Yukon graduated licensing stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the two GDL stages and the licence class issued at each one.
• You can state the minimum age and minimum time for each stage.
• You can explain what moves you from one stage to the next.
• You can describe what happens if you break a GDL condition.
• You can work out the earliest age at which a new driver could hold a full-privilege licence.

What you need to know and understand

• The learner stage starts with a Class 7 learner's licence. You must be at least 15 and pass a vision screening and a knowledge test on signs and rules.
• You stay in the learner stage for at least six months and must log 50 hours of practice with a valid co-driver.
• Passing the Class 5 road test, at 16 or older, moves you to the novice stage and a Class 5 novice licence.
• The novice stage lasts at least 18 months (540 days) in a row without breaking any GDL condition.
• Both stages carry zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, a ban on all electronic devices (even hands-free) and a ban on towing a trailer.
• Breaking a GDL restriction, collecting too many demerit points or an impaired driving violation resets your GDL clock and restarts the stage you are in.

Two stages, then full privileges

Yukon's program has fewer steps than some provinces, but each step has firm conditions. Here is how the ladder works.

• Learner stage (Class 7): age 15 or older, vision and knowledge test passed. Minimum six months. A qualified co-driver must be with you every time you drive, and you may only drive between 5 a.m. and midnight.
• Novice stage (Class 5 novice): age 16 or older, learner stage completed and Class 5 road test passed. Minimum 18 months in a row with a clean record on GDL conditions. You may drive alone, except that a co-driver must be with you between midnight and 5 a.m. unless you hold an approved midnight work exemption.
• Full-privilege Class 5: after the novice stage you apply at any Motor Vehicles office. GDL restrictions no longer apply.

How long it really takes

If you start at 15, the earliest you can take the road test is 16, because you must be 16 and have held your Class 7 licence continuously for six months. Add the 18-month novice stage and the earliest a new driver can reach a full-privilege licence is about 17 and a half, which matches the minimum age Yukon lists for a Class 5 licence.

These are minimums, not targets. Many learners take longer so they can practise in winter, at night and on highways before the road test.

The clock can reset

Yukon watches new drivers' records closely. If you drive contrary to your GDL restrictions, reach the GDL demerit limit, or break the zero alcohol and drug rule, your GDL clock goes back to zero and you restart your current stage. A GDL suspension can last up to six months, and you must meet the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to discuss your driving privilege. A learner caught using a phone, for example, starts the learner stage again. Deeper guides on our site cover learning to drive in Yukon and the learner licence rules if you want more detail.

Common mistakes

• Thinking six months is automatic progress. You still need 50 logged hours and a pass on the road test to leave the learner stage.
• Assuming the novice stage is shorter than it is. It is at least 18 months, and the time must be continuous without GDL violations.
• Believing hands-free calls are fine for new drivers. Every GDL driver is banned from using any electronic device while driving.
• Forgetting that you must apply for the full-privilege licence. It does not arrive on its own; visit a Motor Vehicles office when you qualify.

Test yourself: Yukon graduated licensing stages

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

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s Licence in Yukon
• Yukon Learner’s Test and Learner Licence Rules
• Driving the Alaska Highway and Yukon Winter Roads as a New Driver