G1 vs G2 vs G: The Three Licence Stages Explained

G1, G2, and G are the three stages of an Ontario driver's licence. G1 is your learner permit, G2 lets you drive alone with limits, and G is your full licence. Here's what each stage means and what you can and can't do.

G1: Level One (your learner stage)

G1 is where everyone starts. You've passed the vision and knowledge tests, but you're still learning, so you can never drive alone. The key rules:

• An accompanying driver must sit in the front passenger seat. They need a valid full Class G (or higher) licence, at least four years of driving experience, and a blood-alcohol level under .05.
• Your own blood-alcohol must be zero.
• No driving between midnight and 5 a.m.
• No 400-series highways (or named expressways like the QEW, Don Valley Parkway, or Gardiner) with a limit over 80 km/h, unless your accompanying driver is a licensed driving instructor.
• The accompanying driver is your only allowed front-seat passenger, and every passenger needs a working seatbelt.

Level One lasts 12 months, or 8 months if you finish an approved Beginner Driver Education course.

G2: Level Two (drive alone, with limits)

Pass your first road test and you reach G2. Now you can drive by yourself, a huge milestone. But some rules stay:

• Your blood-alcohol must still be zero.
• Every passenger needs a working seatbelt.
• If you're 19 or under, there's a limit on how many young passengers you can carry between midnight and 5 a.m. In your first six months at G2, only one passenger aged 19 or under. After that (until you get your G or turn 20), up to three passengers aged 19 or under. These limits don't apply if a fully-licensed driver is in the front seat, or the passengers are immediate family.

You must hold G2 for at least 12 months before your final road test.

G: your full licence

Pass the G2 exit road test and you earn a full Class G licence. The graduated-licensing restrictions lift: no accompanying driver, no licence-level time or highway limits, and no young-passenger cap. Normal road laws still apply to everyone, of course.

Why the stages step up like this

The pattern is easy to see once you know it. At G1 you're never on your own, so an experienced driver is always there to help. At G2 you drive solo, but the rules that matter most for new drivers (zero alcohol and safe passenger limits at night) stay in place. By the time you reach full G, you've had years of real experience, so the training wheels come off. Each stage hands you a little more responsibility as you earn it.

One thing that runs through every stage: you're expected to know the rules of the road cold. That's true from the day you sit your G1 knowledge test right through to your final road test.

Side by side

• G1: learner. Never drive alone. Zero alcohol. No late nights or fast highways on your own.
• G2: drive solo. Zero alcohol. Young-driver passenger limits at night.
• G: full licence. Graduated-licensing limits removed.

New to the whole process? Start with how to get your driver's licence in Ontario. Want to know how long each stage takes? See the graduated licensing timeline.

First things first

Every one of these stages starts by passing the G1 knowledge test. Practise real G1 questions for free and get that first licence in hand.