NSW P Plate Restrictions: The P plate rules for New South Wales

It’s a hard truth, but young there’s a different set of rules for young people than for the rest of us. While that might seem unfair to the younger generation, some of those rules are there for a very good reason. The P plate restrictions and special rules in NSW are an example of that kind of rule.

Young and inexperienced drivers are statistically far more likely to be involved in a crash than older and experienced drivers. That’s especially so in the first few months of solo driving. As a result, the NSW Roads and Maritime service has made some strict rules around what learner and provisional drivers can and can’t do on the road.

But extra rules means extra confusion! This article will outline the P plate restrictions in NSW, and the rules P platers need to adhere to, above and beyond the general NSW road rules.

Getting your License in NSW

In New South Wales, you need to first get a learner license, then progress to your P1 license (your red P plates) and your P2 license (your green P plates). Once you’ve completed the two provisional stages, you can apply for a full license.

To get your learner license, you need to;

• – Be at least 16 years old
• – Pass the Driver Knowledge Test

To get your P1 license, you need to:

• – Be at least 17 years old
• – Have held a learner license for at least a year, unless you’re over 25 years old
• – Have logged at least 120 hours of supervised driving time (including 25 hours driving at night), unless you’re over 25 years old
• – Pass the Hazard Perception Test
• – Pass the driving test

To get your P2 license, you need to:

• – Have held your P2 license for at least 12 months

Once you’ve been on your green P’s for 24 months, you can apply for your unrestricted license. You can find more information about getting a NSW driver’s license here.

GoGet P Plate Restrictions

Unlike most car rental companies, GoGet welcomes P Plate drivers, as long as they’ve had a year’s solo driving experience. No matter your age, if you’ve had your P Plates for 12 months, you can join GoGet and use our cars or vans. Using car share can be a great option for P Platers who don’t want the expense or hassle of owning a car, and want access to a range of vehicles like runabouts, SUVs, vans, and 8-seater people movers. Even if you only want a car or van for a one-off use, GoGet is a great way to hire a car or van in Sydney.

It goes without saying that GoGet members must comply with the road rules in the state they’re driving in. While we allow P Platers to drive any GoGet vehicle, the vehicle restrictions of various states may prohibit their use by P Platers. It’s member’s responsibility to check these rules – we’ve provided some links below.

P Plate Restrictions in New South Wales

Red and Green P platers can only get 4 demerit points before they get their license suspended in NSW, far less than the 12 points it takes to suspend a full license. That means some offenses carry an immediate license suspension.

NSW Red P Plate Rules

• – Red P platers cannot drive more than 90km/h.
• – There is a 0.00% blood alcohol limit – you cannot have any alcohol in your system as a red P plater.
• – All red P platers will get a 3 month suspension for ANY speeding offence, along with a fine. Drive slowly!
• – All mobile phone use is banned for red P platers, including hands-free and speaker phone. It’s a 4 demerit point penalty, which means an automatic 3 month license suspension.
• – Between 11pm and 5am, red P platers under 25 years old can only carry 1 passenger under the age of 21. You might be able to apply for an exception for work, family, or volunteering reasons – click here for details about exceptions
• – If your red P plate license is disqualified you’ll only be able to carry 1 passenger at any time for 12 months after you get your license back.
• – P plates must be attached to the outside of the car – they can’t be stuck to the inside of your window.
• – Red P platers can tow loaded or unloaded trailers, but the trailer must be small – it must weight less than 250kg unloaded.
• – Red P platers are restricted from driving high performance vehicles, like cars with a power to tare mass ratio of 130kW per tonne or greater, and cars with heavily modified engines. The RMS has a look-up tool here.

NSW Green P Plate Rules

• – Green P platers cannot drive more than 100km/h.
• – There is a 0.00% blood alcohol limit – you cannot have any alcohol in your system as a green P plater.
• – All mobile phone use is banned for green P platers, including hands-free and speaker phone. It’s a 4 demerit point penalty, which means an automatic 3 month license suspension.
• – You’ll need to stay on your Green P’s for an extra 6 months if you get a license suspension for unsafe driving. You’ll get an extra extension for every suspension, not including the suspension period!
• – Green P platers are restricted from driving high performance vehicles, like cars with a power to tare mass ratio of 130kW per tonne or greater, and cars with heavily modified engines. The RMS has a look-up tool here.

P Plates Restrictions : Frustrating, but there for a reason

Yes, these rules can be annoying, and sometimes make life more difficult. But they’re in place for a reason, and they’ve been designed to make life safer for you, your passengers, and fellow road users. That being said, NSW Transport, and the NSW RMS regularly review the rules, and they do change them, especially as we gain more insight from research into driving behaviour.

If you’re looking for a great way to get around as a P plater, one that doesn’t involve the hassle and cost of owning a private car, you should check out GoGet car share. With thousands of cars and vans near you in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane available by the hour or day. And it’s much cheaper than car hire for short and regular trips.