You’ve passed your driving test and have your P plates or you’ve upgraded from red P plates to green P plates and the question you have is:
How many passengers can I have when I’m driving on my P plates?
This article will look at how many passengers you can have in each state when you’re on your P1 and P2 P Plates.
In NSW
For P1 red P plate drivers in NSW, you are allowed a full car of passengers between 5am and 11pm. The restrictions are that “If you’re under 25 and are on your red Ps, you must not drive with more than one passenger who is under 21 between 11pm and 5am. You can apply for an exemption to this rule.” See the official New South Wales P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in NSW, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official New South Wales P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
NSW FAQs
- What are the main exemption categories for carrying passengers between 11pm and 5am in NSW? The main categories are employment, driving family members, volunteer work and community service work.
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in NSW? See the official New South Wales P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
In QLD
For P1 red P plate drivers in QLD, you are allowed a full car of passengers between 5am and 11pm. The restrictions are that you must not “drive with more than 1 passenger under 21 who is not an immediate family member (unrelated by blood, marriage, or a guardian relationship) between 11pm and 5am” See the official Queensland P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
An immediate family member includes a:
- brother or sister of the driver
- stepbrother or stepsister of the driver
- child, stepchild, foster child or ward of the driver
- spouse (including de facto partner) of the driver
- stepparent of the driver
- guardian of the driver
- approved carer of the driver (if the driver is a child)
- child, stepchild, foster child or ward of an approved carer of the driver (if the driver is a child)
- foster child or ward of a parent or stepparent of the driver
- child, stepchild, foster child or ward of a guardian of the driver
- spouse (including de facto partner) of a grandparent of the driver
- a person who is regarded under Aboriginal tradition or Torres Strait Islander custom to be a child of the driver (if the driver is an Aboriginal person or a Torres Strait Islander).
For P2 green P plate drivers in QLD, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Queensland P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
QLD FAQs
- What are the main exemption categories for carrying passengers between 11pm and 5am in QLD? The main categories are employment and severe hardship.
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in QLD? See the official Queensland P1 licence page and P2 licence page for more info.
In ACT
For P1 red P plate drivers in ACT, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Australian Capital Territory ACT learners and provisional drivers page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in ACT, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Australian Capital Territory ACT learners and provisional drivers page for more info.
ACT FAQs
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in ACT? See the official Australian Capital Territory ACT learners and provisional drivers page for more info.
In VIC
For P1 red P plate drivers in VIC, you are allowed a full car of passengers who are either siblings, your spouse, your domestic partner or people over 22 years old at all times. The restrictions are that you can only have one passenger who is between 16-22 years old (who isn’t a spouse, domestic partner or sibling). See the official Victorian Vicroads P Plate page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in VIC, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Victorian Vicroads P Plate page for more info.
VIC FAQs
- What if I’m visiting VIC from another state? Do these P1 restrictions still apply? Yes, these P1 restrictions apply to any P1 driver visiting from another state in Australia.
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in VIC? See the official Victorian Vicroads P Plate page for more info.
In TAS
For P1 red P plate drivers in TAS, you are allowed a full car of passengers who are either siblings, your spouse, your domestic partner or people over 22 years old at all times. The restrictions are that you can only have one passenger who is between 16-22 years old (who isn’t a spouse, domestic partner or sibling). See the official Tasmanian Plates Plus page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in TAS, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Tasmanian Plates Plus page for more info.
TAS FAQs
- What are the main exemption categories for carrying passengers on my P1 licence in TAS? The main categories are employment, education & training, medical purposes, undue hardship, travelling with an experienced driver and in emergencies.
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in TAS? See the official Tasmanian Plates Plus page for more info.
In SA
For P1 red P plate drivers in SA, you are allowed a full car of passengers who are immediate family members or people over 20 years old at all times between 5am and 12pm. The restrictions are that” you must not drive between midnight and 5am, or with more than one passenger aged 16 to 20 years (excluding immediate family members) or unless a Qualified Supervising Driver is seated next to you or you meet the exemption criteria“. See the official South Australian MyLicence page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in SA, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official South Australian MyLicence page for more info.
SA FAQs
- What are the main exemption categories for carrying passengers on my P1 licence in SA? The main categories are employment, education & training, volunteer work or driving to organisation/association/club activities.
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in SA? See the official South Australian MyLicence page for more info.
In WA
For P1 red P plate drivers in WA, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Western Australian Department of Transport page for more info.
For P2 green P plate drivers in WA, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Western Australian Department of Transport page for more info.
WA FAQs
- Where do I access the government information on passenger rules in WA? See the official Western Australian Department of Transport page for more info.
In NT
For red P plate drivers in NT, you are allowed a full car of passengers at all times. See the official Northern Territory Government licence page for more info.
NT FAQs
- Where do I access the government information on what colour P plates I need in NT? See the official Northern Territory Government licence page for more info.
