How to get your Ps in South Australia
A plain-English guide for learners and parents in the Adelaide Hills, from your first drive on L-plates to driving on your own. The practical test changes in 2027, so this page covers both the current system and the new one.
Checked against SA Government sources, October 2026.
16
Minimum age to get your learner's permit
12 months
Minimum time on your Ls if you're under 25 (6 months if you're 25 or older)
75 hours
Supervised driving in your logbook, including at least 15 at night
3 years
On P-plates before a full licence: 1 year on P1, then 2 on P2
Process to get your license
Get your learner's permit
You can apply from 15 years and 9 months. Once you complete the myLs course and learner's theory test and turns 16,, you can collect your permit from Service SA. The learner permit is with 2 years of validity.
Drive with a supervisor and fill in your logbook
Log at least 75 hours, including 15 at night. If you're under 25, you need to hold your Ls for at least 12 months.
Pass the Hazard Perception Test
A computer-based test of how you spot and react to hazards. You can sit it online through mySAGOV or in person through Service SA.
Pass your practical driving test and get your P1 License
Currently a VORT or CBT&A. From the first half of 2027, it becomes a single test with a government examiner. You need to be at least 17 to get your P1 License.
Journey towards your full license
You'll spend at least a year on P1 and two years on P2, so the earliest you can hold a full licence is 20.
Rules while you're on your Ls
Display L-plates on the front and back of the car.
Only drive with a qualified supervising driver sitting next to you. They must have held a full licence for at least the past 2 years, with no disqualification or suspension in that time.
Zero alcohol, and no drugs in your system.
Never go over 100 km/h, even where the speed limit is higher.
No mobile phone use while driving, including hands-free.
Logging your 75 hours
Every supervised drive goes in your logbook and is signed by the person supervising you. At least 15 of your hours need to be at night.
Lessons with a licensed instructor count too, and your first 5 hours of lessons can be logged as 15. After that, lessons count hour for hour.
One approach that works well is a few lessons early on to get the basics right, with plenty of practice at home in between.
The Hazard Perception Test
You need to pass the Hazard Perception Test before you can get your P1. It's done on a computer and checks how well you spot and respond to things like pedestrians, gaps in traffic and safe following distances.
You can enrol and sit it online through your mySAGOV account. You get 12 months to complete it, and retakes are free. If you'd rather sit it in person, call Service SA on 13 10 84, but you'll pay each time you take it.
Your practical test: VORT or CBT&A
Until the new government test starts in 2027, you can choose one of two ways to show you're ready to drive on your own.
VORT (Vehicle On Road Test)
- One drive with an authorised examiner
- Includes five low-speed manoeuvres, such as a U-turn, a reverse parallel park and a three-point turn
- You need a score of at least 90% to pass
- Breaking any road rule during the test is an immediate fail
- If you fail, you must wait at least 14 days before trying again
CBT&A (logbook method)
- Assessed over a series of lessons with an authorised CBT&A instructor
- Each driving task is signed off once you show you can do it
- Finishes with a final drive rather than a one-off test
- Usually takes more lessons than preparing for a VORT
What changes in 2027
Government examiners will run all practical car tests, in government cars.
One practical test replaces both the VORT and CBT&A.
The test fee is expected to be about $240.
You'll book online, and an examiner will be allocated at random.
If you don't pass, you'll get a report explaining why and what to practise.
You'll still need your 75 logbook hours.
The new system is expected to start in the first half of 2027. Until then, nothing changes for current learners, and lessons with an instructor carry on as normal.
Rules for your first year on P1
No driving midnight to 5am
Applies if you're under 25, unless you're supervised or exempt (for example work, study, volunteering or organised sport).
One passenger aged 16–20
No more than one passenger in this age group at a time, unless they're immediate family.
Under 4 demerit points
Gaining 4 or more demerit points while you're on your Ps means losing your licence.
12 months, then P2
After a year on P1, you move to P2 once you're at least 18.
The full list of P1 and P2 conditions is on My Licence.
Questions learners and parents ask
How long does it take to get your Ps in SA?
If you're under 25, you need to hold your Ls for at least 12 months and be at least 17. If you're 25 or older, the minimum is 6 months. You'll also need your 75 logbook hours, a pass in the Hazard Perception Test and a pass in your practical test.
Who can supervise a learner driver in SA?
Anyone who has held a full licence for that type of car for at least the past 2 years, with no disqualification or suspension in that time. That can be a parent, grandparent, friend or a driving instructor. They must sit next to you the whole time you're driving.
Do I have to have lessons with a driving instructor?
No, lessons aren't compulsory. But your first 5 hours with a licensed instructor count as 15 logbook hours, and you'll be learning in a car with a dual brake. A mix of lessons and practice at home works well.
If I fail the VORT, when can I try again?
You need to wait at least 14 days before you can resit. Use that time to practise the things the examiner marked you down on.
Start your 75 hours with a lesson
Your first 5 hours with me count as 15 in your logbook. Enter your suburb to see my availability.
Free reschedules up to 24 hours before your lesson.