Ontario does not hand new drivers a full licence on day one. Everyone goes through graduated licensing, a two-step system that lets you build real experience before you earn full driving privileges. It runs from your G1 through your G2 to a full G. Here is how each stage works and how long the whole thing takes.<\/p>\n
New drivers crash more often in their first year than at any other point in their lives. Graduated licensing spreads out the privileges so you gain skill in lower-risk conditions first, then take on more as you prove yourself. It is not there to slow you down for no reason. It is there so the risky early months happen with a coach beside you.<\/p>\n
You earn a G1 by passing a vision test and a written knowledge test on the rules of the road and traffic signs. The G1 is a learner stage. You must drive with a fully licensed driver in the front passenger seat, keep a zero blood alcohol level, stay off 400-series highways with limits over 80 km\/h, and avoid driving between midnight and 5 a.m.<\/p>\n
You hold the G1 for 12 months before you can take your first road test. Complete an approved driver education course and that drops to 8 months. Spend the time driving in as many conditions as you can, because the G1 road test checks the basics: turns, parking, lane changes, and following the rules.<\/p>\n
Pass the G1 road test and you move to Level Two, the G2. This is the big jump. You can now drive alone, on any road, at any hour. Most of the training-wheels rules come off, but two important ones stay: your blood alcohol must remain zero, and everyone still needs a working seatbelt.<\/p>\n
There is one more layer for the youngest drivers. If you are 19 or under, a G2 licence limits how many young passengers you can carry late at night during your first months, unless they are family. The details change from time to time, so confirm the current passenger rules on the official Ontario page<\/a> before you rely on them.<\/p>\n You hold the G2 for at least 12 months before you are eligible for the second road test. This one is tougher. It usually includes highway driving, so you need to be comfortable merging, changing lanes at speed, and reading traffic well ahead of you. Pass it and you earn your full G, with no graduated-licensing restrictions left.<\/p>\n At a minimum, graduated licensing takes about 20 months: 12 at G1 (or 8 with driver education) plus 12 at G2. You have up to five years to finish the whole thing before you would have to start over, so there is room to go at your own pace. Most people are better served by using the time than rushing it.<\/p>\n All of it begins with passing that first knowledge test. That is exactly what FreeG1<\/a> is built for: free practice questions, every Ontario traffic sign, and full mock exams scored the same way the real G1 is. Get the first step right and the rest of graduated licensing is just driving.<\/p>\n Keep reading:<\/strong> the complete guide to the G1 test<\/a> and how the G1 knowledge test works<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe final road test, and your full G<\/h2>\n
How long the whole process takes<\/h2>\n
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Start with the G1<\/h2>\n