G2 Restrictions in Ontario
Every rule that still applies after your G1, and what breaking one costs.
Greenhorn Driving School
Published October 9, 2026 · 6 min read
In Ontario, a G2 lets you drive alone, at any hour, on any road. Three rules still apply. Your blood alcohol has to be zero with no drugs in your system, every passenger needs a working seatbelt, and if you are 19 or under, you can carry only one passenger under 20 between midnight and 5 a.m. for your first six months on a G2, and three after that. Family members do not count toward that limit.
What You Can and Can’t Do on a G2
Most of the G1 rules disappear the day you pass your first road test. Here is how the two licences compare.
| Can you | G1 | G2 |
|---|---|---|
| Drive alone | NoA qualified driver must sit beside you | Yes |
| Drive on 400-series highways like the 401, QEW and 407 | NoOnly with a driving instructor | Yes |
| Drive between midnight and 5 a.m. | No | YesPassenger limit if you are 19 or under |
| Drive friends under 20 between midnight and 5 a.m. (if you are 19 or under) | NoNo driving at that hour | Limited1 in your first six months, then 3. Family does not count. |
| Carry more passengers than working seatbelts | No | No |
| Drive with any alcohol in your system | No | NoZero at any age |
| Drive after using cannabis or other drugs | No | No |
| Supervise a G1 driver | No | NoNeeds a full G and four years of driving |
| Hold your phone while driving | No | No$615 fine and a 30-day suspension |
The full list of G1 rules is in our guide to G1 restrictions. Below, each G2 rule in more detail.
Zero Alcohol and Zero Drugs
Your blood alcohol has to be zero every time you drive on a G2, and you cannot have any drugs in your system, cannabis included. The rule comes with the licence, not your age. A 30-year-old on a G2 is held to zero exactly like a 17-year-old.
If you are 21 or under, the zero limit stays even after you get your full G, until you turn 22. And police do not need a reason to test you: since 2018 they can ask any driver they have lawfully stopped for a breath sample, which includes every car at a RIDE check.
How Many Passengers Can a G2 Driver Have?
As many as your car has working seatbelts, and not one more. A five-seat car with a broken rear belt is a four-seat car while you are driving it. If you are 20 or older, that is the only passenger rule you have.
If you are 19 or under, there is one more rule, and it only applies late at night.
The Midnight Passenger Rule for Drivers 19 and Under
If you are 19 or under, then between midnight and 5 a.m.:
- In your first six months on a G2, you can carry one passenger under 20.
- After six months, you can carry up to three passengers under 20.
Two kinds of passenger never count toward the limit: anyone 20 or older, and your immediate family, which the regulation defines as your guardian or anyone related to you by blood, marriage, common-law relationship or adoption. The limit also lifts completely if a fully licensed driver with at least four years of experience and a blood alcohol under .05 sits in the front passenger seat, with nobody else up front.
Outside those five hours the rule does not apply, and it ends for good when you turn 20 or get your full G.
“Between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., there must not be more than one passenger in the motor vehicle who is under the age of 20, other than a person who is a member of the novice driver’s immediate family.”
Not sure whether a drive is legal? Check it here.
Passenger checker
Is this drive legal on my G2?
How old are you?
How long have you had your G2?
When is the drive?
Passengers under 20 who are not family
Is a fully licensed driver beside you?
Full G, licensed at least four years, under .05 blood alcohol, in the front passenger seat.
Does everyone have a working seatbelt?
In your first six months the limit is one passenger under 20 who is not family, and you have 2. Family, passengers 20 and older, or a qualified driver beside you would make this drive legal.
Whatever the result, your blood alcohol has to be zero.
What Happens If You Break a G2 Rule
A G2 driver is still a novice driver, and novice penalties are much tougher than the ones fully licensed drivers face. The one that catches people most often is speeding: a ticket for 30 km/h over carries 4 demerit points, and on a G2 that also means a 30-day suspension, even the first time.
| If you | On a G2 |
|---|---|
| Break a G2 rule (passengers or seatbelts) | 30-day licence suspension |
| Speed 30 to 49 km/h over, or follow too closely | 4 demerit points, the fine, and a 30-day suspension |
| Stunt driving: 40 km/h over where the limit is under 80, 50 over anywhere, or 150 km/h on any road | Licence suspended for 30 days and the car impounded for 14 days at the roadside. If convicted: a $2,000 to $10,000 fine, 6 points and a suspension of at least one year. |
| Any alcohol or drugs in your system | 7-day roadside suspension, a $250 penalty and an 8-hour course. 14 days, then 30, for repeats. |
| Holding your phone while driving | $615 fine and a 30-day suspension. No demerit points. |
| Reaching 9 demerit points | 60-day licence suspension |
The first three rows also count toward Ontario’s escalating penalties for new drivers. A second one within five years means a 90-day suspension, and a third cancels your licence, so you start over with every test and every fee. Every suspension also comes with a $281 reinstatement fee. Which tickets carry which points is in our demerit points guide.
How to Get Your Full G
You have to hold your G2 for at least 12 months before you can take the G road test. A driver education course shortens the G1, but not the G2.
Get your highway practice in first. Before the test starts you fill out a form declaring your experience on highways with limits of at least 80 km/h, and at full-time DriveTest centres the test is built around highways and major roads. It leaves out parallel parking, roadside stops, three-point turns and residential streets. The test costs $91.25, and if you do not pass you wait at least 10 days to try again.
Keep an eye on the clock as well. You have five years from getting your G1 to finish. If your G2 is about to expire, you can retake the first road test to get five more years at G2.
Getting Ready for the G Road Test?
Practise the highway merges and lane changes the test is built around with one of our instructors. $60 an hour, booked online, no package required.
Book a Private Lesson
Common Questions About G2 Restrictions
Yes. A G2 lets you drive on every road in Ontario, including the 401, the QEW, the 407, the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner, with nobody else in the car. You need highway experience before the G road test anyway.
Yes, at any hour. If you are 19 or under, a passenger limit applies between midnight and 5 a.m.: one passenger under 20 in your first six months, three after that, not counting family.
One per working seatbelt. If you are 19 or under, between midnight and 5 a.m. you can carry only one passenger under 20 in your first six months at G2, and three after that. Family members do not count.
No. The supervising driver for a G1 needs a full G licence and at least four years of driving experience.
No. The zero alcohol rule comes with the G2 licence, not with your age. It covers cannabis and other drugs too.
The G road test costs $91.25. You can take it once you have held your G2 for 12 months, and you need highway driving experience first.
Yes. You have five years from getting your G1 to earn your full G. If your G2 is about to expire, you can retake the first road test to get five more years at G2.
More on Ontario licensing
Sources: Ontario Regulation 340/94, sections 5 and 6, getting a G driver’s licence, the MTO Driver’s Handbook, impaired driving, speeding and stunt driving, demerit points, distracted driving and licence reinstatement. Rules and amounts change, so check the ministry’s pages before relying on a figure.
