G1 / G2 licensing

G1 licence rules

You can't drive alone on a G1. Here's exactly what the conditions are and how to move up to G2.

The G1 is the first stage of Ontario's graduated licensing system. The whole point of the stage is supervised practice, so the central rule is that you may never drive alone — a qualified, sober driver must always be with you in the front passenger seat.

The conditions

Zero blood alcohol
Always — no alcohol in your system when you drive.
An accompanying driver
Must hold a full Class G licence, have at least four years of driving experience, and have a blood-alcohol level under 0.05. They sit in the front passenger seat.
No late-night driving
You may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m.
No 400-series highways
Unless you are with a licensed driving instructor.
Everyone belted
There must be a working seatbelt for each passenger, and everyone wears one.

Moving up to G2

Once you have held your G1 for the required time — twelve months, or eight months if you pass an approved driver-education course — you can take the G1 exit road test. Pass it and you become a G2 driver, which lets you drive on your own with fewer restrictions.

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Treat the accompanying-driver rule as non-negotiable. Driving a G1 alone, even for a minute, is one of the most common ways new drivers get penalised.

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