Driving Licence in Australia - Car Licences - Rules By Jurisdiction - Victoria

Victoria

The minimum driving age in Victoria is 18 years. A learner can drive at the age of 16 under the supervision of a fully licensed driver. After obtaining a licence, a driver continues to be subject to restrictions during a 4 year probationary period.

Learner's Permit

A Learner's Permit may be obtained by a person over 16 years. The applicant must pass a computerised Knowledge Test and an eyesight test. Learner drivers must not consume any alcohol before driving (i.e. the Blood alcohol content (BAC) must be zero), and must be accompanied by a driver who holds a full Driver Licence and has a BAC below 0.05%. A Victorian Learner's Permit is valid for 10 years from date of issue.

'L' plates must be displayed while driving, and must not tow a trailer. There are no special speed or vehicle restrictions.

P1 (Red) Probationary Licence

A P1 Probationary Driver Licence holder must be over 18 years of age and pass a computerised Hazard Perception Test, a practical driving test and an eyesight test. P1 drivers must display white-on-red 'P-plates'.

An applicant for a Driver Licence must have held a Learner's Permit for at least 12 months if the applicant is under 21 years at the time of applying; 6 months if the applicant is between 21 and 24 years; and 3 months for applicants aged over 25 years. If a driver obtained their Learner's Permit after July 1, 2007, and are under 21 years of age, they must have logged 120 hours of practice.

Probationary drivers must drive with a zero BAC, and are not permitted to drive 'high powered vehicles' (formerly those powered at more than 125 kW/tonne or 3.5 litres/tonne; now all petrol turbocharged and supercharged cars and any car of more than 6 cylinders, refer below). If the driver was tested in an automatic vehicle, then they must not drive a manual vehicle. There are no speed restrictions, however trailers may not be towed except for work purposes. P1 drivers have a peer passenger restriction which sees P1 drivers only able to carry no more than one passenger aged between 16–21 years old (excluding family members; exemptions may also be allowed by VicRoads for other reasons) at any time. They must not use any form of mobile phone including hands-free.

Since 1 July 2008, what is considered a high power vehicle has been redefined. P plate drivers are no longer allowed to drive cars with engines larger than a V6, cars that have a turbo or supercharger (unless it is a diesel). A shortlist has been produced of cars that comply with these restrictions but are still considered powerful and therefore banned. The list includes BMW M3 and Porsche 911. There have been many complaints about this new system as several slower cars have been banned, such as the Peugeot 308, but faster cars such as VW Golf R32 and BMW 130i are still permitted.

After 1 July 2008, those aged over 21 years when applying for a licence qualify as P2 drivers after passing the computerised Hazard Perception Test and a practical driving test, as well as an eyesight test.

P2 (Green) Probationary Licence

The P2 Probationary Driver Licence came into effect from 1 July 2008. For probationary drivers obtaining a P1 Probationary Licence after that date, they may upgrade their licence status if they have had a good driving record for at least 12 months while holding the P1 Licence.

The same P1 restrictions apply, except P2 drivers may tow trailers and use a handfree mobile phone. The peer passenger restriction does not apply to P2 drivers. They must display the white-on-green 'P-plates', rather than the red. If a person is over 21 when licenced they go straight onto the P2 licence for three years.

P2 licences last for 3 years, making the minimum age of receiving a full licence 22 years, up from 21 years for drivers who obtained their a Probationary Licence before 1 July 2008. The minimum age for obtaining a P2 Licence is 19 years. All drivers who obtained their Probationary Licence before 1 July 2008 qualify as P2 drivers and must display the green 'P' plates.

Driver Licence

A full Driver Licence is obtained after the probation period. For drivers who got their P's after 1 July 2008, the minimum age at which they can obtain their full licence would be 22.

There are few restrictions on fully licensed drivers, other than not being able to drive while holding a mobile phone, and the need to have a BAC under 0.05%. Full licences are valid for ten years, but can be made available for three years if requested.

For more information on driver's licenses in Victoria, see Arrive Alive website.