Log book hours and supervised practice in New South Wales

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the total hours and night hours an under-25 must log.
• You can explain how 3 for 1 lessons and the Safer Drivers Course add bonus hours.
• You can check whether someone is allowed to supervise you.
• You can plan practice that builds from easy to harder conditions.
• You can prepare your log book or app for the Driving Test.

What you need to know and understand

• Under 25s must log at least 120 hours, including at least 20 hours of night driving.
• Learners aged 25 or older do not need to keep a log book.
• Each 1-hour structured lesson with a NSW licensed driving instructor can be recorded as 3 hours, for up to 10 lessons (20 bonus hours at most).
• Completing the Safer Drivers Course earns 20 bonus hours, once only.
• You can use the paper log book or the official log book app. App users must submit their log at least 48 hours before the test.
• A supervisor must hold a full Australian licence, sit next to you and have a blood alcohol concentration under 0.05.

Three ways to build your 120 hours

Transport for NSW gives this example: if you complete the Safer Drivers Course and also have 10 structured lessons, you only need 70 hours of other supervised driving.

• Supervised practice with a family member or friend who meets the supervisor rules.
• Structured '3 for 1' lessons. For every 1-hour lesson, the licensed instructor can record 3 hours in your log book. Only 10 lessons can earn the bonus, and bonus hours from night lessons count as daytime hours.
• The NSW Safer Drivers Course, worth 20 bonus hours.

The Safer Drivers Course

The course is for learners under 25 who have already logged at least 50 hours, including at least 10 at night. Those 50 hours must be real driving, not 3 for 1 bonus hours. It has a 3-hour group discussion and a 2-hour in-car coaching session where you and another learner take turns driving and observing. It covers speed management, choosing safe gaps, hazard awareness and following distances.

Transport for NSW lists the cost as $140, paid to the course provider, and offers a limited number of free places each year for eligible learners.

Rules for supervisors

A learner who drives with no supervisor can have their licence suspended on the spot.

• Must hold a full (unrestricted) Australian licence. Learners, P1, P2 and overseas licence holders cannot supervise.
• Must sit in the seat next to the learner.
• Must have a blood alcohol concentration under 0.05 and no illegal drugs in their system.
• Both the learner and supervisor can be fined if the supervisor is not properly licensed.

Building skills in the right order

Start with steering, accelerating and braking on quiet roads in daylight. Move to busier roads, higher speeds, wet weather and night driving once the basics are smooth. For your first night drives, choose roads you already know.

On test day you must bring a completed log book showing your 120 hours, the 20 learning goals and a signed Declaration of Completion. An incomplete log book means the test will not go ahead. A deeper guide on this site explains the NSW learner log book in detail.

Common mistakes

• Logging the same easy route over and over. Mix up roads, traffic, weather and times of day.
• Leaving night hours until the end. Spread them out so you are not rushing before the test.
• Booking the Safer Drivers Course too early. You need 50 real hours, including 10 at night, first.
• Forgetting to submit your log book app. Send it at least 48 hours before your test.

Test yourself: Log book hours and supervised practice in New South Wales

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• NSW Learner Log Book