NSW learner licence rules, from L plates to P plates

The steps from no licence to a full licence

NSW uses a graduated licence system, so you earn more freedom one stage at a time.

• Driver Knowledge Test and an eyesight test, from age 16, get you your Ls.
• Hazard Perception Test once under 25s have held a learner licence for 10 months.
• Driving test after at least 12 months on your Ls and a completed log book, if you are under 25.
• P1 red Ps for at least 12 months, then on to P2 with no further test.
• P2 green Ps for at least 24 months, then a full licence.

Got your Ls at 25 or older? The log book and minimum learner time do not apply, so you can sit the next tests when you feel ready.

Log book hours

Supervised practice is where the real learning happens, and learners under 25 must record it.

• 120 hours in total, with 20 hours of those at night.
• Complete the Safer Drivers Course and 20 hours are credited to your log book.
• A one hour structured lesson with a licensed driving instructor counts as 3 hours, up to the scheme's cap.
• Your Ls are valid for five years. To renew them you have to pass the knowledge test a second time.

Learner licence conditions

These rules apply every single time you get behind the wheel on your Ls.

• A supervisor with a full Australian licence must sit next to you.
• Zero alcohol, and no illegal drugs in your system.
• A maximum of 90 km/h, or the posted limit if it is lower.
• No phone use while driving, not even hands-free, music or maps, unless parked clear of traffic.
• No towing, and no driving through Parramatta Park, Centennial Park or Moore Park.
• Carry your licence, and make sure every passenger is belted or in a suitable child restraint.

As the learner, you are the driver. If a passenger is unbelted, the responsibility is yours.

Supervisors and plates

The right person beside you and the right plates on the car are both fair game in the test.

• Only a full Australian licence holder can supervise. Learner, P1, P2 and overseas licence holders cannot.
• Your supervisor's own BAC must be below 0.05, with no illegal drugs present.
• L plates show a black L on yellow. Fix them outside the car at the front and rear, or use a roof sign, so the full letter can be seen.
• P1 drivers display a red P on white, and P2 drivers a green P on white, outside at the front and back with the whole P in view.

Demerit points

Each licence stage has a demerit point limit over three years, and the early stages leave very little room.

• Learner: 4 points. P1: 4 points.
• P2: 7 points.
• Full licence: 13 points.
• On Ls or red Ps, a single speeding or phone offence uses up the whole limit, and the licence goes.

Extra rules once you are on your Ps

Passing the driving test frees you from a supervisor, but P plates come with conditions of their own.

• From 11 pm to 5 am, a P1 driver under 25 can have no more than one passenger under 21 in the car.
• Speed caps stay in place: 90 km/h on red Ps and 100 km/h on green Ps.
• Towing on red Ps is limited to a trailer weighing 250 kg or less when empty, and the trailer needs a red P plate at the back.
• High performance vehicles are off limits on both red and green Ps.

Honesty, health and moving to NSW

A few licence rules have nothing to do with how you drive, and the test still asks about them.

• Get caught cheating in any licence test and you wait six weeks before you may sit it again.
• A bribe for a test result is a crime for everyone in on it, paying or taking, with heavy fines or prison.
• Report any medical condition or disability that could make you less safe behind the wheel to Transport for NSW, without waiting for a renewal.
• From age 75, keeping your licence takes a medical assessment every year.
• Moved to NSW to live? You have three months to swap an interstate licence for a NSW one.
• A car licence lets you drive vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes with seats for up to 12 people, counting the driver.
• Whatever licence you hold, carry it every time you drive, and a digital licence counts.