Getting your Ps in NSW
The path from your learner licence to a red P1, stage by stage.
Free driving lesson quote
Your red Ps are one test away
Every restriction on this page is lighter than supervised driving on your Ls. Tell us how many log book hours you have and when you are eligible, and we will plan the lessons that get you through the driving test first time.
Sydney South Driving School prepares learners for the Liverpool, Edmondson Park and Macarthur testing centres in automatic cars, with free door-to-door pick-up.
Side by side
NSW L, P1 and P2 restrictions compared
These are the conditions for a class C car licence. Plates must be displayed on the outside of the car, front and back.
| Restriction | Learner (L) | Provisional P1 (red P) | Provisional P2 (green P) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 90km/h | 90km/h | 100km/h |
| Alcohol | Zero | Zero | Zero |
| Mobile phone | No use at all while driving or stopped but not parked | No use at all, including hands-free and loudspeaker | No use at all, including hands-free and loudspeaker |
| Supervision | A full Australian licence holder must sit beside you | None, but only in the type of car you tested in: pass in an automatic and you drive automatics unsupervised | None |
| Passengers | No stage-specific limit | Under 25: no more than one passenger under 21 between 11pm and 5am | No stage-specific limit |
| Plates | Yellow L plates | Red P plates | Green P plates |
| Towing | Not allowed | Light trailers up to 250kg unloaded, with a red P on the back | Allowed, with a green P on the back of the trailer |
| High-performance cars | No restriction on learning in one | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Supervising a learner | Not applicable | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Demerit points | Suspended at 4 or more in 3 years | Suspended at 4 or more in 3 years | Suspended at 7 or more |
| Minimum time at this stage | 12 months if under 25, and 10 months before the Hazard Perception Test | 12 months before moving to P2 | 24 months before a full licence |
On your Ls
Learner licence restrictions
The learner licence is valid for 5 years and is issued after you pass the Driver Knowledge Test. The rules are built around one idea: you never drive alone.
Supervision and plates
A supervisor holding a full Australian driver licence must sit next to you whenever you drive. L plates go on the front and back of the car, on the outside, with the letter L not hidden. Learners can only drive cars and must not tow.
Speed, alcohol and phones
Never drive above 90km/h, even where the limit is higher. Your alcohol level must be zero. You cannot use a mobile phone while driving, or while the car is stopped but not parked, such as at traffic lights.
Hours and demerits
Learners under 25 record at least 120 hours of supervised driving, including 20 hours at night. Reaching 4 demerit points in a 3-year period suspends or disqualifies a learner licence.
On your red Ps
P1 restrictions are the tightest unsupervised rules
Your P1 licence is issued after the driving test and you must hold it for at least 12 months before moving to P2. Any time your licence is suspended does not count towards those 12 months. Learners who sit their test after automatic driving lessons should note the transmission condition: on a P1 licence you may only drive an automatic unsupervised.
On your green Ps
What changes on a P2 licence
After 12 months on P1 you can move to a P2 licence, which you hold for at least 24 months before applying for a full licence. The speed limit rises to 100km/h and the late-night passenger rule no longer applies, but most P1 rules stay.
Rules that stay the same
- Zero alcohol
- No phone use, including hands-free and loudspeaker
- No high-performance cars
- No supervising a learner driver
- P plates displayed front and back, and on the back of any trailer
Demerit points on P2
A P2 licence is suspended at 7 demerit points. Speeding offences carry a minimum of 4 demerit points for provisional drivers, so two speeding offences are enough to lose a P2 licence.
The details
Restrictions people get wrong
These three cause the most confusion for new P plate drivers, which is why we go through them in the last of our Liverpool driving lessons before a learner sits the test.
Phones mean all phones
On L, P1 and P2, you cannot use a phone while driving, and that includes hands-free calls, loudspeaker, music and maps. Stopped at traffic lights or in a queue still counts as driving. Apart from narrow exceptions, such as showing your digital licence when police ask, the phone stays untouched until the car is parked.
High-performance means more than sports cars
P1 and P2 drivers cannot drive a car with a power to mass ratio above 130 kilowatts per tonne, a car with significant engine modifications, or any car on the NSW list of banned vehicles. Check a family car against the list before driving it on your Ps.
Restrictions follow you interstate
Transport for NSW states that provisional licence restrictions also apply when you drive in another state or territory. Breaking them can bring a fine, demerit points or the loss of your licence.
Official information
Checked 13 September 2026
Every restriction on this page was checked against the NSW Government learner, P1 and P2 licence pages and Transport for NSW's A Guide to the Driving Test on 13 September 2026. Exemptions can apply to some restrictions, so check the official pages for your situation.
NSW Government licence pages
Learner driver licence Provisional P1 licence Provisional P2 licence P1 and P2 prohibited vehicles Demerits, penalties and offences
Suburbs taught by Ashraf
Liverpool and surrounding areas
Every suburb below has its own page with local road detail and booking information. Pick-up and drop-off is free anywhere on this list.
View all 38 Liverpool suburbs we serve
Liverpool
Our home base. Lessons cover the 40km/h zones and pedestrian traffic around Liverpool Hospital and the Bigge Street precinct, then step up to the Hume Highway. Pick-up from Westfield Liverpool, Liverpool Station, local schools and workplaces.
Warwick Farm
The Liverpool Service NSW testing centre sits on Orange Grove Road in Warwick Farm, so this is the natural place to rehearse the decisions you will make the moment you leave the car park.
Casula
Sits on the Hume Highway south of Liverpool. Layered give-way decisions and arterial merging make it strong ground once the basics are steady.
Edmondson Park
Home to one of the region's Service NSW driver testing centres. Learners here practise on the same estate layout, roundabouts and school zones they will be assessed on.
Prestons
The structured street grid gives consistent kerb lines and bay spacing, which makes reverse parking and roundabout work far easier to repeat until it sticks.
Chipping Norton
Early control work runs on Wilby Street and Ashfordby Street, three-point turns on Derby Crescent, then a measured move into Governor Macquarie Drive traffic.
Moorebank
Newbridge Road and the M5 interchange give you genuine motorway entries and exits without travelling far from home.
Green Valley
Quiet residential roads off Cowpasture Road make an easy starting point for a first-ever lesson, with arterial traffic close by when you are ready.
Hoxton Park
Steady Cowpasture Road traffic paired with calmer surrounding estates, so a lesson can move between the two without a long drive.
Cecil Hills
Curved estate roads and real gradients here are ideal for controlled hill starts and accurate road positioning.
Cabramatta
A busy town centre with constant pedestrian movement. Lessons here sharpen observation timing and hazard awareness more than anywhere else on the Liverpool side.
Hinchinbrook
A quieter pocket that suits building a reliable routine before heavier traffic gets involved. Ashraf collects you from home, school or work.
Bonnyrigg
Lessons concentrate on low-speed control and parking repetition, then progress toward Cabramatta and central Liverpool as confidence grows.
Bonnyrigg Heights
Good ground for practising controlled stops and smooth take-offs, with the same instructor tracking your progress from one lesson to the next.
Wattle Grove
Well-planned estate streets beside Holsworthy allow steady skill building at a relaxed pace before test-route work begins.
Milperra
Henry Lawson Drive and its bridge approaches provide solid multi-lane driving and merging experience close to home.
Holsworthy
Quiet residential streets sit alongside the Heathcote Road corridor, so one lesson can cover both ends of the difficulty range.
Hammondville
A compact suburb on the Heathcote Road side of the service area, close enough to Liverpool for regular test-route practice.
Voyager Point
Quiet riverside streets stay genuinely low-pressure, which makes this a kind place for a nervous learner to take a first lesson.
Sandy Point
Narrow local roads teach careful positioning and patience with oncoming traffic, then lessons head toward Liverpool for busier conditions.
Horningsea Park
Newer estate streets suit early lessons, and test preparation is usually built around the Edmondson Park centre.
Denham Court
Open, higher-speed roads make this useful for speed management and judging safe gaps, paired with Edmondson Park test-route practice.
Austral
Newer estate streets off Craik Avenue suit a first lesson, with Bringelly Road and Camden Valley Way close by for arterial practice. Test preparation is usually built around the Edmondson Park centre.
Carnes Hill
Three environments close together: calm residential circuits, the Marketplace precinct for low-speed hazards, and Cowpasture Road for multi-lane traffic and turning lanes.
Middleton Grange
A newer estate built around roundabouts rather than cross intersections, so give-way judgement and approach speed get practised from the first lesson. Fifteenth Avenue is close by for arterial work.
Leppington
New estates beside the old semi-rural grid, so a lesson moves from quiet roundabout streets to the changing limits of Ingleburn Road. Camden Valley Way leads straight to the Edmondson Park centre.
West Hoxton
Calm residential streets inside the suburb and heavy Cowpasture Road traffic on its edge, so lessons move from first hours to test-route lane choices without a long drive.
Ashcroft
Under two kilometres from the Orange Grove Road test centre, with two school zones and Maxwells Avenue between the quiet grid and Elizabeth Drive.
Busby
A roundabout-rich residential network for give-way practice, with South Liverpool Road for busier traffic and Orange Grove Road under four kilometres away.
Cartwright
Short Place streets that suit three-point turns and kerbside stops, with Joadja Road and Hoxton Park Road for the step up to arterial traffic.
Elizabeth Hills
A new estate with one of the highest roundabout counts in the area, and Cowpasture Road beside it for arterial practice toward Liverpool.
Heckenberg
Compact Snowy Mountains-named streets either side of South Liverpool Road, with Elizabeth Drive on its edge for the step up to heavier traffic.
Lurnea
Every road type in one suburb: eighty-plus quiet streets, three school zones, Hill Road, Hoxton Park Road and the M5 on its edge.
Miller
Miller Central's car park hazards and school zones on Cabramatta and Cartwright Avenues, with Hoxton Park Road for arterial practice.
Mount Pritchard
Around a hundred residential streets for varied practice, three school zones, and Elizabeth Drive two kilometres from the Orange Grove Road centre.
Sadleir
A quiet core with no arterial road through it, edged by Cartwright, Heckenberg and Sadleir Avenues, which makes it an easy place for a first or nervous lesson.
Bardia
Ed Square and the Edmondson Park test centre sit just across Campbelltown Road, with four roundabouts along Bardia Avenue and five sets of lights onto Campbelltown Road.
Len Waters Estate
A business precinct rather than a housing estate: pick-up from work or the shops, trucks and buses on Airfield Drive, and the Westlink M7 interchange on Cowpasture Road.
Suburbs taught by George Hany
Campbelltown and Macarthur
George Hany covers every suburb below. Choose yours for local road detail, or book straight away and he will come to you.
View all 26 Campbelltown and Macarthur suburbs we serve
Campbelltown
George's home ground. Lessons start on quiet crescents, then build to Narellan Road's multi-lane intersections, the Macarthur Square approaches and the Hume Motorway interchanges.
Macquarie Fields
Has its own Service NSW driver testing centre, which makes it the natural test choice for learners in the northern Macarthur suburbs.
Ingleburn
The town centre grid handles the early work, then lessons move onto the busier Campbelltown Road corridor and its school zones.
Narellan
Narellan Road meets Camden Valley Way here, so learners get repeated practice at genuine multi-lane intersections and lane choice under pressure.
Oran Park
A modern road network of roundabouts and school zones off The Northern Road. Clear signage makes it a good place to build give-way confidence.
Camden
Historic town streets ask for slow, precise driving, while the Camden Bypass covers open-road speed management in the same lesson.
Mount Annan
Estate streets and roundabouts near the Australian Botanic Garden let beginners build early skills without traffic pressure.
Minto
A mix of industrial roads and quiet residential streets, which gives George room to vary a lesson plan without leaving the suburb.
Leumeah
Railway crossings and steady suburban traffic close to Campbelltown centre make this useful for reading the road ahead.
Glen Alpine
Elevated streets give consistent slopes for practising controlled stops and smooth hill take-offs.
St Helens Park
Another suburb with reliable gradients, so hill starts stop being the thing you dread before test day.
Ambarvale
Hilly residential streets and compact blocks suit gradient control and low-speed manoeuvres in the same session.
Woodbine
Compact residential blocks give generous kerb space for reverse parking and three-point turns.
Ruse
Quiet residential crescents make Ruse a comfortable place for the very first session: cockpit setup, moving off, stopping and mirror habits.
Raby
Looping estate streets with clear sight lines are ideal for repeating turns, kerbside stops and three-point turns until they feel automatic.
Kearns
Low-traffic crescents beside Eagle Vale help absolute beginners establish steering and pedal control before anything else.
Eagle Vale
Local shopping-centre approaches and roundabouts feature heavily, which is good preparation for the decisions examiners watch closely.
St Andrews
Local streets suit steering, road position and head-check practice, with the Campbelltown Road corridor a short step away.
Rosemeadow
Winding local roads and active school zones sharpen speed awareness and forward observation.
Currans Hill
Quiet estate roads with quick access to Narellan Road, so a lesson can step up to arterial traffic as soon as you are ready.
Gregory Hills
A newer estate with modern roundabouts, wide roads and clear signage. Plenty of space to make mistakes safely and fix them.
Harrington Park
Well-laid-out estate roads near Camden Valley Way are good for consolidating skills before test-route practice begins.
Elderslie
Sits between Camden and Narellan, mixing older street layouts with newer estate roads in a single lesson.
Camden Park
Quiet roads on the rural edge of the Macarthur region help build comfort with higher speed limits and open-road observation.
Emerald Hills
The Emerald Hills estate has modern intersections and clear signage, which makes it a forgiving place for early traffic decisions.
Willowdale
Wide streets through the Willowdale estate suit first-time learners, with Edmondson Park and Macarthur test routes both within reach.
Driving lessons
Turn the guide into safer driving skills
Choose structured support for your current stage and goals.
Beginner driving lessons
Build vehicle control, observation and safe routines with calm, structured coaching.
Driving test preparation
Practise speed choice, positioning, decisions, hazard response and vehicle control.
Lessons for nervous drivers
Develop confidence through clear explanations, staged practice and useful feedback.
Frequently asked questions
L and P plate restriction questions
Use the official links on this page to confirm current rules for your situation.
What is the speed limit for P plates in NSW?
Red P1 drivers must not drive above 90km/h, and green P2 drivers must not drive above 100km/h. Both must still keep to any lower posted limit. Learners are also limited to 90km/h.
How many passengers can a P1 driver have in NSW?
If you are under 25 and on red Ps, you must not drive with more than one passenger under 21 between 11pm and 5am. Exemptions are available for some employment, family and volunteer situations. Outside those hours, the limit is the number of seatbelts and suitable child seats in the car.
Can P platers use hands-free or Bluetooth in NSW?
No. Learner, P1 and P2 drivers must not use a mobile phone while driving or while stopped but not parked, and that includes hands-free devices and loudspeaker.
How many demerit points can a P plater have in NSW?
A P1 licence is suspended or refused at 4 or more demerit points in a 3-year period. A P2 licence is suspended at 7. Speeding offences carry a minimum of 4 demerit points for provisional drivers. Learners are suspended at 4 points.
Can I drive a manual car if I passed my test in an automatic?
Not unsupervised on a P1 licence. If you passed the driving test in an automatic, that is the only type of car you may drive alone on red Ps. The NSW Government P1 licence page states this condition, and the P2 licence page does not list it.
Can P plates tow a trailer in NSW?
P1 drivers can tow light trailers up to 250kg unloaded weight, with a red P plate on the back of the trailer. P2 drivers must display a P plate on the back of any trailer they tow. Learners must not tow.
Do NSW P plate rules apply in other states?
Yes. Transport for NSW states that provisional licence restrictions also apply when you drive in another state or territory.
Driving lessons
Get from L plates to red Ps
Lessons with an accredited instructor count three for one in your log book for learners under 25, up to 10 lesson hours.
Automatic lessonsLocal pick-up and drop-offOpen daily, 7am to 7pm