Rules for Provisional and Learners Permits in SA

To obtain your SA learner’s permit you must be at least 16 years of age and pass a theory test on road rules and road safety.

This can be done online with the myLs course, or in person by booking at a Service SA centre.

You must clearly display L-plates on the front and rear of the vehicle and have a qualified supervising driver sitting next to you when driving.

A qualified supervising driver is someone who has an unconditional Class C vehicle licence (or an equivalent foreign licence as approved by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles) for at least the last two years without disqualification.

It cannot be a provisional or probationary licence holder or a driver subject to the condition of “good behaviour”.

The qualified supervising driver must not have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% or more, or the presence of drugs in their system.

You as the learner driver also must not have any concentration of alcohol or drugs in your system.

You can only drive up to a speed of 100km/h (where permitted) on your L-plates.

You cannot use any function of a mobile phone at all as a learner driver.

However, you can use a dedicated navigational system (GPS), provided it is either an embedded original component of the vehicle being driven or is a standalone GPS that is secured in its own mounting unit.

If you commit a speeding offence, you will also commit a breach of your learner’s permit conditions if you exceed the speed limit by 10km/h or more.

You must not accumulate four or more demerit points during the learner’s permit period.

You must hold a learner’s permit for at least 12 months if under 25 years of age, or at least six months if aged 25 or above.

Regardless of age, you have to complete at least 75 hours (including 15 hours of night driving) with a qualified supervising driver, and record the hours in a logbook (The Driver Companion). If you prefer, you can log the hours in a phone app, but it must meet SA requirements.

You also have to pass the hazard perception test (HPT), which you can do at any stage during the learner licence stage.

You need to book and undertake the HPT at a Service SA customer service centre. If you live more than 100km (as the crow flies) from a place where the test is conducted, or on Kangaroo Island, you are exempt from having to pass the HPT.

To apply for your P1 licence you must be at least 17 years of age, and have completed the learner licence requirements (logbook hours and HPT).

Then you have two options to obtain a P1 licence. The first is to pass a practical driving test called the Vehicle On Road Test (VORT). You’ll need to book with a motor driving instructor who has a VORT licence at least three days ahead and pay their fee.

Alternatively, you can complete the competency based training course (CBT) in your Driving Companion. You’ll need to contact a motor driving instructor with a CBT licence who’ll assess you in a series of practical driving sessions.

With a P1 provisional licence, you continue with many of the restrictions you had on a learner licence, except of course you can now drive unaccompanied and do not need to log hours.

When driving on your P1 licence, you must display the correct-size P-plates so that they are clearly visible.

You must not use any mobile phone function while driving. However, you can use a dedicated navigational system (GPS), provided it is either an embedded original component of the vehicle being driven or a standalone GPS that is secured in its own mounting unit.

You cannot exceed any speed limit by 10km/h or more without breaching the conditions of your provisional licence. A zero BAC applies and you may not supervise a learner driver.

If you are under 25 you can’t drive between midnight and 5am at all. You cannot drive with more than one passenger aged 16 to 20 years (excluding immediate family members) at all, unless a qualified supervising driver is seated next to you or you meet exemption criteria.

Drivers under 25 years of age also must not drive a high-powered vehicle (unless you have an exemption certificate).

You must not accumulate four or more demerit points during the provisional licence period.

Your P1 licence will automatically be upgraded to a P2 licence after 12 months on your P1 licence (without any suspensions), provided you are at least 18 years of age.

With a SA P2 provisional licence, you no longer have to display P-plates when driving in South Australia.

You can now use the mobile phone in Bluetooth/hands-free mode, including the GPS function of the phone, but must follow all the road rules that apply to mobile use.

You no longer have a 12am-5pm driving curfew or passenger age restrictions.

You will be required to hold your P2 provisional licence for 24 months before being able to transition to a full licence.

Some restrictions from the P1 licence continue with a P2 licence. You can’t have any alcohol or drugs in your bloodstream when driving, you cannot exceed 100km/h (where permitted) and if you are caught speeding 10km/h or more over the speed limit, you will breach your licence conditions.

You also can’t accumulate four or more demerit points during the provisional licence period. If your licence is disqualified while holding a P2 licence, when you return to driving your new P2 licence will be issued for a further two years.

Once you have held your provisional licence (P1 and P2) for three years – one year on P1 and two years on P2 – and reached 20 years of age, you can apply for a full licence.

Get more information on obtaining a licence in South Australia 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.