P and L Plates NSW: The rules

To obtain your NSW learner licence you must be at least 16 years of age. You need to pass a multiple-choice Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) to be taken at an applicable Service NSW branch.

You will also need to pass an eye test, then show appropriate identification to get a NSW learner licence.

While driving on your learner licence, you must display L-plates at the front and rear of the vehicle, have a zero blood alcohol concentration, zero drug concentration and you cannot tow anything.

You must be supervised by a passenger sitting next to you who has a full Australian driver’s licence. Learner drivers, like all other drivers, have to comply with posted speed limits, but can only drive up to a maximum speed of 90km/h.

There is a mobile device use ban when driving on your L-plates. You cannot use a mobile phone while driving, or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked. This includes hands-free devices or loudspeakers.

If in Sydney, learner drivers cannot drive in Parramatta Park, Moore Park or Centennial Park.

Demerit points apply to learner drivers. Your learner’s licence will be suspended or refused, if you reach or exceed four demerit points in a three-year period.

There is no car power restriction for NSW learner drivers.

If you are under 25, you must hold a learner licence for at least 12 months and have logged at least 120 hours of supervised driving time including at least 20 hours of night driving in your Learner Driver Log Book.

If you choose to take a Safer Drivers Course to improve your skills, you will get a bonus 20 hours in your logbook.

Structured lessons with a licensed NSW driving instructor also allow you to record bonus hours in your logbook.

Once you’ve held your learner licence for a minimum 10 months, you can book in for a hazard perception test (HPT) at Service NSW. This is an online computerised test that measures a person’s ability to detect and respond to potentially dangerous situations on the road. This is a test you have to pass before you can apply to do a provisional P1 licence test.

If you’re 25 or older when you obtain a learner’s licence, you can proceed to do the hazard perception test and P1 driving test without doing any learner driver logbook hours.

To apply for your P1 licence (red Ps) in NSW, you must be at least 17 years of age, have proof you have done the minimum required logbook hours (if under 25) and have done the hazard perception test.

You need to stay on the P1 licence for a minimum of 12 months.

A P1 licence is valid for 18 months. If you’ve not progressed to a P2 licence at the end of the 15 months, you can renew your (P1) licence. You do not need to take the driving test but will need to pass the hazard perception test again.

Once you’ve held your provisional P1 licence for at least 12 months, you can apply at Service NSW for a provisional P2 licence (green Ps). You must stay on your green Ps for 24 months.

Once you have obtained your red P1 provisional licence, you cannot drive above 90km/h, have any alcohol in your system when driving, supervise a learner driver or use a mobile phone when driving or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked. This includes hands-free devices or loudspeakers.

You also cannot drive ‘prohibited vehicles’ – that is, any high-performance and/or highly modified cars with a tare mass ratio (PMR) of greater than 130kW per tonne. You can search makes and models here to check.

If you’re under 25 and are on your red Ps, you must not drive with more than one passenger who is under 21 between 11pm and 5am. You can apply for exemptions for work or family reasons.

You must display red P-plates clearly on the front and back of the car (on the outside), You can only tow trailers up to 250kg of unloaded weight, and in that case you must also display a red P-plate on the back of the trailer.

If you took your driving test in car with an automatic transmission, that is the only type of car you may drive on your Ps unsupervised.

All mobile phone use while driving or while your vehicle is stopped, but not parked, is prohibited (including hands-free devices).

In Sydney, P1 drivers must not drive in Parramatta Park.

If you reach or exceed four demerit points in a three-year period as a P1 driver, your licence will be cancelled or suspended.

Any time under licence suspension doesn’t count towards the minimum periods of holding a provisional licence.

Licence restrictions are more relaxed on a P2 provisional licence over a P1 in the following ways: you can drive up to maximum speed limit of 100km/h (where permitted) and tow any trailer up to 4500kg (provided that you display a green P-plate on the back of the trailer).

However, other restrictions remain as per the P1 licence. Those are: you must not have any alcohol in your system when you drive a vehicle, supervise a learner driver, use any mobile phones, including hands-free devices or loudspeaker, while driving or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked, or drive a high-performance vehicle.

Provided you have not had your P2 licence suspended, you can upgrade to a full, unrestricted licence after 24 months.

If you receive a demerit point suspension or a suspension for high-risk driving, an additional six months for every suspension received will be added to your provisional licence.

Get more information on obtaining a licence in NSW here.

L-plate and P-plate rules across Australia

Rules and regulations around L and P-plate driving can, and often do, change. To ensure you are referencing the most up to date information, visit your state licencing regulator’s website.