G1 licence rules

Ontario residents must be at least 16 and hold a valid Ontario driver’s licence to drive (ON-RULE-001). Visitors to Ontario are not eligible for an Ontario licence (ON-RULE-003). A new resident may use an existing valid licence for 60 days while applying (ON-RULE-002).

Entering G1

To enter Level One (G1), you must be at least 16, pass a vision test, and pass a knowledge test of the rules of the road and traffic signs (ON-RULE-004). Official sample knowledge questions use four options (ON-RULE-093). The official exam bank is not public.

The written test may ask about seatbelts, signs and lights, emergency vehicles, headlights, speed limits, freeways, streetcars and school buses, suspensions, demerit points, passing, collision reporting, sharing the road, and rules of the road (ON-RULE-068).

Ontario’s two-step graduated licensing process takes at least 20 months (ON-RULE-005). G1 lasts 12 months, or 8 months if you pass an approved beginner driver education course (ON-RULE-006). G2 lasts at least 12 months (ON-RULE-017).

While you hold a G1

• Blood-alcohol level must be zero (ON-RULE-007). All drivers 21 and under must also have a zero blood-alcohol level, whatever the class (ON-RULE-014).
• You must not drive alone. A fully licensed accompanying driver sits in the front passenger seat (ON-RULE-008).
• That accompanying driver must hold a valid Class G or higher licence, have at least four years of driving experience, and have a blood-alcohol level under 0.05%. The licence may have demerit points but cannot be suspended (ON-RULE-009, ON-RULE-086).
• Every person in the vehicle must have a working seatbelt (ON-RULE-010).
• You must not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. (ON-RULE-012).
• You must not drive on 400-series highways with a posted limit over 80 km/h unless the accompanying driver is a driving instructor (ON-RULE-011). Named high-speed roads such as the QEW, DVP, Gardiner, E.C. Row Expressway, and Conestoga Parkway follow the same instructor exception (ON-RULE-087).

It is illegal to lend your licence (ON-RULE-063). Tell the Ministry of Transportation within six days if you change your name or address (ON-RULE-064).

If a licence has been suspended, cancelled, or expired for more than three years, you must re-apply under graduated licensing and pass the required tests (ON-RULE-075).

Source: Official MTO Driver's Handbook, Getting your driver's licence.