A quick heads-up from your old driving instructor. If you're learning to drive in SA right now, planning to start soon, or thinking about getting your overseas licence converted, the system you're working towards is about to change.
The South Australian Government is rolling out the biggest reform to how learner drivers are tested in decades. The new system starts in the first half of 2027, with a two-year transition period leading up to it. The laws have already passed through SA Parliament.
The same applies if you're returning to driving after a break, and if you have kids or grandkids about to start learning. Here's what's actually changing, in plain English.
What's changing
The practical driving test moves to the government
From the first half of 2027, the practical driving test (the one you sit at the end to get your P1) will be conducted by a government examiner. Not by a private instructor like me, and not in my car. In a government vehicle.
Around 40 new government examiner roles are being created across the state. At the moment, around 609 motor driving instructors are registered in SA, of which 266 are also authorised examiners. The new system separates these two roles. People like me will keep teaching. Government examiners will do the testing.
Currently, only SA and the Northern Territory outsource both driver training and the practical test to private operators. From 2027, SA brings the test back to government examiners. Most other states already do this. Lessons themselves stay with private instructors.
Driving lessons stay with private instructors, but with new standards
Lessons themselves will continue to be delivered by private instructors. New requirements are coming for instructors and their vehicles:
- Instructor vehicles must have cameras, GPS, and dual brakes
- A mandatory Code of Conduct that all instructors must follow, with real sanctions for breaches
- "Fit and proper person" requirements. Instructors with serious criminal convictions will be excluded
- A public online register of all licensed instructors will be published, so learners and parents can verify accreditation
Overseas licence conversion changes too
From 2027, if you're converting an overseas licence to a South Australian one, you'll need to pass the new practical test with a government examiner in a government vehicle.
What's not changing
The basic structure of learning to drive stays the same:
- The 75-hour log book requirement stays
- The minimum 15 night-driving hours stay
- The 12-month minimum learner period stays (or 6 months if you're 25 or over)
- The Hazard Perception Test stays, and is now available online if you prefer
- You still need to learn with a qualified instructor or qualified supervising driver
When does this start?
First half of 2027. The laws passed through SA Parliament in late 2024, and the State Government is using the two-year transition period to set up the new system, including hiring and training the government examiners. Until the new system commences, nothing changes for existing learners.
What this means for you
You might do your final test under the OLD system (if you finish before mid-2027) or the NEW system (if you're still going when the reform commences). Worth knowing which side of the line you're on. Happy to walk through your timing on a quick call.
If your licence has lapsed and you need to re-test, the new arrangement will apply once it commences. Refresher lessons don't require a test, so those continue as normal.
Plan accordingly. From 2027, the conversion practical test goes through a government examiner in a government vehicle, not your instructor.
Forward this so they know what's coming. The system they go through will be different from yours, and starting early may mean finishing under the current arrangement.
My take
This is overall a positive change. The reform raises standards across the industry and gives learners (and parents of learners) more confidence in the process. The new public register means you can look up any instructor and see they are properly accredited. Cameras, GPS, and dual brakes in instructor vehicles also lift safety standards across the board.
If you have any questions about how the reform affects you or your family, whether you're learning, returning, converting, or planning ahead, give me a call or send a WhatsApp. Happy to talk it through.
- SA Driver Training Reform overview, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia. dit.sa.gov.au/driver-training-reform/home
- Information for learners (commencement date, government examiners, government vehicles), Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia. dit.sa.gov.au/driver-training-reform/home/learners
- Information for instructors and examiners (Code of Conduct, fit and proper person requirements, online register), Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia. dit.sa.gov.au/driver-training-reform/home/instructors-examiners
- Premier of South Australia, official media release, "Major reform of driver training laws to raise standards, cut costs and improve driver skills," 30 August 2024. premier.sa.gov.au
- Motor Vehicles (Motor Driving Instructors and Authorised Examiners) Amendment Act 2024, South Australian Legislation. legislation.sa.gov.au
- Learner driver requirements (75 hours, 15 night hours, 12-month minimum, Hazard Perception Test), MyLicence SA. mylicence.sa.gov.au