How it works
Your route to a full licence
Four stages between your first written test and driving on your own. This page explains what each one involves, in plain words, before anyone asks you to pay for anything.
G1
The written test, and the licence that lets you start learning.
A G1 is where every new Ontario driver begins. You take a knowledge test drawn from the Official MTO Driver's Handbook along with a vision test, and once you pass you may drive with a fully licensed driver beside you.
A G1 comes with conditions: no alcohol in your system, an accompanying driver in the front passenger seat, and restrictions on high-speed highways and late-night driving.
You can begin our online coursework before you hold a G1. You need the G1 before your first in-car lesson.
At this stage
- What it takes
- Knowledge test and vision test
- Where
- A DriveTest centre
- You can start
- The online coursework, straight away
The BDE course
30 hours of coursework, 10 to 16 hours in the car, one certificate.
Beginner Driver Education is the Ministry-approved course, and only an accredited provider can deliver it. We are one. Our course is 30 hours of coursework and 10 hours of in-car instruction, and our larger packages add in-car time on top of that.
The coursework is online through TruBiCars and open at any hour. The in-car hours are with an instructor, booked around your week, with pick-up and drop-off wherever suits you.
What you get at the end is an MTO BDE certificate on your licence record, and that is what shortens the wait for your road test and what insurers ask about.
At this stage
- Online
- 30 hours, at your own pace
- In-car
- 10 to 16 hours, depending on package
- On completion
- MTO BDE certificate
G2
The first road test, and the licence that lets you drive alone.
The G2 road test is taken on ordinary roads and covers the everyday business of driving: turns, lane changes, intersections, parking and observation. Parallel parking gets particular attention in lessons. Ray teaches a set of techniques for it that students find straightforward.
This is where the certificate pays. A G1 holder normally waits twelve months before booking a G2 road test; with an approved BDE course behind you, that drops to eight.
Passing gives you a G2, which lets you drive on your own. Some conditions still apply, including zero alcohol.
At this stage
- Wait with BDE
- 8 months from your G1
- Wait without
- 12 months
- The test
- City and residential roads
G
The full licence, and the test that includes highway driving.
After a further period on a G2 you can take the G road test. This one goes further than the G2: it includes higher-speed driving, so you need to be comfortable merging, changing lanes and holding a line at speed.
You can book two-hour lessons on their own before a G test, without taking the full course again.
Passing gives you a full G licence.
At this stage
- The test
- Includes highway driving
- Refreshers
- 2-hour lessons, booked on their own
- Result
- Full G licence
In the car
What the in-car hours cover
The hours are not spent driving in circles. This is what gets worked through, and why the larger packages buy more of it.
Handling the car
- Vehicle manoeuvres and handling
- Road positioning and lane discipline
- Stopping positions and threshold braking
- Lane changes and merging
- Three-point turns
- Parallel, hill and stall parking
Reading the road
- Roadway markings, signs and traffic lights
- Major intersections and multiple turning lanes
- One-way streets
- Construction zones
- Cooperative driving
- Driving laws, demerit points and consequences
Where you will drive
- City driving and busy streets
- Rural and country roads
- Freeway and highway driving on the 401 and 402
- Highway hypnosis and drowsy driving
When things go wrong
- Collision avoidance and evasive manoeuvres
- Emergency braking with and without ABS
- Skid recovery, weather permitting
- Gravel wheel drop-off and shoulder recovery
- Adverse conditions: rain, snow and ice
- Roadside emergency stops and brake failure
- Distracted driving and risk management
Ten to sixteen hours behind the wheel
How many depends on the package. What happens in them does not.
Why it is worth doing
What the certificate changes
Completing an approved course puts a certificate on your licence record. That record does two things nothing else does.
A road test four months sooner
A G1 holder normally waits twelve months before booking a G2 road test. With an approved BDE course behind you that drops to eight, and it applies to every package we sell.
An insurance discount
Most Ontario insurers reduce premiums for a new driver who has achieved BDE certification. The exact saving depends on your insurer and your policy, so ask yours what they offer. On a young driver’s policy it often returns a large part of the course fee inside the first year.
Starting the course
Packages start at $599.99 plus HST and all four end in the same MTO certificate. If you are not sure which one fits, call and describe your situation.