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Ontario · M1 test

Ontario motorcycle permit: the M1, M2 and M licences

Ontario doesn’t issue a motorcycle permit. A new rider’s first licence is the M1, which you get by passing the vision and knowledge tests, and it already lets you ride under strict conditions. Two road tests then take you to an M2 and a full M licence. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) calls this graduated licensing.

  • 5Years a full licence lasts before renewal
  • 20Months at least, from M1 to a full M
  • 90Days an M1 licence is valid
Read the licensing rules

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How does a motorcycle permit work in Ontario?

You need an M class licence to ride, and the M1 is where it starts. From there:

  1. Pass the vision test and the written knowledge test. You get an M1 licence and enter Level One.
  2. Pass the Level One road test, the M1 exit test. You get an M2 and move to Level Two.
  3. Pass the Level Two road test, the M2 exit test, for a full M licence.

Each road test has a waiting time before you can take it. The road tests page sets them out.

How the road tests work →

Three kinds of M licence

The vehicle you bring to your road tests decides which licence you end up with:

  • M, for full-speed motorcycles, through M1 and M2
  • M with condition L, for mopeds and motorized scooters, also called limited-speed motorcycles, through M1 and M2-L
  • M with condition M, for three-wheeled motorcycles, through M1 and M2-M

Every route starts with the same M1. A limited-speed motorcycle made after 1988 has a label reading “LSM/MVL” on the steering column or under the seat.

M1 licence rules

With an M1 licence, by law you must:

  • Keep your blood alcohol level at zero
  • Ride only from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset
  • Wear an approved helmet. Ontario’s helmet law has an exemption for Sikh riders who meet the requirements of Regulation 610
  • Stay off roads with speed limits over 80 km/h, except Highways 11, 17, 61, 69, 71, 101, 102, 144 and 655
  • Ride alone, with no passengers

An M1 lets you ride a motorcycle, a motor tricycle, a limited-speed motorcycle or a moped. If it expires before you pass the Level One road test, you start over.

M2 licence rules

After the M1 exit test you get an M2. You can ride at night and on any road, and carry passengers, though never on a moped. Your blood alcohol level must stay at zero, and the helmet rule doesn’t change.

With an M2-L, you ride only a moped or motorized scooter that can’t go faster than 70 km/h, on roads with limits up to 80 km/h. With an M2-M, you ride only a three-wheeled motorcycle.

Any M2 also lets you drive a car, a Class G vehicle, under the same conditions as a G1 licence.

What G1 conditions mean →

Keeping your M2, and the full M licence

You can stay at Level Two for up to five years from the day you pass the Level One road test. If your M2, M2-L or M2-M is about to expire before your final road test, taking the Level One road test again gives you another five years. Fail it, and you lose the M2 and reapply for an M1, starting with the knowledge test.

Hold an M2-L, M2-M, M(L) or M(M) and want a full M? Pass both road tests on a full-speed motorcycle. First get a 90-day motorcycle training temporary driver’s licence from a DriveTest centre, so you can practise and take the tests.

You renew a full M online, if you meet ontario.ca’s conditions, or at a ServiceOntario centre. The fee is $90 for a five-year licence.

Renew a licence ↗

How an approved safety course changes things

A government-approved motorcycle safety course includes a road test. Pass it and you skip that road test at DriveTest: you take your certificate to a DriveTest centre within six months and move up a level. After the Level One course you can take the second road test sooner; the road tests page has the times.

The 60-day minimum at Level One applies to course takers too, so take a Level One course certificate in after 60 days and before six months have passed, or you’ll have to take the road test again.

If you already hold a class A, B, C, D, E, F or G licence, an accelerated three-wheeled motorcycle course takes you straight to a full M(M) licence, with no road test.

Find an approved course ↗

Demerit points as a new rider

With an M1 or M2 you count as a novice driver. Two to five demerit points bring a warning letter, six to eight a second letter, and nine or more a 60-day suspension.

Breaking graduated licensing rules can also bring escalating penalties: a 30-day suspension for a first offence, 90 days for a second, and for a third you lose your novice licence and start again from the beginning.

Understanding demerit points ↗
Sources: Government of Ontario and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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