Ontario’s Graduated Licence System Explained

Note:  All information regarding Ontario Driver’s Licensing can be found with the Official Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Driver’s Handbook.  Click here for more information.

 

Once you pass your eye and knowledge tests, you get a G1 licence. Before you can get a full G licence, you must:

 

• Finish two learning levels: G1 and G2

 

• Pass two road tests

 

This process is called “graduated licensing.” It is designed to give new drivers time to practice and gain driving experience over time.

You have up to five years to finish the whole process. After five years, if you do not get your full G licence, you will need to start over.

 

G1 Licence

By law, when you have a G1 licence, you must:

 

• maintain a zero-blood alcohol level (no alcohol in your blood)

 

• make sure every passenger with you wears a properly working seatbelt

 

• not drive between midnight and 5 a.m.

 

• not drive on 400-series highways or high-speed expressways (e.g., 401, Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW), Gardiner Expressway)

 

• drive with a fully licensed driver who has:
  • at least four years of driving experience
  • a blood alcohol level of less than .05 (if this person is 21 and under, their blood alcohol level should be zero)

The driver accompanying you must be the only other person in the front seat. If you are driving with a driver instructor certified in Ontario, you can drive on any road.

In most cases, you practice with your G1 licence for 12 months.

 

G2 road test (G1 exit test)

 

This is the first of two tests you need to take as a new driver.

• You can take your first road test after 12 months with a G1 licence

 

• This exam tests basic driving skills such as:
  • turning left and right
  • stopping
  • parallel parking
  • one-way streets
  • lane changes
  • 3-point turns
  • driving in residential neighbourhoods
  • traffic lights, stop and yield signs

 

• Once you pass, you get your G2 licence

 

If you finish a government-approved driver education course, you can take your first road test after just eight months.

 

To take the G1 road test sooner, you will need to choose a driving school that is certified to train new drivers.

It is recommended that you take a NELSIC online driving school course and search for Driving Schools that use the MTO-Approved NELSIC online driving school course.