To ensure the safest roads in North America, Ontario has a graduated licensing program with two types of road tests for cars, small trucks, and vans – the Class G2 road test and the Class G road test. Both tests enable professional driver examiners to assess your ability to apply the rules of the road, handle your vehicle, and demonstrate safe driving practices. Road tests for classes G2 and G are available year-round.
Road Tests – Cars, Vans, & Small Trucks
To get a new Ontario driver’s licence, you must visit a DriveTest Centre and demonstrate your driving ability.
Class G Road Tests – Two Types
Class G2 Road Test
This test assesses basic driving skills, is commonly referred to as a “city test,” and usually takes about 20 minutes. If you are successful, you will be granted a Class G2 licence.
If you have never driven before, you will be required to gain one year of driving experience before you qualify for this test. If you take a course at an MTO-recognized driving school, your eligibility requirement may be reduced by four months. See Car Licences for details.
Class G Road Test
This test assesses more advanced driving skills, includes a highway component, and usually takes about 30 minutes. If you are successful, you will be issued a Class G licence.
You will be required to practice driving for at least a year after obtaining your Class G2 licence before you qualify for the Class G road test. See Car Licences for details.
Booking the Test
When you have met the mandatory wait periods and have enough experience, you can book a road test. To book, you will require a driver’s licence number and the ability to pay the fees. Novice drivers in the graduated licensing program may not book a road test after their driver’s licence expiry date.
Notice
Until further notice, the G road test has been temporarily modified at full-time DriveTest Centres. Part-time Travel Point locations will continue to offer the standard G road test.
The modified G road test will not include these elements that are already covered in the G2 road test:
- parallel parking
- roadside stops
- 3-point turn
- driving in residential neighbourhoods
The test will still include all of the fundamental elements such as:
- driving on major roads and expressways including merging on and off, maintaining appropriate speed and space, signalling and more
- turns, curves and lane changes
- intersections
- driving in business areas
Learn more about what’s included in the G road test.
Preparing for the Test
Beginner Driver Education (BDE) courses are optional but recommended by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Before taking any road test, make sure you study the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook.
To prepare for the test, we recommend that you practise the skills below in a variety of locations, times of day (as your licence allows), and driving conditions:
- Starting, stopping, and turning.
- Traffic signs and lights.
- Passing vehicles, including bicycles, and driving in passing lanes.
- Travelling through controlled and uncontrolled intersections.
- Parking, reversing, and three-point turns.
- Foreseeing hazardous conditions and being ready for them.
If you are taking a Class G road test (highway test), you must declare your driving experience to ensure that you have spent sufficient time on highways to proceed. You must declare how many times in the last three months that you have driven on a highway with a speed limit of at least 80 km/hr and/or a 400-series highway. The 400-series highways include:
- 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, 416, 417, 420, 427
- Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
- Don Valley Parkway (DVP)
- Gardiner Expressway
- E. C. Row Expressway
- Conestoga Parkway
To qualify, you must have driven at least five times on one or some of these roadways in the last three months. You also must indicate the average length of these trips (i.e., under 5 km, between 5 and 15 km, over 15 km). Please ensure that you have the required highway driving experience, or your appointment will be cancelled and you will lose 50% of your road test fee.
The vehicle you use on the day of the test must be in Class G. In preparation, make any required repairs and ensure the vehicle meets the minimum requirements and is in good working order. Your road test could be declared “out-of-order” if the vehicle does not meet the standards.
DriveTest Centres do not provide vehicles. For the road test, you must bring a vehicle of the appropriate class to the DriveTest Centre. The vehicle can be owned, borrowed, or rented. It does not need to be a driving instructor’s vehicle.
Low-speed vehicles (LSVs) cannot be used for road tests. For more information about LSVs, please visit the MTO’s Low Speed Vehicles website.
As a preparatory measure, you should make plans for getting home after the road test if you are unsuccessful. You may want to bring an accompanying driver or look for alternate transportation.
Day of the Test
Please arrive at least 30 minutes early. Road tests take place in any weather unless you are otherwise notified. In the cases of extreme weather, your road test may be rescheduled or postponed for safety. If the weather is bad or changeable, check the Service Disruptions page on the day of your test.
When you arrive for your test, please park your vehicle and go inside the DriveTest Centre to check-in. Most centers have a self-serve kiosk for check-in; see a customer service agent if yours does not. After check-in, return to your vehicle and wait for the Driver Examiner. If your Driver Examiner does not arrive at your vehicle within 30 minutes of your appointment time, please return to the building and proceed to Counter A.
If there are in-vehicle recording devices present such as dashboard or action cameras, they must not be facing the passenger area. Refusal to follow this requirement will result in your road test appointment being canceled (i.e., declared out-of-order), and you will lose 50% of your road test fee and must pay the outstanding 50% to schedule another road test.
No pets or passengers other than the driver examiner are allowed in the vehicle during a road test. Passengers will be asked to wait in designated, safe areas. Driver examiners are trained to accommodate all customers, including people with disabilities. (Visit the Centre Accessibility page to learn more.) Road test participants can, with consent, use a translator or driving instructor during check-in and at the post-test debrief.
Bring the following items to the test:
- Vehicle in good working order.
- Glasses or contact lenses (if you need to wear them to drive).
- Enough gas in the vehicle to take the test.
- Current driver’s licence.
- Print-out out your road test confirmation email.
- Money for test fees (if you are hoping for a standby road test appointment).
Before you begin, the driver examiner will explain the test. The driver examiner is not allowed to coach you, so if you have any questions, ask them before you begin. Before getting in the vehicle, the driver examiner will walk around it to look for damage, safety hazards, and obstacles to completing the test. The driver examiner may stop or refuse to start the test if:
- Your vehicle is not in good working order.
- You show any signs of impairment from alcohol or drugs.
- Your driving skills are not good enough to finish the test without risking safety.
While you are taking the test, the examiner will evaluate your skills according to set criteria and complete a form/scoresheet.
After the Test
After the test, the driver examiner will provide a brief, verbal summary of your skills. Paper copies of the scoresheet are available upon request within 13 months of the test date.
After successful completion, you will receive a temporary driver’s licence, which is valid for 90 days or until your permanent/official driver’s licence photo card arrives in the mail.
If you are unsuccessful, the scoresheet will show you where you need to improve. When you have had more practice, you can make an appointment to take the test again. You may take as many road tests as you need to pass, provided your driver’s licence is valid. Generally, you must wait at least 10 days between tests. Applicable road test fees apply.
Ready to Book a Road Test?
Book and pay for individual road tests online, including tests for classes G, G2, M, M2, A, B, C, D, E, F, and Z.
