How Ontario Demerit Points Work (and Why New Drivers Should Care Most)

Demerit points are how Ontario keeps track of risky driving, and they carry more weight for new drivers than most people realize. Understanding how they work, and why a G1 or G2 driver reaches trouble faster than a fully licensed one, is worth a few minutes now. Here is the system in plain terms.

How demerit points actually work

You do not start with a set number of points that get taken away. It is the reverse: points are added to your record when you are convicted of a driving offence. The more dangerous the offence, the more points it carries. Those points stay on your record for two years from the date of the offence, then drop off. As they add up, the consequences escalate.

Why new drivers should care the most

This is the part that catches people out. Novice drivers in the graduated licensing system, meaning G1 and G2 holders, reach the warning and suspension thresholds at fewer points than fully licensed drivers do. The same handful of tickets that would earn an experienced driver a warning letter can suspend a new driver. In other words, you have less room for error at exactly the stage where mistakes are most likely.

What earns points

Serious, high-risk offences carry the most points: things like careless driving, failing to stop for a stopped school bus, and speeding far over the limit. Everyday moving violations like following too closely, failing to yield, or distracted driving carry fewer, but they add up. The exact point value for each offence is set by the province and can change, so check the current list on the official Ontario demerit points page rather than relying on a number you half-remember.

What happens as points build up

The process is designed to warn you before it punishes you. First you may receive a warning letter. Keep accumulating and you may be called to an interview to explain why your licence should not be suspended. Cross the top threshold and your licence is suspended for a set period. For a novice driver, a suspension can also set back or end your graduated licensing. The specific thresholds differ for novice and full licences and are listed on the official page.

How to keep a clean record

The good news is that avoiding demerit points is not complicated. It is the same set of habits the G1 test is built around: obey speed limits, keep a safe following distance, stop fully where you must, put the phone away, and give right of way. Drive the way the handbook teaches and points simply never accumulate.

Demerit points and the consequences of breaking the rules come up on the G1. To study them alongside everything else, FreeG1 is free and covers the full test with real practice questions and mock exams.

Keep reading: the distracted-driving penalties and zero tolerance for new drivers.

Sources: Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Ontario.ca. Confirm current point values and suspension thresholds on the official page. Last reviewed July 2026.