G1 licence rules in Ontario

The rules while you drive with a G1

One exception: with a certified driving instructor beside you, you can drive on any road.

• Your blood-alcohol level must be zero.
• A fully licensed driver sits in the front passenger seat. They need a Class G licence or higher, at least four years of driving experience and a blood-alcohol level under .05 (zero if they’re 21 or under). Nobody else can sit in the front.
• Everyone in the car needs a working seatbelt.
• No 400-series highways with a posted limit over 80 km/h. The QEW, Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway, E.C. Row Expressway and Conestoga Parkway are off limits too.
• No driving between midnight and 5 a.m.

How long before the G2 road test

The approved course is at least 40 hours: 20 in class, 10 in the car and 10 more of either. After the G2 road test, you hold a G2 for at least 12 months before the G road test. That’s at least 20 months in all.

You have five years to finish. If your licence is about to expire first, you can pass a test and pay the five-year fee to keep your level. Otherwise you start over with a new G1.

Demerit points and suspensions for new drivers

Points stay on your record for two years from the date of the offence. After a suspension your points drop to 4, and reaching the limit again means six months off the road.

Breaking a G1 condition brings its own penalties, even without points: 30 days’ suspension the first time, 90 days the second, and the third time your licence is cancelled and you start again. Distracted driving works the same way for new drivers. Any alcohol at all means a 7-day roadside suspension, a $250 penalty and an 8-hour education course, on top of any fine.

Is the G1 a Canada-wide licence?

No. G1 is Ontario’s name for its first licence level. Other provinces have their own system, like the Class 7 learner’s licence in Alberta and the learner (L) licence in British Columbia, each with its own test.

Moving to Ontario with a licence from another country? You can drive on it for 60 days, then you need an Ontario licence. Since July 1, 2026, you can claim up to 12 months of driving experience from the past three years, which can let you take the G2 road test straight away.