if the registration card is displayed
  3. One, front only
  4. One, rear only

Answer: A — Two, front and rear

Passenger vehicles, trucks and vans display two plates, front and rear; motorcycles and trailers need only a rear plate.

18. A driver sells their car to a private buyer. What should the seller do with the license plates?

  1. Remove and keep them, since plates stay with the owner
  2. They transfer automatically with the new registration
  3. Return them to the dealer that originally sold the car
  4. Leave them on for the new owner

Answer: A — Remove and keep them, since plates stay with the owner

In Illinois plates stay with the owner, not the vehicle, so a seller must remove and keep them.

19. Where on the vehicle must a new registration sticker be placed?

  1. Center of the windshield
  2. Lower right of the rear plate
  3. Upper right of the rear plate
  4. Lower left of the front plate

Answer: C — Upper right of the rear plate

The renewal sticker goes on the upper right of the rear plate.

20. A civilian Department of Defense employee returns to the U.S. after a posting abroad. How many days do they have to register or renew their vehicle?

  1. 30 days
  2. 45 days
  3. 60 days
  4. 90 days

Answer: B — 45 days

Civilian Defense Department employees, along with non-combat service members abroad and civilian Armed Forces employees, get 45 days after return to register or renew.

21. A crash injures two people. What is the minimum liability coverage required for injury or death in that crash?

  1. $20,000
  2. $25,000
  3. $100,000
  4. $50,000

Answer: D — $50,000

The minimum is $25,000 for one person injured or killed but $50,000 when more than one person is involved; $20,000 is the property damage minimum.

22. A driver is found without insurance and cannot show proof of coverage. Besides fines, what happens to their driving privilege and vehicle registration?

  1. Only the registration is permanently revoked
  2. Nothing further happens once the fine is paid
  3. Both the driving privilege and the registration are suspended until proof is shown
  4. Only a warning is issued

Answer: C — Both the driving privilege and the registration are suspended until proof is shown

Lacking insurance brings fines, denial of registration renewal, and suspension of both the driving privilege and registration until proof of coverage is shown.

23. A vehicle is registered in Cook County. Before its registration can be renewed, what must the vehicle pass?

  1. A commercial weight check
  2. A state safety inspection
  3. A VIN verification
  4. An IEPA emissions test

Answer: D — An IEPA emissions test

Vehicles in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties, among other listed areas, must pass an IEPA emissions test before registration renewal.

24. A driver displays a Meter-Exempt Permanent placard and parks for 45 minutes at a metered space with a two-hour limit, with the disabled person present and getting in or out. Must they pay the meter or observe the time limit?

  1. Exempt from the fee but must still obey the time limit
  2. Exempt from both the meter fee and the time limit
  3. Yes, must pay the meter and obey the time limit
  4. Exempt from the time limit but must still pay the fee

Answer: B — Exempt from both the meter fee and the time limit

The Meter-Exempt Permanent placard exempts the holder from meter fees and from time limits at meters over 30 minutes, so at a two-hour meter neither applies; the plain Permanent placard exempts from neither.

25. A physician certifies a temporary disability requiring a placard. What is the longest period the Secretary of State may issue a Temporary placard for?

  1. 90 days
  2. One year
  3. Six months
  4. 45 days

Answer: C — Six months

The Secretary of State may issue a Temporary placard for up to six months, while a municipality's version is capped at 90 days.

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