Photo: RegionVisitor90, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
In South Australia you must pass the Hazard Perception Test (HPT) to move from your learner’s permit to a P1 licence. You can sit it online through your mySAGOV account or in person at a Service SA centre. This guide explains how the test works, which crashes it is built around and the skills that help you pass.
Key facts
- It is a computer-based test using video of real traffic. It measures how well you recognise potentially dangerous situations and respond to them.
- Online: a 12-month subscription gives repeated attempts with no additional cost.
- In centre: book through Service SA (13 10 84). You pay for each attempt.
- You need a current learner’s permit to sit it, and a pass before you can apply for P1.
Online or in centre: which should you choose?
| Online (mySAGOV) | In centre (Service SA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | No booking. Sit it when you are ready | Booking required |
| Cost | One subscription covers 12 months | Fee for every attempt |
| Retakes | Repeated attempts at no extra cost | New booking and fee each time |
| Bring | Your mySAGOV login | Your current learner’s permit |
The online option is cheaper if there is any chance you need a second go. Check current fees on the sa.gov.au driver’s licence and permit fees page.
What the SA Hazard Perception Test is based on
The HPT is built around the driving situations behind the four most common crash types for South Australian provisional drivers:
- colliding with the rear of another vehicle
- colliding at right angles, usually at intersections
- collisions where at least one vehicle is turning right
- running off the road and hitting an object such as a tree, pole or parked car
The handbook explains that research links poor hazard perception skills with more crashes, and that screen-based tests can identify drivers with a higher crash risk.
How the test works
You watch traffic scenes filmed from the driver’s seat and respond when you judge it safe or unsafe to act, for example when to turn, pull out or slow down. The My Licence site explains the format and has a free practice version. My Licence also notes that you cannot change an answer once you have given it, and that you get no feedback between questions. SA does not publish the number of clips or the pass mark on a page we could read, so do not rely on figures from other states.
Skills that help you pass
Safe gaps when turning right
Right-turn crashes are one of the four target crash types. Wait for a gap big enough that oncoming traffic will not need to brake, even if the driver behind you is impatient. The handbook says it is much better to wait for larger gaps.
Safe gaps when crossing or entering a road
Half of all crashes happen at intersections. Young drivers most often misjudge gaps in moving traffic. Check both directions, judge speed as well as distance, and let a marginal gap go.
Following distance
Rear-end crashes are the most common crash for drivers of all ages. Keep at least a three-second gap: as the car ahead passes a fixed point, count “1001, 1002, 1003”. If you reach the point before you finish, you are too close. Leave more in the wet, in the dark, on unsealed roads or with a heavy load.
Safe gaps when overtaking
On country roads, choose a bigger gap in oncoming traffic, wait for an overtaking lane, or do not overtake at all.
Scanning
Look well ahead, check your mirrors and side roads, and keep your eyes moving. The handbook notes that scanning to spot problems early shortens your reaction distance. Covering the brake when a driver ahead behaves erratically shortens it further.
Expect the unexpected
Watch for doors opening on parked cars, pedestrians stepping out (especially near trams and buses), cyclists, and cars edging out of driveways. Ask yourself what could happen next, not just what is happening now.
How to prepare
- Do the free practice HPT on My Licence until you are consistent.
- During your logbook drives, call out hazards aloud and ask your supervisor to do the same. See the SA 75 hour logbook.
- Practise right turns across traffic and pulling out at busy intersections with your supervising driver.
- Read the hazardous driving situations and crash types sections of the handbook. See the SA Driver’s Handbook study guide.
What comes after the HPT
A pass, together with your Certificate of Competency from a VORT or CBT&A and your 75-hour log book, lets you apply for your P1. See VORT or CBT&A and SA P1 rules.
Common questions
When can I sit the HPT in SA?
The handbook only says you must hold a current learner’s permit and pass the HPT before applying for P1. It does not set a minimum time on your Ls. Check with Service SA if you want to sit it early.
Do I have to do the HPT before or after the VORT?
Either order works. Service SA lists the practical test before the HPT in its steps, and says the HPT can also be done before the practical. You need both, plus 75 hours and the minimum time on your permit, before the P1 licence can be issued.
Can I retake the HPT if I fail?
Yes. Online, you can retake it at no extra cost during your 12-month subscription. In centre, you book and pay again.
Do I need the HPT again if I am disqualified?
If you are disqualified for an offence committed on your learner’s permit after you have reached P1, you must hold your permit for three months, pass another HPT and pass another practical test. See losing your licence in SA.
Do overseas licence holders sit the SA HPT?
Yes, if their licence is from a country not recognised as having similar licensing practices. They also sit the theory and practical tests.
Back to the main guide: learning to drive in South Australia.
Sources
- Government of South Australia, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, “The Driver’s Handbook (MR200, February 2026)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
- My Licence, “The Hazard Perception Test” and “The Hazard Perception Test: How it works” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
- Government of South Australia, “Applying for a provisional licence” (sa.gov.au)