P1 & P2 drivers

Special licence conditions apply for young and beginner drivers within NSW. Provisional P1 licence conditions are: 

• P1 speed limit – You must not drive faster than 90km/h, even when there is a higher speed limit. 
• Don't speed –If you’re caught speeding, you'll exceed your demerit point limit and lose your licence for at least 3 months. 
• Put your phone away –P1 drivers must not use any function of a mobile phone while driving. This includes phones in the hands-free mode, with the loudspeaker on, using the GPS navigation, or sending text messages. 
• Use an approved vehicle –You're banned from driving certain high-performance vehicles. You can find approved and banned vehicles listed on our P1/P2 vehicle search.
• Passenger limits – If you’re aged under 25, you can’t drive with more than one passenger aged under 21 between 11pm and 5am. 
  • If you've been issued with a new licence after a period of being disqualified from driving, you aren't allowed to drive with more than one passenger for 12 months. 
  • To apply for an exemption, see the NSW Government website. 
  • Peer passenger restrictions are different when you're travelling in Victoria. For more information, see the Driving in Victoria with a NSW licence poster (PDF, 46.52 KB). 
• Towing – You can’t drive a vehicle that's towing any other vehicle that weighs more than 250kg unloaded. 
  • You can tow trailers (either loaded or unloaded), but the mass of the trailer itself (excluding the load) mustn't be over 250kg and you must display a P plate on the back of the trailer while towing. 
• Automatic or manual – If you passed your driving test in an automatic vehicle (including vehicles with an automatic clutch actuator), you can only drive automatics. 
  • You may only drive a manual vehicle if you're being supervised by a person with an unrestricted licence. 
  • This condition remains until you're issued with a P2 or unrestricted licence. To remove this condition earlier, you must pass a driving test in a manual vehicle. 

Other licence conditions may also apply to you, such as medical related. More information is available on the NSW Government website. 

Special licence conditions apply for young and novice drivers within NSW. Provisional P2 licence conditions are:: 

• P2 speed limit –You can’t drive faster than 100km/h, even when there is a higher speed limit. 
• Don't speed –If you’re caught speeding twice, you’ll lose your licence for at least 3 months. 
• Put your phone away – P2 drivers must not use any function of a mobile phone while driving. This includes phones in the hands-free mode, with the loudspeaker on, using the GPS navigation, or sending text messages. 
• Use an approved vehicle – You're banned from driving certain high-performance vehicles. You can find approved and banned vehicles listed on our P1/P2 vehicle search. 
• Passenger limits – If you've been issued with a new licence after a period of being disqualified from driving, you aren't allowed to drive with more than one passenger for 12 months. 
  • Peer passenger restrictions are different when you're travelling in Victoria. For more information, see the Driving in Victoria with a NSW licence poster (PDF, 46.52 KB). 

Other licence conditions may also apply to you, such as medical related. More information is available on the NSW Government website. 

If you’re under 25 years and live in selected areas west of the Newell Highway, you may be eligible for a restricted P1 licence. 

What does this licence mean? 
This licence lets you drive without a supervisor after completing 50 hours (instead of 120) of on-road supervised driving. You may use this licence to drive to/from work, medical appointments, and education. 

The program aims to support young people living in remote areas with more opportunities. 

Accepted reasons for using this licence: 

• Education 
  • To/from education facilities, institutions or courses 
  • As part of an education course 
  • To enrol in an education course 
  • To, from and in the course of vocational training 
• Employment 
  • To, from and in the course of paid employment 
  • Seeking paid employment (e.g. a job interview) 
  • To, from and in the course of formal community service 
• Medical appointments 
  • To/from medical or health support, for yourself or another person. 

Restricted P1 drivers can take a reasonable break for food, fuel and rest. 

Eligibility: 

• You live west of the Newell Highway in either Brewarrina, Walgett, Bourke, Broken Hill, Balranald, or Hay. 
• Your log book reflects 50 hours of supervised driving, including at least 10 hours of night driving. 
• You've passed a Hazard Perception Test (HPT) after holding your learner licence for 10 months. 
• You’ve held your learner licence for 12 months. 
• You’ve passed the driving test. 

Important information: 

• Once you complete 6 months on this licence, the restricted conditions will automatically expire, and regular provisional P1 licence conditions will apply for the rest of your P1 period. Find out more on the NSW Government website.   
  • You only need to be on this for a minimum of 6 months before you can apply for your provisional P2 licence. 
• You can carry passengers if you're driving for health, education, and work purposes, but note that regular P1 plate night-time passenger restrictions apply. 

How to apply: 

If you're eligible, you can book the HPT and driving test by calling 13 22 13, or visit your local Service NSW service centre. 

It's common to think that as a younger driver, you should drive an older vehicle, as you may not be as confident on the road yet. This shouldn't be the case. 

Many fatal vehicle crashes involve older vehicles. Newer vehicles are generally safer than old ones and can offer more protective features in a crash. 

• ANCAP gives you independent vehicle safety ratings for over 200 vehicles. The more stars, the better the vehicle performed in ANCAP crash tests. 
• The How Safe is Your Car? website provides independent safety information on new and used cars. 
• Used Car Safety Ratings 2022 (PDF, 1.45 MB) helps buyers identify safer models among used vehicles. 

If you receive a demerit point suspension or a suspension for high-risk driving, an additional 6 months for every suspension will be added to the period you're required to hold your provisional licence. 

For example, if you receive a suspension when you've held your P2 licence for 23 months, you'll need to wait until 30 months to apply for your full licence, if you don't receive any more suspensions. 

The licence extension means that the time a driver spends on their P2 licence will be extended by 6 months each time they receive a licence suspension. This will only apply if they receive a demerit point suspension or a suspension for committing a higher risk road traffic offence such as exceeding the speed limit by 30km/h or more. A P2 driver who receives multiple suspensions will have their licence extended multiple times. 

No, suspension periods don’t count towards the minimum 2-year P2 licence. If you commit an offence that doesn't result in a suspension, your time on a P2 licence won't be extended. 

Extending the P2 licence will only affect high risk and repeat offenders. About 17% of P2 drivers receive a suspension during the time on their P2 licence.

NSW P1 and P2 drivers and riders must obey the same licence conditions and restrictions that apply to them in NSW when they drive or ride in other states or territories in Australia.

This ‘home conditions’ rule also applies to novice drivers and riders around Australia when they drive or ride in other states or territories.

P2 drivers who receive a suspension from a different state or territory will have that suspension applied to their NSW licence.

Yes, if you receive multiple suspensions, your licence will be extended by 6 months for each suspension. Suspension periods could be served consecutively or separately depending on the circumstances of the offence(s).

The extension doesn’t apply to: 

• Suspensions such as unpaid fines or medical suspensions. 
• P2 drivers who receive a licence disqualification. This is because a disqualification is for more serious offences that carry the highest road safety risk. Currently, any P2 driver who has their licence disqualified must restart their minimum 2 years when their disqualification has passed. 

The extension will ensure the safety benefits of current P2 licence restrictions apply to drivers whose history suggests they’re at a higher risk of future crashes. These drivers will still have a licence to drive after the suspension period. However, they'll still have to follow the safety restrictions of the P2 licence, including a zero blood alcohol limit and 100km/h speed limit, to reduce their chances of getting into a serious crash.

No, P2 drivers aren't eligible for good behaviour periods.