In Queensland you can get your car learner licence once you turn 16. You'll need to complete PrepL (the online course) or pass a written road rules test, and be medically fit to drive. Then you hold your learner licence for at least a year before you can sit the practical driving test.
Here's how each step works, and what you need to know before your first lesson.
Step 1: Check you're eligible
You can apply for a learner licence for a car once you're 16. You also need to be medically fit to drive. If you have a medical condition that could affect your driving, check the Queensland Government's guidance before you apply.
Step 2: Complete PrepL or the road rules test
There are two ways to show you know the road rules:
- PrepL, the Queensland Government's online learning program, which teaches the rules and tests you as you go.
- The written road rules test, which you sit at a customer service centre. There's a fee each time you sit it, and if you don't pass you need to wait until the next working day to try again.
Whichever you choose, take your time with the rules. They're what you'll be applying on every drive, not just something to pass.
Step 3: Apply and get your L plates
Once you've passed, you can apply for your learner licence and pay the licence fee. Before you drive, you'll need L plates. In Queensland the plates must be displayed at the front and rear of the car, with a black capital L on a yellow background, and visible from 20 metres away. If they're not displayed properly, both you and your supervisor can be fined and you'll get 2 demerit points.
Step 4: Know the rules you drive under
As a learner driver in Queensland you must:
- Always drive with a supervisor sitting beside you. Your supervisor must hold an open licence for the type of car you're driving and have held it for at least a year.
- Keep to a zero alcohol limit, and never drive affected by drugs, including prescription medicines that affect driving.
- Not hold a mobile phone or have it resting on your body. If you're under 25, you also can't use hands-free, Bluetooth or loudspeaker, and your supervisor and passengers can't use a phone on loudspeaker while you drive.
- Carry your learner licence and follow every Queensland road rule.
Step 5: Start logging your hours
If you're under 25, you need to record 100 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night, before you can book your test. You can use the Queensland Government's logbook app, a paper logbook or both. Our logbook guide explains how to plan those hours, and how lessons with a driver trainer count triple.
If you're 25 or older, you don't have to complete a logbook, though the Queensland Government recommends it. We look at what's different for older learners in learning to drive as an adult woman.
Step 6: The hazard perception test, then the practical test
After 6 months on your learner licence you can take the online hazard perception test, which you need to pass before booking your practical test. After you've held your learner licence for at least a year (and completed your logbook if you're under 25), you can sit the practical driving test. Read more in our guides to the hazard perception test and what to expect in the driving test.
Where professional lessons fit in
Most learners practise with a parent, partner or friend, and add professional lessons for the skills that are hard to teach yourself: observation habits, lane positioning, roundabouts and test preparation. A good instructor also spots habits early, before they become hard to break.
At Easy L, all our instructors are women with more than 20 years' experience, and every lesson is in an automatic car. We come to you across southside Brisbane and Logan. Call 0433 190 838 to book your first lesson.
