Set the route before you move
Enter the destination, start the navigation and mount the phone while the car is parked with the engine off. For a learner, hand the phone to your supervisor instead.
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The short answer
What each licence stage is allowed to do
This is the part that catches people out. The rule is not about the app, it is about your licence.
| Licence stage | Navigation app on a phone | What this means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Learner | Not permitted | No phone use of any kind while driving, including a phone mounted in a cradle showing a map. The phone stays off and away. |
| P1 provisional | Not permitted | Same as a learner. Hands-free, Bluetooth and mounted navigation are all still prohibited. |
| P2 provisional | Not permitted | Still no phone use. The restriction runs the full length of the provisional period, not just the first year. |
| Full unrestricted | Permitted in a cradle | A phone secured in a commercially designed mount may be used for navigation. You must not hold it, and you must not rest it on your body. |
The reasoning
Why learners and P platers are held to a stricter rule
The restriction is about spare attention
A driver who has been on the road for fifteen years has automated most of the basic task. Steering, speed and lane position take very little conscious thought, which frees attention for a glance at a map. A learner is still spending nearly all of their attention on the driving itself. There is nothing spare to give a screen.
It is a blanket rule, not a judgement call
The NSW restriction on provisional and learner drivers is deliberately absolute so there is nothing to argue about at the roadside. It does not matter whether the phone was mounted, whether you were stopped at a red light, or whether you only glanced at it. Stopped in traffic still counts as driving.
Mobile phone detection cameras do not check your licence class
NSW operates cameras that detect illegal mobile phone use, and they photograph the inside of the vehicle. A mounted phone is not an exemption for a P plater. The penalty notice arrives regardless of how careful you felt you were being.
Practical alternatives
How to get somewhere unfamiliar without touching the phone
Use your supervising driver
A learner always has a fully licensed supervisor beside them. Navigation is their job. They hold the phone, they read the turns, you drive.
Listen rather than look
Spoken directions through the car audio do not require a glance. A P plater still cannot operate the phone, but a passenger can.
Learn the route first
For a drive that matters, such as a test at a Service NSW centre, drive it once beforehand with your instructor so the roads are already familiar.
Read the signs
NSW signage is designed to get you there without a screen. Reading signs early is a test-assessed skill and it is the one that scales to every unfamiliar road.
Pull over properly if you are lost
Park legally and safely, then look. Slowing to a crawl in a live lane while squinting at a map creates the hazard the rule exists to prevent.
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 22 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.
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
Phone and navigation questions
Use the official links on this page to confirm current rules for your situation.
Can a learner driver use Google Maps in NSW?
No. Learner drivers must not use a mobile phone at all while driving in NSW, and that includes a navigation app on a phone mounted in a cradle. Your supervising driver can operate it instead.
Can P platers use a phone for navigation in NSW?
No. Both P1 and P2 provisional drivers are prohibited from using a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free and including navigation.
Is a mounted phone legal for a full licence holder in NSW?
Yes. A fully licensed driver may use a phone secured in a commercially designed cradle for navigation. You must not hold it or rest it on any part of your body.
Does the rule still apply when I am stopped at a red light?
Yes. You are still driving when the vehicle is stationary in traffic, so the restriction applies at lights and in queues.
Can a built-in car navigation system be used by a P plater?
The restriction applies to mobile phones. An integrated navigation system built into the vehicle is treated differently, but you should still set it before you move. Confirm the current wording with Transport for NSW.
How many demerit points is illegal phone use in NSW?
Illegal mobile phone use carries demerit points, with a higher penalty in school zones, and double demerit periods apply over some holidays. Check Transport for NSW for the current figures.
Driving lessons
Learn to navigate without the phone
Route planning, sign reading and lane choice are teachable skills. Request a free quote for lessons across Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macarthur.
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