Photo: Orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Learning to drive in Western Australia takes seven steps: learn the road rules, apply for your learner’s permit, pass the Computerised Theory Test, log at least 50 supervised hours, pass the Hazard Perception Test, pass the Practical Driving Assessment (PDA) and drive on P plates for 2 years. This guide is for WA learners and their parents. It covers the order of the steps, the minimum ages, the fees as of November 2026 and where each step is explained in full.
Key facts
- Learner’s permit: from age 16, valid for 3 years.
- Theory test: 30 multiple-choice questions, at least 24 correct to pass. Keys4Life graduates can skip it.
- Logbook: under 25s need at least 50 supervised hours, including 5 at night.
- Hazard Perception Test (HPT): once you are 16 years and 6 months old and have held your permit for 6 months.
- Practical Driving Assessment: from age 17, after 6 months on your permit.
- P plates: 2 years (red for 6 months, then green). Zero alcohol the whole time.
- Reform announced, not yet in force: in April 2026 the WA Government said learners will need 80 supervised hours (10 at night), a 12-month minimum learner period and a 3-year provisional period. No start date had been set as of November 2026, so the current rules above still apply.
- The agency is the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI). Its handbook is Drive Safe, revised 5 August 2026.
The seven steps at a glance
| Step | What you do | Earliest point | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Learn the road rules | Study the Drive Safe handbook and the DTMI practice quizzes | Any time | Drive Safe study guide |
| 2. Apply for your learner’s permit | Form DLA1, proof of identity, eyesight test, medical declaration, fees | Age 16 | This page (below) |
| 3. Computerised Theory Test | Score at least 24 out of 30. Usually the same day you apply | Age 16 | WA theory test |
| 4. Learn to drive and log hours | Drive with a supervisor on L plates. Log 50 hours, 5 at night | Once your permit is issued | Learner rules and logbook |
| 5. Hazard Perception Test | Computer test of when you respond to hazards | 16 years 6 months and 6 months on your permit | WA HPT |
| 6. Practical Driving Assessment | On-road test of 35 to 50 minutes | Age 17, HPT passed, hours logged | WA PDA |
| 7. Provisional licence | Red P plates for 6 months, then green | When you pass the PDA | Red P rules and green Ps |
Drive Safe describes the same path as six steps of the Graduated Driver Training and Licensing System, starting at the learner’s permit. DTMI’s website adds “learn the road rules” as step 1, giving seven.
How long it takes: the fastest timeline
If you start on your 16th birthday and you are under 25, the minimums are:
- Age 16: pass the theory test and get your permit.
- Age 16 years 6 months: sit the HPT (you also need 6 months on your permit).
- Age 17: sit the PDA, with at least 50 logged hours.
- Age 17 to 17 years 6 months: red P plates.
- Age 17 years 6 months to 19: green P plates.
- Age 19: full licence.
Drive Safe says young drivers who log 100 to 120 supervised hours are better prepared and less likely to have serious crashes, so treat 50 as the floor.
How to get your WA learner’s permit
Go to a DTMI service centre or regional agent and:
- hand in a completed Driver’s Licence Application (Form DLA1)
- show your proof of identity documents
- declare any medical conditions or medication. You may need a medical assessment before the permit is issued
- pass an eyesight test. If you need glasses or contacts, your permit and licence will say you must wear them
- pay the fees and pass the theory test.
Proof of identity
Drive Safe (Appendix 3) asks for a combination of five original documents showing your full name, date of birth and home address. Certified copies and digital versions are not accepted. For most teenagers this means:
- your original Australian birth certificate (not an extract or commemorative certificate)
- a parent attending with their own current licence to complete a Secondary Identification Statutory Declaration (Form E41), and/or
- school documents, such as a school report or school ID, and a school letter showing your current address.
A Keys4Life certificate less than 2 years old also counts as a Category C identity document.
WA learner and P plate fees (as of November 2026)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Learner’s permit application, including your first PDA | $150.80 |
| Computerised Theory Test | $22.40 |
| Theory test resit | $19.20 |
| Printed Learner Log Book | $10.70 |
| Learn&Log digital logbook (ServiceWA app) | Free |
| Hazard Perception Test | $29.90 |
| HPT resit | $24.10 |
| PDA resit (each attempt after the first) | $120.50 |
When you pass the PDA you also pay the licence fee for your provisional licence. Check current amounts on the DTMI website before you go.
Keys4Life: the school shortcut
Keys4Life is a pre-driver program delivered by trained teachers to students in Years 10 to 12. If you finished it within the last 2 years and bring your certificate when you apply, you don’t sit or pay for the theory test. You go straight from your application to learning to drive.
Manual or automatic?
WA issues two car licences:
- C class: you can drive manual and automatic cars.
- C-A class: automatic only. You get this if you pass the PDA in an automatic or synchromesh car. You can upgrade to C class later.
Your supervisor must hold a licence for the car you are learning in. Someone with an automatic-only licence cannot supervise you in a manual.
If you are 25 or older
You still need a learner’s permit, the theory test, the HPT and the PDA, but you don’t have to log any hours before the PDA for a car licence. DTMI strongly recommends logging them anyway. You still need 6 months on your permit before the PDA.
Rules you live with at each stage
| Stage | Main rules |
|---|---|
| Learner | L plates front and rear, supervisor beside you, 0.00 BAC, maximum 100 km/h, no driving in Kings Park, 4 demerit point limit |
| Red P (first 6 months) | Red P plates, 0.00 BAC, no driving midnight to 5am (work and school exemptions), only 1 passenger (exemptions apply), 4 point limit |
| Green P (rest of the 2 years) | Green P plates, 0.00 BAC, 8 point limit in your second year |
See WA novice demerit points for how the 4 and 8 point limits work.
Preparing for the driving test
DTMI’s booklet Driving Techniques for Safer Drivers sets out the PDA’s ten possible low-speed manoeuvres and gives you scoring sheets to practise with your supervisor. Our guide to the Driving Techniques for Safer Drivers exercises walks through them. If you will drive outside Perth, also read country driving in WA.
For how WA compares with other states, see learner licence rules in every state and P plate rules in every state.
Common questions
How old do you have to be to get your Ls in WA?
16 for a car learner’s permit. A moped permit is available from 15 years and 6 months.
Can I drive in WA on an interstate learner’s permit?
If you hold a current interstate or New Zealand learner’s permit, you can apply to have it recognised in WA. An overseas permit to learn is not recognised, so you cannot drive on WA roads with one.
What happens if my learner’s permit expires?
It lasts 3 years. If it expires you must reapply to keep learning. Trips saved in Learn&Log are kept and become available again once you renew.
Do I have to pay for the driving test separately?
Not the first one. Your learner’s permit application fee includes one PDA. Each resit costs $120.50 (November 2026).
How long are the theory test and HPT passes valid?
Each pass is valid for 5 years.
Can I have passengers on my Ls?
Yes. The one-passenger limit applies only to red P plate drivers, not learners. You must always have a qualified supervisor in the passenger seat.
Sources
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “No more roadblocks: 7 steps to getting your first licence in WA” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Drive Safe: A handbook for Western Australian road users”, revised 5 August 2026 (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Car licence” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Apply for your learner’s permit” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Take the Computerised Theory Test (CTT)” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Learn to drive and log your hours” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Sit a Hazard Perception Test (HPT)” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Book and pass your Practical Driving Assessment (PDA)” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Get your provisional licence” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Keys4Life program” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Learn&Log FAQs” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Government of Western Australia, “Landmark overhaul of WA licensing system to deliver safer roads”, media statement, 26 April 2026 (wa.gov.au)