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New Zealand · Theory test

The NZ learner licence test (road code theory test)

You sit it on a computer at a driver licensing agent, from age 16, and you need 32 of its 35 multi-choice questions right. Agents are the AA (the New Zealand Automobile Association) and VTNZ (Vehicle Testing New Zealand), and you apply, have your eyes checked and pay there before you sit the learner licence test. Every question comes from the official New Zealand road code, which you can learn free on Drive, the learning site of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). Pass and you get your learner licence. Drive sets out three stages to a full car licence for the system before 25 January 2027, the day the government changes it.

  • 16Minimum age before 25 January 2027
  • 35Multi-choice questions on a computer
  • 32Correct answers you need to pass
  • 30 minutesTime allowed for the theory test
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the official New Zealand road code (Drive Road Code)

Key facts

At a glance

Who runs it
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), through driver licensing agents
Where you sit it
On a computer at an AA office or VTNZ station that is an agent
What you study
The official New Zealand road code
Fee
$96.10 on Drive’s factsheet, second try included
Languages
English, Māori and 10 more on request

How it works

How the learner licence theory test works

Theory test · 32 to pass
32 to pass
To pass you need 32 of 35 right.
  1. You sit the learner licence theory test on a computer at a driver licensing agent.
  2. First you fill in the application form (DL1), show your proof of identity, pass an eyesight check, have your photo taken and pay the learner licence application fee.
  3. The questions come from the official New Zealand road code and cover road rules, hazards and safe driving. Drive says a question often comes with a picture or diagram.
  4. Pass and the agent gives you a temporary paper learner licence. Your photo licence arrives by mail.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Licence stages and conditions

Under the system before 25 January 2027, a car licence comes in three stages, learner, restricted and full, each with its own conditions. Drive, the learning site of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), sets them out stage by stage.

Key points (4)
  • On a learner licence you must have a supervisor in the front passenger seat and show L plates on the front and back of the car.
  • A supervisor must have held a full New Zealand licence for at least 2 years, or an equivalent overseas full licence for at least 2 years.
  • On a restricted licence you can’t drive between 10pm and 5am without a supervisor.
  • If you sat your restricted test in an automatic, you may drive only automatics unless a supervisor is with you.
02

Alcohol, drugs and penalties

The alcohol limit depends on your age, and illicit drug use before driving is illegal. Breaking licence conditions or failing to stop for police brings demerit points and fines.

Key points (4)
  • The alcohol limit for drivers under 20 is zero.
  • Drivers aged 20 or over must stay under 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, or 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.
  • Before 25 January 2027, breaching restricted licence conditions can mean 35 demerit points and a $100 fine, and 100 demerit points within two years means you lose your licence.
  • Not making room for an emergency vehicle can mean a $150 fine.
03

Intersections, give way and stop signs

Intersections are where you pick gaps and follow give way rules. Drive teaches an intersection approach routine: mirrors, signal, course, brake, gear, assess.

Key points (4)
  • At a Stop sign you must come to a complete stop.
  • A safe gap is one you can move into without making other drivers react to you.
  • If you’re at a Stop sign and the car opposite is at a Give Way sign, you give way to it, even when it’s turning right.
  • Going straight at a crossroads or turning right means checking two lanes of traffic.
04

Signalling and roundabouts

Signals tell other road users where you’re going. Roundabouts have their own signalling pattern, and traffic always travels around them clockwise.

Key points (4)
  • Signal for at least 3 seconds before you move.
  • Signal when you pull out from or into the kerb, turn, change lanes, cross the centreline, merge as your lane ends, or move more than a car width.
  • At a roundabout, signal left to turn left, signal right to go more than halfway around, and don’t signal on the way in if you’re going straight.
  • Signal left as you pass the exit before the one you’re taking.
05

Speed and following distance

The speed limit is the maximum speed for good conditions, not a target. Your stopping distance and following gap change with the road and the weather.

Key points (4)
  • Slow down before you reach a sign for a lower speed limit; speed up only after you pass a sign for a higher one.
  • On a road with a centreline, drive at a speed that lets you stop in the clear road you can see. With no centreline, stop in half that distance.
  • Keep a following distance of at least 2 seconds, and at least 4 seconds in the wet.
  • Scan the road about 12 seconds ahead of your car.
06

Lanes, merging and overtaking

Changing lanes, merging and passing all depend on reading the road markings and picking a gap. Centreline colours tell you where you may pass.

Key points (4)
  • Keep to the left side of the road unless you’re passing.
  • Where two lanes merge into one, vehicles take turns, like a zip.
  • A single yellow line on your side, or two yellow lines, means you can’t overtake.
  • You need at least 100 metres of clear road ahead once you’ve finished overtaking, and you may not break the speed limit to pass.
07

Pedestrian, school and railway crossings

Crossings are where people and trains cross your path. Each kind has its own rule about when to stop and how long to wait.

Key points (4)
  • Without a raised island, give way to pedestrians on any part of the crossing. With one, give way to pedestrians on your half of the road.
  • If the school patrol stop sign is out, stop behind the limit line until all the signs are pulled in.
  • At a railway crossing with lowered barriers or flashing lights and bells, wait until all the warnings stop before you cross.
  • If you stop at a railway crossing with no limit line, stop at least 5 metres away from it.
08

Night and wet weather driving

Darkness and rain make hazards harder to see and stopping take longer. The road code sets when your headlights must be on.

Key points (4)
  • Headlights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise, and whenever you can’t see at least 100 metres ahead.
  • Dip your headlights when you follow another car, when a car comes towards you, and when you stop on the side of the road.
  • Turn on your headlights and wipers as soon as it starts to rain.
  • At night, drive at a speed that lets you stop within the distance your headlights light up.
09

Parking and U-turns

Where you may park is set by distance rules near entrances, crossings and intersections. Parking and turning around both start with mirrors and a signal.

Key points (4)
  • Park parallel to the kerb and within 30cm of it.
  • Don’t park within 1 metre of a vehicle entrance, or within 6 metres of a pedestrian crossing or intersection.
  • Park on the left side of the road, unless it’s a one-way street.
  • Facing downhill, angle your front wheels towards the kerb; facing uphill, angle them away.

Test day

What to bring to the driver licensing agent

  • Proof of identity, such as a valid New Zealand passport. Without one, Drive’s learner licence guide lists other documents you can combine, and at least one must have your photo
  • Proof of your New Zealand address: the AA’s get-ready checklist asks for it
  • The DL1 application form, filled in at home, or ask for a copy at the agent
  • Your glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
  • The learner licence application fee

Before you go

  1. Turn 16. You can’t apply for a learner licence before then.
  2. Learn the road code. The free Drive Road Code splits it into 12 chapters with a test at the end of each.
  3. Find a driver licensing agent near you and check how it takes bookings.
  4. If reading is hard for you, or you want the test in another language, tell the agent when you book.
NZTA: Find a driver licensing agentYou apply and book the learner licence theory test at a driver licensing agent. You might sit it the same day, or come back another day.

Study options

Where to study

Drive, NZTA’s free learning site, turns the road code into 12 short chapters, and passing its chapter tests unlocks official practice tests. The AA sells practice tests of its own, and a few apps have road code questions too. Here’s how they compare.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Drive Road CodeOfficial · websiteDrive is the official learning site of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and ACC (the Accident Compensation Corporation), and Drive says it’s all free. You need an account to save progress and unlock the practice tests. The tough word tester and tricky questions test are on the same site.
FreeThe road code in 12 chapters with chapter tests, plus official practice tests you unlock: 1 for every 3 chapters, and unlimited once all 12 are done
Drive Road Code ↗How to use Drive ↗
Drive Go appOfficial · appDrive’s app for after the theory test, when you’re learning in the car for the restricted licence test. It uses the same login as the Drive website, and the road code course isn’t in it. Rated 4.4 from 692 ratings on the New Zealand App Store.
Free44 driving skills in 8 chapters, with videos, drive tracking and practice tests to do with your coach
Drive Go ↗App Store ↗Google Play ↗
Books
The Official New Zealand Road Code (book)Official · bookThe printed road code. Drive’s learner licence guide says to buy it from a bookshop or borrow it from a library, and the AA sells it through AA Shop with L plates and other learner gear.
Not listedDrive says you can borrow it from a library
AA Shop: Learner drivers ↗
Apps and websites
AA Road Code Practice TestsWebsiteFrom AA Driving School, part of the AA (New Zealand Automobile Association). The AA says each test has 35 real test-style questions from the road code and saves your results to a dashboard. The tests are in English only, and the AA says they aren’t official and NZTA doesn’t endorse them. You log in with an email address.
5 tests for $12.50, 10 for $15, 20 for $20A free trial test
AA Road Code Practice Tests ↗
DT Driving Tests TheoryAppFrom DT Driver Training. Its App Store listing says the learner modules include official road code questions from NZTA and sync with a DT web account. Rated 4.6 from 2,746 ratings on the New Zealand App Store.
Free, with paid company and fleet modulesAll learner licence modules: over 400 questions for car, motorbike and heavy vehicle tests
App Store ↗
Road Code Learners Test NZAppIts App Store listing says it has over 300 questions for car, bike and truck licences, each with an explanation, and a mock test of 35 random questions with your results tracked over time. Rated 4.8 from 2,401 ratings on the New Zealand App Store.
$6.99 on the App StoreNo free version listed
App Store ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Where to learnRoad codeLearner licence35 questionsDriving testBookingOnline test

FAQ

Common questions

How much does the learner licence test cost?

Drive’s learner licence factsheet gives the application fee as $96.10, as of 1 October 2023 and subject to change, and it covers the theory test plus a second try. Drive puts each test after that at $54.60. NZTA sets the fees, so your agent confirms the amount when you apply.

How many questions are on the learner licence test?

35 multi-choice questions, and you need at least 32 right to pass. You get 30 minutes, and Drive says you don’t need to rush.

Can I sit the learner licence test in another language?

Yes. You can apply to sit it in Arabic, Chinese (simplified or traditional), Filipino, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Māori, Punjabi, Samoan, Thai or Tongan. If your language isn’t on that list, you may be able to use an interpreter. If reading is hard for you, talk to the staff when you book: you may get extra time or a helper who reads the test out to you.

Can I do the learner licence test online?

No. You sit the theory test on a computer at the driver licensing agent, after it checks your identity, takes your photo and checks your eyes. You can learn the road code and do practice tests online, though.

Is the car licence system changing in 2027?

Yes. Drive says the government changes the car licence system (class 1) on 25 January 2027, and that the process it describes applies until that date. These pages follow that process. For the rules from 25 January 2027, Drive points to NZTA’s page on the changes, linked on the driving test page.

Sources: Drive · AA · NZTA and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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