How to Get Your Driver's Licence in Tasmania: The Complete Guide
By EzLicence · Last updated 6 Oct 2026
Getting your licence is a big milestone, and knowing what comes next makes the whole journey feel a lot easier.
In Tasmania, you'll move through four stages on the way: your Ls, red Ps, green Ps and finally your full licence.
This guide explains how to get your licence in Tasmania, step by step, from your Driver Knowledge Test to driving solo. You'll find out what you need to do at each stage, how many logbook hours you'll need and the rules to know along the way.
Whether you're about to start learning or you're a parent helping a learner, here's what to expect.
Tasmania's licence stages at a glance
There are four stages between you and your full licence: learner, P1, P2 and full.
Stage: Learner (L)
- Minimum age: 16 (knowledge test from 15 years and 11 months)
- Minimum time on the stage: 12 continuous months
- To move to the next stage: Complete 80 logbook hours, including 15 at night, pass the Hazard Perception Test and pass the P1 practical driving assessment
Stage: P1 (red Ps)
- Minimum age: 17
- Minimum time on the stage: 12 continuous months
- To move to the next stage: Complete your P1 period without a restart offence, suspension or disqualification
Stage: P2 (green Ps)
- Minimum age: 18
- Minimum time on the stage: 2 years if under 23; 12 months or until 25 if aged 23–24; 12 months if 25+
- To move to the next stage: Complete your P2 period
Stage: Full licence
- Minimum age: 20 at the earliest
- Minimum time on the stage: No end date
- To move to the next stage: You're fully licensed. Eligible drivers may also qualify for the Safer Driver Reward
This guide covers the standard pathway for novice drivers getting their first car licence. Different requirements can apply if you've held a full Australian licence before or you're transferring an interstate or overseas licence. If that's you, check Plates Plus Tasmania for the rules that apply.
Step 1: Get your learner licence
Your first step is passing the Driver Knowledge Test (DKT), a multiple-choice test on Tasmanian road rules.
You can sit the test from 15 years and 11 months, and your learner licence can be issued once you turn 16.
There are two ways to complete your DKT:
- Online with Plates Plus. Complete the free Plates Plus course through your myServiceTas account. The course takes around four to six hours, and finishing it unlocks the online DKT. You'll need at least 27 out of 30 correct to pass.
- In person at Service Tasmania. Sit the standalone DKT at a Service Tasmania service centre. You don't need to complete the Plates Plus course first.
The Tasmanian Government says learners who complete the Plates Plus course are more likely to pass the DKT than those who go straight to the standalone test.
Didn't pass? No stress. You can try again online after 12 hours, or resit the standalone test at Service Tasmania from the next business day.
Once you've passed, visit a Service Tasmania centre with your proof of identity, complete your application and pay the learner licence fee. You have 12 months from passing the DKT to do this.
Want some extra practice? Try EzLicence's free Tasmanian practice DKT as many times as you like before the real test.
Step 2: Build your skills on your Ls
Your learner stage is where the real learning happens.
You'll need to hold your learner licence for at least 12 continuous months and log 80 hours of supervised driving, including 15 hours at night.
Logging your hours
Record your drives in the free Plates Plus logbook app or a paper logbook from Service Tasmania. Your supervising driver or instructor signs off each entry, so you can see your progress add up.
Eligible novice learners can also earn bonus logbook hours by taking lessons with a certified driving instructor. Your first 10 hours of eligible lessons can count as 20 hours in your logbook.
You'll still want plenty of supervised practice on different roads, in different traffic and in different weather. Bonus hours help with your logbook, but they don't shorten the 12 months you need to hold your learner licence.
Learner rules in Tasmania
While you're on your Ls, you must:
- always drive with a supervisory driver
- display L plates on the front and back of the car
- drive no faster than 90km/h, even where the posted speed limit is higher
- have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of zero
- not use a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free
- not tow a trailer or another vehicle
- carry your licence whenever you drive.
Pass the Hazard Perception Test
Before you can book your P1 assessment, you'll need to pass the Hazard Perception Test (HPT).
It's an online test that uses video clips to check how well you spot and respond to potential hazards on the road.
Most novice learners can take the HPT from three months before their earliest P1 assessment date.
Step 3: Pass your P1 assessment and get your red Ps
Once you're at least 17, have held your Ls for 12 months, completed your logbook hours and passed the HPT, you're ready for your P1 practical driving assessment.
You can sit your assessment with a Government Assessor or an Authorised P1 Driving Assessor.
After you pass, visit Service Tasmania to have your provisional licence issued. It covers both your P1 and P2 periods, so you won't need a new card when you move from red Ps to green Ps.
P1 rules in Tasmania
You'll hold your P1 licence for at least 12 continuous months. During that time you must:
- display red P plates
- drive no faster than 100km/h, even where the posted speed limit is higher
- have a blood alcohol content of zero
- not use a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free
- if you're under 25, carry no more than one peer passenger aged 16 to 21, unless an exemption applies.
Certain offences, suspensions or disqualifications can delay your move to P2, so it pays to know the rules from day one.
Step 4: Move to your green Ps, then your full licence
Once you've completed your P1 period without a restart offence, suspension or disqualification, you'll move to P2 automatically. There's no new driving test and no new licence card.
How long you'll be on your P2s
| Your age when you get your P2s | Minimum time on P2 |
|---|---|
| Under 23 | 2 years |
| 23 or 24 | 12 months or until you turn 25, whichever is longer |
| 25 or older | 12 months |
On your P2s, you'll display green P plates and keep a zero blood alcohol content. You can drive up to the posted speed limit.
The Safer Driver Reward
Safe driving on your Ps can come with a bonus.
Complete your P1 and P2 periods without demerit points or certain offences and you may be eligible for the Safer Driver Reward: a free three-year full licence.
Tips to stay on track for your Tasmanian licence
- Do the Plates Plus course before your DKT. It's free, you can do it online, and it's built to help you pass first time.
- Practise until you feel confident. EzLicence's free Tasmanian practice DKT has unlimited attempts, so keep going until the questions feel easy.
- Start logging from day one. Eighty hours over 12 months works out to roughly 1.5 hours a week. Little and often makes the target feel much more manageable.
- Don't leave your night hours until the end. You'll need 15 hours of night driving, so build them into your practice early.
- Make the most of professional lessons. Your first 10 eligible hours with a certified instructor count as 20 in your logbook. Even better, you'll build safe habits and find out exactly what to work on.
- Do a practice run before your P1 assessment. An instructor can take you through the skills you'll be assessed on, so nothing catches you off guard on the day.
Find a driving instructor in Tasmania
Want some extra support while you're learning?
EzLicence is Australia's #1 driving lesson booking platform, rated 4.9 stars from 14,000+ reviews. Compare verified instructors across Tasmania, read real reviews and book lessons online 24/7. Every instructor has a Working with Children Check and a dual-control car, and you can switch instructors any time.
Find a driving instructor in Tasmania
Or browse Hobart driving lessons.
Frequently asked questions
How old do you have to be to get your Ls in Tasmania?
You can sit the Driver Knowledge Test from 15 years and 11 months. Your learner licence can be issued once you turn 16.
How many logbook hours do you need in Tasmania?
Novice learners need 80 hours of supervised driving, including 15 hours at night. Your first 10 eligible hours of lessons with a certified driving instructor can count as 20 logbook hours, and eligible learners can get 5 more by completing the RYDA program. Bonus hours don't shorten the 12 months you need to hold your learner licence.
How long does it take to get your full licence in Tasmania?
If you start at 16, it takes at least four years: 12 months on your Ls, 12 months on your P1s and two years on your P2s. That means the earliest you can get your full licence is 20.
Do L1 and L2 licences still exist in Tasmania?
No. Since 1 December 2020, Tasmania has had a single learner stage. The L2 driving assessment was also removed, so learners now go from their learner licence straight to the P1 assessment.
How long do you have to be on your Ls in Tasmania?
Novice learners need to hold their learner licence for at least 12 continuous months before they can sit their P1 practical driving assessment.
Can learner drivers carry passengers in Tasmania?
Yes. The peer passenger restriction applies to P1 drivers under 25, not learner drivers. As a learner, you'll still need an eligible supervisory driver with you whenever you drive.
What speed can learners and P platers drive in Tasmania?
Learners can drive up to 90km/h and P1 drivers up to 100km/h, even when the posted speed limit is higher. P2 drivers can drive up to the posted speed limit.
Do you need to do the Hazard Perception Test in Tasmania?
Yes. Most novice learners need to pass the online Hazard Perception Test before they can book their P1 practical driving assessment.
What is the Safer Driver Reward?
It's a free three-year full licence for eligible drivers who complete their P1 and P2 periods without demerit points or certain offences.
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