NSW Road User Handbook Study Guide 2026

How licensing works in NSW

NSW uses a Graduated Licensing Scheme (GLS). You start with a learner licence (L), move to a red P1 licence, then a green P2 licence, and finally a full licence. Each step gives you more freedom as you gain experience.

If you are 25 or over, you do not need a log book and can sit the tests when you are ready. The Driver Qualification Test is no longer needed to move from P2 to a full licence.

The Driver Knowledge Test (DKT)

The DKT is the first step to a licence. It checks that you know the road rules and safe driving behaviour from the Road User Handbook. There are two ways to take it.

DKT online

• An interactive course of about 4 to 6 hours with three learning modules, practice tests and quizzes, then the final test.
• You can enrol at 15 years and 11 months, but you can only apply for your learner licence at 16.
• The test has no time limit, but you must finish it in one session. If you leave early, your answers are lost.
• If you fail, wait for the 12-hour lockout to end, then try again. You pay only one test fee.
• You have 12 months to finish DKT online and apply for your licence. After passing, you visit a service centre. No booking is needed.

DKT in person

Book a multiple-choice computer test at a service centre. You must be 16. You pay a fee each time you book, and if you fail you can try again the same day if a booking is free. Staff can read questions aloud if you have trouble reading, and you can ask for an interpreter, including Auslan.

The official car question set has a general knowledge section and a road safety section. The NSW pages we checked do not publish the number of questions or the pass mark, so learn every rule well.

Learner licence rules

• Never drive above 90 km/h, even where the limit is higher.
• Show L plates on the outside of the car, front and back. The whole letter L must be visible.
• Always drive with a supervisor who holds a full Australian licence and sits next to you.
• Your BAC must be zero. No alcohol or drugs at all.
• No phone use at all while driving or stopped but not parked, not even hands-free.
• Drive cars only. No towing.
• You may not drive in Parramatta Park, Moore Park or Centennial Park in Sydney.
• 4 or more demerit points in 3 years means suspension or refusal.

Your learner licence is valid for 5 years. If you are under 25, you can book the Hazard Perception Test after 10 months on your L's. After you pass it, you sit the on-road driving test. If you fail the driving test, you must wait at least 7 days before trying again.

Red P1 and green P2 rules

Extra P1 rules

• If you are under 25, carry no more than one passenger under 21 between 11 pm and 5 am, unless you have an exemption.
• Tow trailers only up to 250 kg unloaded.
• Drive only the type of car you were tested in (automatic or manual).
• No high-performance or other prohibited vehicles, and you may not supervise a learner.
• Any speeding offence brings a suspension of at least 3 months. Police can suspend you on the spot for going more than 30 km/h over the limit.

Time spent suspended does not count toward your 12 months on P1. On P2, a suspension adds 6 months to the time you must hold the licence.

Key NSW safety rules

Speed

The default limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas, which have street lights and buildings close to the road, and 100 km/h on other roads unless signs say otherwise. In a school bus stop zone the limit is 40 km/h when the bus lights flash.

Alcohol

Learner, P1 and P2 drivers must have a BAC of zero. Full car licence holders and supervisors must stay under 0.05.

Phones

Full licence holders must not hold a phone while driving, even when stopped at lights. They may use a phone hands-free or in a fixed holder for some functions. Anyone may use a phone when parked out of the line of traffic.

Following distance

Keep at least 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front. Make it 4 seconds or more in rain, at night or in other poor conditions.

Children in cars

Babies under 6 months travel in a rear-facing seat. From 6 months to 4 years, use a rear-facing seat or a forward-facing seat with an inbuilt harness. From 4 to 7 years, use a forward-facing seat with a harness or an approved booster seat.