Learner and probationary driver road rules

Understand your legal responsibilities and develop safe driving behaviours while you are a learner and probationary driver.

This page includes important information for your learner and probationary licence periods. In addition to the information below, it is important to know:

• If you finish your four years on P plates with no traffic-related offences you will be rewarded for your safe driving by being offered a free three-year driver’s licence.
• If you’re an interstate driver in Victoria, conditions on your driver’s licence still apply. This includes learner and probationary conditions.
• If you don’t follow the rules and restrictions outlined on this page, you may be fined. You may also get demerit points or have your vehicle impounded.

From 31 March 2023, road rules regulating the use of a range of portable, wearable, mounted and inbuilt devices while driving a vehicle or riding a motorbike were introduced.

Rules for learner and probationary drivers are different to the rules for fully licensed drivers. You can download a summary of the changes in the distracted driver road rules 2023 PDF or see rules for using portable, wearable, mounted and inbuilt devices to learn more.

View more on road rules and safety.

You must use L and P plates

You must display:

• L plates when you’re driving a vehicle (including motorcycles) with a learner’s permit
• P plates with a probationary licence.

Don’t make your own L or P plates - you can buy them from a newsagents or other retail outlets.

Attach your L or P plates to your front and back windscreens. Your plates must be visible from at least 20 metres away, on the front and back of your vehicle.

If you don’t do this, you could be fined.

You should use L or P plates that attach to external parts of your car (other than your front and back windscreens) if:

• your windows are so tinted it’s hard to see the plate
• you’re worried you might damage the demister lines on your back windscreen.

Learner's permit restrictions

As a learner driver, you must:

• carry your learner permit or receipt every time you drive.
• drive with a supervising driver who has a full and current licence.
• have a zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at all times when you drive.
• not tow a trailer, caravan or another vehicle
• not operate portable devices in any way while driving, including for phone calls and navigation. See details in the learner and probationary drivers distracted drivers road rules fact sheet (PDF).

You have to be at least 18 years old have your learner’s permit for a certain amount of time before you become eligible to get your probationary licence.

Supervising driver requirements

Learner drivers must have a supervising driver in the front passenger seat at all times while driving.

The supervising driver must have an Australian or overseas driver’s licence that is:

• current and full (not probationary)
• allows them to drive the type of vehicle being driven by the learner.

When supervising a learner driver, all supervising drivers must:

• carry their driver licence with them
• have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of:
  • no more than 0.05 BAC for regular drivers
  • 0.00 BAC if they’re an authorised driving instructor, or have a 'Z' condition on their licence
• complete their details in the 'list for supervising drivers' and 'declaration of completion' sections of the learner driver’s logbook.

A supervising driver with licence restrictions such as hand controls, automatic transmission, alcohol interlock, etc. can be a supervising driver, as long as they follow their licence restrictions.

Useful resources

• Using mobile phones and devices while driving
• Alcohol, drugs and driving
• The rules for learner drivers are published in Road Safety (Drivers) Regulations 2019.
• The Road to Solo Driving handbook and Learner Kit and myLearners (a digital log book) help you and your supervising driver.
• Use the practice learner permit test before you take the permit test.
• TAC L2P program helps organise supervised driving time for young people.

To get a learner’s permit or probationary licence, visit VicRoads:

• Get a learner's permit at VicRoads
• Get a probationary licence at VicRoads

Probationary licence restrictions

I have a P1 licence

You must:

• carry a driver licence when driving.
• show red P plates that can be seen from at least 20 metres away, on the front and back of your vehicle unless you’re:
  • a member of the police force driving a vehicle for work
  • a member of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) driving a vehicle for fire fighting operations
  • driving an ambulance service or a Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) vehicle for work.
• have a zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
• drive an automatic vehicle and have an A condition on your licence if you were tested in one:
  • If you want to remove this restriction, visit licence conditions  and refer to the A - Automatic transmission section for more information.

You can’t:

• carry more than one passenger aged between 16 and under 22 years of age (this is the peer passenger restriction) A 'peer passenger' is someone who’s at least 16 but less than 22 years old, but doesn’t include:
  • your spouse or domestic partner
  • your sibling or step-sibling. (You won’t need to get an exemption if you’re a P1 driver carrying the above listed people.)
• operate portable devices in any way while driving, including for phone calls and navigation. See details in the learner and probationary drivers distracted drivers road rules fact sheet (PDF).
• tow another vehicle or trailer unless:
  • in the course of your employment as requested by your employer
  • it’s solely used for agriculture, horticulture, dairy, pastoral, commercial fishing or similar
  • there’s a full licence driver sitting beside you
• drive a probationary prohibited vehicle  unless you’re:
  • a member of the police force driving a vehicle for work
  • driving the vehicle for work as requested by your employer
  • driving for your business or to and from the work place of that business, and there’s an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • learning to drive a heavy vehicle with a person who holds a full licence sitting beside you
  • granted an exemption from this restriction by VicRoads.

I have a P2 licence

You must:

• carry your P2 licence when driving
• show green P plates that can be seen from at least 20 metres away, on the front and back of your vehicle unless you’re:
  • a member of the police force driving a vehicle for work
  • a member of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) driving a vehicle for fire fighting operations
  • driving an ambulance service or a Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) vehicle for work
• have a zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
• drive an automatic vehicle and have an A condition on your licence if you were tested in one
  • If you want to remove this restriction, visit licence conditions  and refer to the A - Automatic transmission section for more information.

You can’t:

• operate portable devices in any way while driving, including for phone calls and navigation. See details in the learner and probationary drivers distracted drivers road rules fact sheet (PDF).
• drive a probationary prohibited vehicle unless you’re:
  • a member of the police force driving a vehicle for work
  • driving the vehicle for work as requested by your employer
  • driving for your business or to and from the work place of that business, and there’s an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • learning to drive a heavy vehicle with a person who holds a full licence sitting beside you
  • granted an exemption from this restriction  by VicRoads.

Useful resources

View more on:

• Using mobile phones and devices while driving
• Alcohol, drugs and driving
• The rules for probationary drivers are published in Road Safety (Drivers) Regulations 2019.

Safe driving tips

Learner drivers

Avoid driving for more than two hours at a time. Remember to take lots of breaks.

Learner drivers should start with only your supervising driver in the car - when you've had more practice, start driving with passengers.

Probationary drivers

P plate drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they carry more than one passenger.

The risk is also high if a probationary driver is driving late at night (10pm to 6am). Many first year P plate drivers involved in fatal crashes are carrying two or more passengers.

These situations are more dangerous because:

• peer passengers can be distracting to an inexperienced driver, and encourage risk taking behaviour
• at night, drivers are often tired, and it's harder to see what's around you.

View more on driver handbooks and logbooks, including books for probationary drivers.

Safer P platers helps parents understand probationary driver risks. It gives parents a range of strategies to improve their child's driver safety behaviour.