Tasmania graduated licence stages (L and P plates)

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the four stages of the Tasmanian car licence in order.
• You can state the minimum time you must spend on your learner licence and on your P1 licence.
• You can describe which plates you display at each stage and where they go.
• You can explain how long the P2 stage lasts depending on your age.
• You can describe what the safer driver reward is.

What you need to know and understand

• A learner licence is only issued once you are 16, even if you pass the knowledge test a few weeks earlier.
• Learners must hold their licence for at least 12 continuous months and log 80 supervised hours, including 15 at night.
• Learners need to pass the hazard perception test and the P1 driving assessment to move to P1.
• P1 drivers must hold their licence for at least 12 continuous months before moving to P2.
• P2 lasts 2 years if you are under 23 when you get it, 12 months or until you turn 25 (whichever is longer) if you are 23 or 24, and 12 months if you are 25 or older.
• Learners and all provisional drivers must have a blood alcohol content of 0.00.

The four steps from L plates to a full licence

Think of the system as a ladder. You cannot skip a rung, and each one has a minimum time on it.

1. Learner (L plates): from age 16, always with a supervisory driver, at least 12 months and 80 logged hours.
2. P1 (red P plates): after passing the hazard perception test and the P1 driving assessment. At least 12 months.
3. P2 (green P plates): you move up automatically after 12 clean months on P1. Lasts one to two years depending on your age.
4. Full licence: once your P2 period ends. If you got through P1 and P2 offence free, you may get a free three-year full licence.

What changes at each stage

Restrictions ease as you gain experience. The key differences between stages are speed caps, phone rules and passenger rules.

• Learner: 90 km/h maximum, no phone use at all, no towing, L plates front and back, supervisor beside you.
• P1: 100 km/h maximum, no phone use at all (not even hands-free), red P plates, and if you are under 25, only one peer passenger aged 16 to 21 unless an exemption applies.
• P2: you may drive at the posted speed limit and use a phone in hands-free or speaker mode, but you still display green P plates and must keep a 0.00 blood alcohol content.
• All stages: carry your licence whenever you drive.

Offences can reset the clock

Some offences on your P1 licence restart your 12-month P1 period. These include not wearing a seatbelt, using a phone (including hands-free), speeding by 10 km/h or more, not displaying P plates, and carrying more than one peer passenger without an exemption.

Breaking learner conditions can also lead to disqualification. Driving without a supervisor, for example, can mean a three-month disqualification and a fine. Our deeper guides on getting your full licence and learning to drive in Tasmania cover the detail.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you can drive solo on your 17th birthday. You also need the logged hours, a hazard perception pass and a P1 driving assessment pass.
• Forgetting that P1 drivers cannot use a phone even in hands-free mode. Only P2 and full licence holders can.
• Thinking the 0.00 alcohol rule ends at P1. It applies on P2 as well.
• Placing plates where they cannot be seen. Plates must be visible from both the front and the back of the car.

Test yourself: Tasmania graduated licence stages (L and P plates)

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

Go deeper

• Getting Your Full Licence in Tasmania and the Safer Driver Reward
• Learning to Drive in Tasmania
• Tasmania Hazard Perception Test