After you pass the G test: your full G licence

Right after you pass

Your first step is to go back inside the DriveTest Centre and apply your test result. DriveTest then issues a temporary driver's licence, valid for 90 days or until your permanent licence card arrives by mail.

A few things to know:

• If you can't go back inside right away, return as soon as possible.
• If you don't apply your result within 12 months, it is no longer valid, and you would have to take the test again and pay the fees.
• Paper copies of your scoresheet are available on request within 13 months of the test.

Keep your temporary licence with you whenever you drive until your new card arrives.

Graduated licensing is over

Passing the G road test makes you a fully licensed Class G driver. Graduated licensing in Ontario has two learning levels, G1 and G2, and you have now finished both.

That means the G2 rules no longer apply to you as a licence condition. For example, the late-night passenger limits for G2 drivers aged 19 and under applied only until you got your full G licence or turned 20, according to the Official MTO Driver's Handbook.

A Class G licence lets you drive a car, van or small truck. The handbook adds that it also covers a vehicle and towed vehicle combination up to 11,000 kilograms, as long as the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kilograms.

You are also no longer a novice driver for demerit points and penalties. Novice drivers (G1 and G2) get warning letters starting at 2 points and a 60-day suspension at 9 or more points, and they can face escalating penalties. As a fully licensed driver, the thresholds change:

Demerit points stay on your record for two years from the offence date.

Rules that still apply if you are 21 or under

Some rules follow your age, not your licence class. DriveTest notes that additional conditions apply to Class G drivers aged 21 or under.

Under Ontario's zero tolerance law, if you are 21 or under you must have no alcohol and no drugs in your system when you drive. This applies to cannabis as well as alcohol. The handbook confirms that all drivers 21 and under, regardless of licence class, must have a blood-alcohol level of zero.

Breaking this rule brings penalties on top of the ones fully licensed drivers face. For a first offence, Ontario lists a 7-day immediate licence suspension, an 8-hour education course and a $250 penalty, plus a fine of $60 to $1,000 if convicted. Penalties rise for second and third offences, and you also pay a reinstatement fee each time your licence is suspended.

Your licence expiry and renewal

Your full G licence is not a brand-new five-year licence. Under Ontario Regulation 340/94, a driver who passes the G road test is issued a Class G licence for the rest of the period the G2 was valid. Check the expiry date on your new card.

When it is time to renew:

• An Ontario driver's licence is valid for five years, and the renewal fee is $90 for a five-year licence.
• ServiceOntario handles most Class G renewals. You can renew online if you have a full licence that isn't cancelled or suspended and you meet the other online rules.
• You can renew up to 180 days before your expiry date.
• You can sign up for free renewal reminders by email, text or phone.

Don't let it lapse. If a full G licence has been expired for less than 12 months, you visit ServiceOntario and no tests are needed. After one to three years you need a vision test at DriveTest. After three to ten years, you must pass knowledge and vision tests and both road tests again.

Becoming an accompanying driver

A full G licence also opens the door to supervising new drivers, once you have enough experience. The handbook says an accompanying driver for a G1 driver needs:

• A valid Class G (or higher) licence
• At least four years of driving experience, where time on a valid G2 counts
• A blood-alcohol level under .05, or zero if the accompanying driver is 21 or under

The accompanying driver must be the only other person in the front seat.

Keep your skills sharp

Passing the G road test is a milestone, not the end of learning. Keep practising in conditions you met less often as a G2 driver, such as night driving, heavy rain and winter roads.

Our free G lessons in the Roadity Library are still useful refreshers. If a friend or sibling is working toward their own road test, point them to the G road test hub or the G2 hub, and to the Roadity iPhone app, which has practice routes with spoken guidance near 19 Ontario DriveTest centres.