Licence restrictions
There are restrictions you must follow when you drive with a:
- Learner licence (Ls)
- Provisional P1 licence (red Ps)
- Provisional P2 licence (green Ps).
These restrictions are in place to help keep you safe as you develop your driving skills. They also apply when you drive in another state or territory. If you do not follow these restrictions, you’ll get a fine. You can also get demerit points or even lose your licence.
Alcohol limit – Applies to 
- Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must be zero.
- This means you must not have any alcohol in your system when you drive.
Maximum speed limit – Applies to 
- You can drive to a maximum of 90km/h.
- You must observe all speed limits below 90km/h.
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- You can drive to a maximum of 100km/h.
- You must observe all speed limits below 100km/h.
Mobile phone use – Applies to 
You must not use a mobile phone while driving, even when you’re stationary, for example, stopped at lights or stuck in traffic. This includes:
- texting
- phone calls
- music
- emailing
- social media
- using the internet
- maps
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The only time you can use your phone is to:
- show your digital driver licence when instructed by police
- use wallet functions to make a transaction or show a voucher, but only in areas such as a car park, driveway or drive-through and if the vehicle is stationary.
Number of passengers – Applies to
You can carry only the number of passengers that you have seatbelts and approved and suitable child car seats for.
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If you return to driving after being disqualified, you can only carry one passenger at a time, for 12 months.
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If you are aged under 25, between 11pm and 5am, only one of your passengers can be aged under 21. Exemptions may apply.
High-performance cars – Applies to
You must not drive high-performance cars, such as those:
- with a power to mass ratio greater than 130 kilowatts per tonne
- with significant modifications made to the vehicle’s engine
- that are listed as a banned high-performance vehicle.
Visit nsw.gov.au for the full list of banned high-performance cars.
There’s no restriction on learning to drive in a high-performance car.
Displaying L or P plates – Applies to
You must clearly display plates on the front and back, or roof, of the exterior of the vehicle you’re driving.
- Learners must display an L plate.
- P1 drivers must display a red P plate.
- P2 drivers must display a green P plate.
- The whole letter (L or P) must be visible.
Secure your plates with a clip or holder so they do not fall off. This ensures they do not become litter and stay visible at all times.
Location restrictions – Applies to 
You must not drive in Parramatta Park, Centennial Park or Moore Park when in Sydney.
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There’s no location restriction.
Being supervised – Applies to
You must be supervised by a person with an appropriate full (unrestricted) Australian driver licence (not a learner, provisional or overseas licence). They must sit next to you.
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You do not need to be supervised.
The exception is if you passed your Driving Test in an automatic car and want to drive a manual car.
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You do not need to be supervised.
Supervising a learner – Applies to
You must not supervise or instruct a learner driver.
Towing a trailer – Applies to
You must not tow a trailer or any other vehicle.
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You can tow light trailers that weigh up to 250kg when empty.
A red P plate must be on the back of the trailer.
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Full licence towing rules apply.
A green P plate must be on the back of the trailer.
Manual or automatic cars – Applies to
You can learn to drive in either an automatic or a manual car.
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If you passed your Driving Test in a manual car, you can drive either a manual or an automatic car.
If you passed your Driving Test in an automatic car, you can only drive an automatic car, unless supervised in a manual car by someone with a full Australian driver licence.
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There’s no restriction: you can drive either an automatic or manual car.
Trucks and heavy vehicles – Applies to
You must not drive, or learn to drive, vehicles that need another class of licence, such as trucks and other heavy vehicles.
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You can learn to drive the following vehicles that need a different class of licence:
- Light Rigid (LR) or Medium Rigid (MR) vehicles, as soon as you have your P2 licence.
- Heavy Rigid (HR) vehicles after having held a P2 for at least 1 year.
Motor tricycles – Applies to
You must not drive car-based motor tricycles.