Photo: RegionVisitor90, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Seven of Australia’s eight states and territories make learners pass a Hazard Perception Test (HPT) on the way from L plates to P plates. The Northern Territory is the exception. In most of them you pass the HPT before the practical test, but South Australia lets you take it before or after the practical, as long as you pass it before your P1 licence is issued. When you can sit it, where, what it costs and how long a pass lasts all differ. This comparison sets out each state’s rules as of November 2026, for learners planning their timeline and parents booking tests.
Key facts
- You must pass the HPT before your practical driving test in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, TAS and the ACT. In SA you need it before P1 issue, and it can come before or after the practical.
- The NT licensing path has no HPT step.
- Online from home: Queensland (online, with an offline version during Indigenous Driver Licensing Unit community visits), Tasmania, the ACT, SA (optional) and Victoria (online first attempt). NSW and WA test at service centres.
- Free attempts: Tasmania (always), the ACT (first attempt) and Victoria (first online attempt).
- A pass is valid for 15 months in NSW, 12 months in Victoria and Tasmania, and 5 years in WA. In the ACT it does not expire.
Hazard perception tests at a glance
| State | When you can sit it | Where | Format | Fee (Nov 2026) | Pass valid for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Under 25: after 10 months on Ls. 25 or older: any time on Ls | Service centre | 2 practice clips, then 15 test clips | $58 per attempt | 15 months |
| VIC | From 17 years 11 months, with a current Victorian learner permit | Online, or a Customer Service Centre | 25 scenarios in up to 45 minutes | First online attempt free; $22.10 for each further online attempt | 12 months: pass the drive test within 12 months or resit |
| QLD | After at least 6 months on a car learner licence | Online; offline version during Indigenous Driver Licensing Unit community visits | 3D computer-generated clips | $42.70 | You only need to pass once |
| WA | Age 16 years 6 months AND 6 months on your permit | Service centre or regional agent | Moving traffic scenes; click to act | $29.90; resit $24.10 | 5 years |
| SA | While you hold a current learner’s permit | Online (mySAGOV) or a Service SA centre | Video of real traffic | One online subscription covers 12 months of attempts; in centre you pay each time | Check with Service SA |
| TAS | From 3 months before your earliest P1 test date | Online | 25 clips, 13 to pass, 45 minutes | Free | 12 months |
| ACT | After 3 months on your Ls | Online | 25 videos of about 15 seconds | First attempt free; $30.00 after (from 1 July 2026) | Does not expire |
| NT | No HPT | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
State-by-state details
NSW
- Touch the screen when you would slow down, turn, overtake or cross. If acting would be unsafe, do not touch.
- The test is built on the five crash types behind most NSW casualty crashes. It assesses safe following distance, gap selection and hazard spotting.
- Study the official Hazard Perception Handbook. Transport for NSW says third-party practice sites are not the same as the real test.
- Cheating means a 6-week wait before you can resit.
Guide: NSW Hazard Perception Test.
Victoria
- You must answer all 25 scenarios within 45 minutes, or the attempt counts as unsuccessful.
- Online, you get up to two attempts a day. Your access lasts 12 months from registration.
- Retake fee: $22.10 for each further online attempt on the VicRoads fees page. In person, the test and appointment fees total $44.00.
Guide: Victoria Hazard Perception Test.
Queensland
- Enrol through TMR’s online service. If you did PrepL, use the same login.
- You have up to 12 months to use the test once you have paid.
- The booking system will not let you book Q-Safe until you pass.
Guide: Queensland hazard perception test.
Western Australia
- You need both conditions. A DTMI news article says “or”, but the official HPT pages and the Drive Safe handbook require age 16 years 6 months and 6 months on your permit.
- Tests must start before 3.45pm, Monday to Friday. No appointment is needed at metro centres.
- Live more than 100 km from an HPT centre? You can apply for an exemption (Form E19).
Guide: WA Hazard Perception Test.
South Australia
- The test is built around the four most common crash types for SA provisional drivers: rear-end, right angle, right turn and run-off-road.
- Online is cheaper if you might need a second go. SA.GOV.AU listed the HPT at $37; check the current fee before you pay.
Guide: SA Hazard Perception Test.
Tasmania
- Required for most learners since 7 March 2022. L2 holders under the transition rules are exempt.
- Each clip involves one of four actions: overtake, move off, turn right or slow down. Taking no action can be the right answer.
- Failed attempts can be retried straight away. You get coaching statements at the end.
Guide: Tasmania Hazard Perception Test.
ACT
- Required for anyone whose learner licence was issued or renewed after 1 January 2020.
- Lockouts: a first fail locks you out for 24 hours and a second fail for 3 days. You pay for each attempt after the first.
- The test times out after 10 minutes of inactivity, and a time-out counts as a fail.
Guide: ACT Hazard Perception Test.
Worked example: earliest HPT date for a 16-year-old
Say you get your Ls on your 16th birthday, are under 25, and want the earliest legal HPT date.
| State | Earliest HPT |
|---|---|
| NSW | 16 years 10 months (10 months on Ls) |
| VIC | 17 years 11 months |
| QLD | 16 years 6 months (6 months on Ls) |
| WA | 16 years 6 months (both conditions met together) |
| TAS | 16 years 9 months (3 months before the earliest P1 date at 12 months on Ls) |
| ACT | 16 years 3 months (3 months on Ls). ACT Ls are available from 15 years 9 months, so it can be earlier |
SA is left out. Check with Service SA how long you must hold your learner’s permit before the HPT.
Sitting early only helps if your pass is still valid when you take the driving test. In NSW, Victoria and Tasmania a pass expires, so time it against your planned test date.
How to prepare in any state
- Do the official practice test for your state first. NSW, VIC, WA, SA and the ACT all offer one or an official handbook.
- Commentary drive: say out loud what you see and what might happen next on every logbook drive.
- Practise right turns across traffic and pulling out at busy intersections. Gap selection runs through every state’s test.
- Keep at least a 3-second following gap. NSW and SA both teach this.
- Use a computer and mouse if the test is online. Tasmania, the ACT and WA all say a larger screen helps.
Next step after the HPT: practical driving tests in every state compared. Earlier step: learner knowledge tests compared.
Common questions
Does the NT have a hazard perception test?
No. In the Northern Territory you go from the knowledge test and 6 months on your learner licence straight to the practical test. See the NT practical driving test.
Can I use an HPT pass from another state?
Tasmania accepts dated evidence of an HPT pass from another Australian state or territory in the last 12 months when you transfer. A booking confirmation is not enough. For other states, ask the transport department before you book.
What happens if my HPT pass expires before my driving test?
In NSW (after 15 months), Victoria and Tasmania (after 12 months) you must pass the HPT again before you can take the practical test.
Can someone help me during the HPT?
No. In WA an interpreter can help only during the introduction and practice. In Tasmania someone may explain the written situation text, but they cannot tell you when to act.
Is the HPT harder than the knowledge test?
It tests judgement rather than rule recall. Real driving experience is the best preparation, which is why most states only let you sit it after months on your Ls.
Sources
- NSW Government, “Hazard Perception Test” and “Licence and test fees” (nsw.gov.au)
- Transport for NSW, “Hazard Perception Handbook” (nsw.gov.au)
- VicRoads, “Hazard Perception Test” and “Ls and Ps fees” (vicroads.vic.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Car hazard perception test” and “Licence fees” (qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Enrol in hazard perception test” (service.transport.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Hazard Perception Test (HPT)” and “Drive Safe” handbook (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Government of South Australia, “The Driver’s Handbook (MR200, February 2026)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
- SA.GOV.AU, “Find driver’s licence and permit fees” (sa.gov.au)
- Department of State Growth, “Hazard Perception Test” and “Hazard perception test FAQs” (platesplus.tas.gov.au)
- Safe Plates Testing, “Hazard Perception Test” (safeplatestesting.act.gov.au)
- Access Canberra, “Get your provisional driver licence” (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
- Northern Territory Government, “Get your driver licence” (nt.gov.au)
- ACT Government, “Road Transport (General) (Driver Licence and Related Fees) Determination 2026 (No 1)”, DI2026-44, Schedule 1 item 18 (legislation.act.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Car hazard perception test” (qld.gov.au)
- VicRoads, “Hazard Perception Test” (vicroads.vic.gov.au)
- VicRoads, “Ls and Ps fees” (vicroads.vic.gov.au)
- Government of South Australia, “Applying for a provisional licence” (sa.gov.au)