Since Low-Speed Vehicles are street-legal in California, anyone driving one must have a California driver’s license or learner’s permit. That would mean children would usually need to be at least 15 and a half years old to drive an LSV.
What Qualifies as an LSV in California?
Qualifying to drive an LSV, also known as a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), has a lot to do with the vehicle’s ability to use public streets. An LSV often looks like a golf cart, but because of some differences, it is allowed to take to the road in some cases. This helps determine who may drive one.
California defines LSVs as:
- Electric carts that weigh 3,000 lbs or less
- Carts that travel over 20 mph but not over 25mph
- Able to travel on California roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less
Because they are street-legal, LSVs are expected to have certain safety precautions like seatbelts, windshields, blinkers, and other precautionary equipment.
NEVs are required to have titles and must be registered with the DMV. Drivers must also have a valid driver’s license or learner’s permit and vehicle insurance. You can find out more about these requirements on our LSV Safety and Laws page.
Who Can Drive an LSV in California?
Since Low-speed vehicle drivers need a California driver’s license, that excludes many children and teens from getting behind the wheel. Since an LSV may travel alongside the rush of cars, trucks, and SUVs, motorists must have a valid driver’s license.
That excludes children under 15 and ½ years of age. That’s the age young people are eligible to apply for a learner’s permit, also known as an instructional permit. With a learner’s permit, teens can drive vehicles including LSVs. But they can’t be on the road alone:
- Teens with instruction permits cannot drive alone at any time.
- They are only allowed to practice driving with an adult in the passenger’s seat. The adult must be at least 25 years old.
- The adult must be close enough to be able to take control of the vehicle if necessary.
A teen with a learner’s permit and an adult driver beside them can venture out on roads with speed limits not over 35 mph.
Keeping Young and Old Drivers Safe
The safety regulations on LSVs are relaxed when compared to normal highway vehicles. That means they are even less safe than cars and SUVs in a crash. They travel city streets while carrying far fewer safety precautions than a normal car. There are no airbags and no walls of metal to protect occupants in a collision.
It’s why no child should be at the wheel of an LSV. It’s too big of a responsibility and too big of a risk. Someone without any experience with California traffic can’t make the quick decisions necessary to stay safe out in the flow of traffic.
