Yukon · Knowledge testHow do you get a Yukon driver’s licence?
Two stages come first, then the full licence:
| Stage | Licence | To move on |
|---|---|---|
| Learner stage | Class 7 learner’s licence | Pass the Class 5 road test |
| Novice stage | Class 5 novice licence | Apply at a Motor Vehicles office |
| Full licence | Full-privilege Class 5 | Renew it before it expires |
The 2023 handbook says breaking a GDL rule resets your clock to zero, so you start that stage again.
Learner rules for a Class 7 licence
As a learner, you must:
- Drive with a co-driver every time, one who has held a valid Class 5 or higher licence for at least 2 years
- Have zero alcohol and drugs in your system, and so must your co-driver
- Log at least 50 hours of driving practice with a valid co-driver
- Show an “L” sign on the back of the vehicle, where drivers behind you can see it
- Carry no more than 2 passengers, your co-driver included, unless the others are immediate family: parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters or your children
- Drive only a car or light truck with a registered gross vehicle weight up to 4,000 kg and 7 seats or fewer, driver included
- Not use any hand-held or hands-free electronic device while driving
- Not tow a trailer
Everyone in the vehicle wears a seatbelt. The handbook says your co-driver needs a full-privilege licence, held for the two years just before, and that hours with a co-driver who breaks the zero alcohol and drugs rule don’t count. The handbook’s list of family also includes a spouse. Any Motor Vehicles office gives free replacement “L” signs.
The Government of Yukon recommends practice in a variety of traffic and weather conditions, winter and night driving included.
The Class 5 road test
To take it, you need to be 16 or older, have held your Class 7 licence without a break through the learner stage and have logged 50 hours of driving. Book it with your nearest Motor Vehicles office. The handbook says you can book only after you drop off your log book for inspection, and you pay the $20 fee when you book.
The test covers:
- Intersections: driving through, turning right and turning left
- Backing up, entering traffic, and pulling over and stopping at the side of the road
- Changing lanes, and merging on and off a highway
- Parking and starting on a hill
- Angle, parallel and stall parking, forward and backing up
- Two-point and three-point turns
- General driving: straight, on hills and on curves
You bring a safe vehicle with valid insurance and registration. The handbook says only you and the examiner ride in it, with no pets or passengers, that the test takes about 30 minutes, and that the examiner goes over your results with you at the end.
Among the examiners’ tips in the handbook: speeding through school and playground zones is a common reason drivers fail.
Novice rules for a Class 5 novice licence
As a novice driver, you must:
- Have a co-driver with you between midnight and 5 a.m.
- Have zero alcohol and drugs in your system, and so must your co-driver
- Drive only a car or light truck with a registered gross vehicle weight up to 4,000 kg and 9 seats or fewer, driver included
- Not use any hand-held or hands-free electronic device while driving
- Not tow a trailer
The handbook adds that you may carry no more passengers than there are seatbelts, and nobody in the box of a truck. The co-driver rule may not apply if you’re approved for a midnight work exemption; ask a Motor Vehicles office.
The handbook says 7 demerit points on a GDL licence bring a one-month suspension, and more points or serious offences could mean two months to a year or more. It also gives the novice stage as at least 540 days in a row without breaking the program’s rules or getting a conviction.
Yukon licence classes
The handbook’s summary of the classes, with the youngest age for each:
| Class | What it covers | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Truck tractor and semi-trailer, and all types of vehicles except Class 6 | 18 |
| Class 2 | Buses with seats for over 24 passengers, and all types of vehicles except Classes 1 and 6 | 18 |
| Class 3 | Vehicles with 3 or more axles, and Class 5 vehicles | 18 |
| Class 4 | Taxi, limousine, ambulance or bus for up to 24 passengers, and Class 5 vehicles | 18 |
| Class 5 | Two-axle vehicles up to 11,000 kg, motorcycles of 50 cc and under, and off-road vehicles | 17½ |
| Class 6 | Motorcycles and mopeds | 17½ |
| Class 7 | Learning to drive Class 5 and 6 vehicles | 15 |
A full Class 5 licence also counts as a learner’s licence for the other classes. To drive with air brakes, tow a trailer over 4,550 kg or drive a recreational vehicle over 11,000 kg, you need an endorsement on your licence.
A motorcycle licence, Class 6
To start, you need valid ID and a pass on the Class 6 motorcycle or moped written exam, plus a valid Class 5 licence or, from age 15, a place in the GDL program. You study the Learn to Ride Smart handbook for it, and the test costs $20 at a Motor Vehicles office, by cash, credit card or debit.
As a learner rider, you can’t carry passengers, and your co-driver needs a valid motorcycle licence held for at least 2 years and follows you on another motorcycle or in a car. For the novice stage, you log 30 hours of riding with a valid co-driver and pass a Class 6 road test.
Moving to Yukon with a licence
The handbook says you may drive on a valid licence from outside Yukon for your first 120 days here, following its restrictions and conditions. Within those 120 days, apply for a Yukon licence and give up your old one. You may not hold two valid licences.
A Canadian licence is accepted at the same class without testing, and all applicants get a vision screening. A Class 1, 2, 3 or 4 licence needs a medical report, and the handbook says one from another jurisdiction may be accepted if it’s on a valid motor vehicle medical form completed in the last six months. Drivers from elsewhere may also get credit for their driving experience if they show proof.
Renewing, replacing or changing your licence
The handbook says a Yukon driver’s licence is valid for up to five years. A renewal notice is mailed to your address before it expires, but renewing on time is up to you. If your licence has been expired for more than two years in a row, you’ll be asked to re-test.
Replace a damaged or lost licence at any Motor Vehicles office, and report a stolen one to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The law says you must tell a Motor Vehicles office when you change your name or address. For Class 5, 6 and 7, a medical report isn’t needed until you turn 70, then again at 75, 80 and every two years after that.
Motor Vehicles offices in Yukon
The handbook says most Yukon communities have a Motor Vehicles office, and it lists these numbers:
- Whitehorse: 867-667-5315, or 1-800-661-0408, extension 5315, toll-free in Yukon
- Carcross: 867-821-4281
- Carmacks: 867-863-6411
- Dawson City: 867-993-5348
- Faro: 867-994-2724
- Haines Junction: 867-634-2201
- Mayo: 867-996-2276
- Old Crow: 867-966-3261
- Ross River: 867-969-2347
- Teslin: 867-390-2024
- Watson Lake: 867-536-7311
The handbook gives the Whitehorse office’s address as Unit A, 2251 2nd Avenue, in the Gold Creek Building. You can also email motor.vehicles@yukon.ca. To book a road test outside Whitehorse, the handbook sends you to territorial agents and representatives, such as liquor stores and community housing offices.
Sources: Government of Yukon and 2 more. Checked November 2026.
- Government of Yukon: Get a driver’s licence ↗
- Government of Yukon: Get a motorcycle licence ↗
- Government of Yukon: Yukon Driver’s Basic Handbook, cars and light trucks (PDF) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.