Can You Renew a G1 in Ontario? What Happens When It Expires
No, you can't renew a G1 in Ontario. Once it expires you reapply as a new driver and pay the test fees again, unless you booked a road test before it expired.
No, you can't renew a G1 licence in Ontario. Once a G1 expires, you have to reapply as a new driver at a DriveTest Centre and pay the test fees again. The main exception: if you booked a road test before the expiry date, you may be able to get an extension until your road test date.
This post explains how long a G1 lasts, what happens when a G1 or G2 expires, the one "less than three years" note DriveTest publishes, and how this differs from renewing a full G licence. Everything here comes from ontario.ca's page on renewing an expired licence and DriveTest's expired licences page.
Can you renew a G1 licence?
No. Ontario.ca says it in one line:
"Once your G1, G2, M1, M2 or M2 with L condition licence expires, you cannot renew it."
DriveTest says the same thing and adds what to do next: if you did not book a road test before the expiry date, "you need to reapply as a new driver at a DriveTest Centre."
This is where a G1 differs from a full G licence. Ontario.ca says you usually renew your driver's licence card every five years, but that renewal route is closed to novice licences once they expire.
How long is a G1 valid in Ontario?
The G1 comes with a five-year licence. DriveTest's fees page says the Class G1 licence package "includes a knowledge test, a Class G2 road test (to earn your G2 licence), and a five-year licence."
That matches the five-year rule for graduated licensing on ontario.ca's new drivers page:
"You have up to five years to finish the whole process. After five years, if you do not get your full G licence, you will need to start over."
The exact date is on your card. DriveTest says your expiry date (EXP.) "is printed on your licence photo card." For how the 12-month G1 and G2 stages fit inside those five years, see our G1 to G2 to G licence timeline.
What happens in each situation
This table puts the official rules side by side. "Road test" wording follows each source.
| Your situation | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| G1 still valid, road test not passed yet | Keep practising and book your road test before the expiry date. |
| G1 expiring, road test already booked before expiry | DriveTest: "You may be able to get an extension until your road test date by visiting a DriveTest Centre." |
| G1 expired, no road test booked before expiry | You cannot renew it. DriveTest: reapply as a new driver at a DriveTest Centre. |
| Failed a road test, G1 not expired | Ontario.ca: "you can try the road test again." |
| Failed a road test, G1 expired | Ontario.ca: start all over and pay the test fees again. |
| G2 about to expire | Ontario.ca: you can take the road test again "and get five more years as a G2 to finish the process." |
| G2 expired, no road test booked before expiry | You cannot renew it. Reapply as a new driver at a DriveTest Centre. |
| G1 or G2 expired for less than three years | DriveTest: you "may not need to serve the mandatory waiting periods." |
| Full G expired | You renew it. The tests you need depend on how long it has been expired (see below). |
G1 expired: do I redo the test?
Yes. If your G1 has expired and you did not book a road test before the expiry date, you reapply as a new driver. On ontario.ca's new drivers page, applying for a driver's licence means you must:
- Be at least 16 years old.
- Be a resident of Ontario (not a visitor).
- Pass a vision test.
- Pass a knowledge test about the rules of the road and traffic signs.
Once you pass the vision and knowledge tests, you get a G1 again. You will need to bring original identification that shows your legal name and date of birth. As of May 11, 2026, ontario.ca also says you must declare that Ontario is your primary place of residence and that your presence in Canada is legal.
What fees do you pay again?
Ontario.ca's new drivers page says "You will need to pay a fee to apply for a licence and take the knowledge test," and, for a failed road test after the G1 has expired, that you "start all over and pay the test fees again." DriveTest's fees page lists these Class G fees (in Canadian dollars, taxes included, set by the Government of Ontario):
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Class G1 licence package (knowledge test, G2 road test, five-year licence) | $159.75 |
| Knowledge test (per extra attempt) | $16.00 |
| Class G2 road test | $53.75 |
| Class G road test | $91.25 |
The G1 licence package "is payable at the time of application." Fees can change, so check the DriveTest fees page before you go. If you are worried about failing a section of the knowledge test, our post on what happens if you fail the G1 test covers retakes.
The "less than three years" exception
DriveTest's page includes one note for novice licences (G1, G2, M1 and M2). Here it is word for word:
"Please note that, if your novice class licence has been expired for less than three years, you may not need to serve the mandatory waiting periods."
Read it carefully:
- It is about waiting periods (for example, ontario.ca says you can take your first road test after 12 months with a G1). It does not say you can renew the licence, and it does not list which waiting periods it covers.
- It says "may not", not "will not". It is not a guarantee.
- Neither DriveTest nor ontario.ca publishes who qualifies or how it is decided.
So if your G1 or G2 expired less than three years ago, ask a DriveTest Centre what applies to you before you plan around it.
Can I get an extension on my G1?
Possibly, but only if you booked a road test before the licence expired. DriveTest says that for Classes G1 or G2, "You may be able to get an extension until your road test date by visiting a DriveTest Centre." Ontario.ca words it the same way and says to contact a DriveTest Centre for more information.
What happens if your G2 expires?
The same "cannot renew" rule applies to a G2. If it is about to expire, ontario.ca says:
"If your G2 licence is about to expire: you can take your G1 road test again and get five more years as a G2 to finish the process."
If your G2 has already expired and you did not book a road test before the expiry date, DriveTest says you reapply as a new driver.
Why it's different from renewing a full G licence
A full G licence can be renewed after it expires. DriveTest lists what you need, based on how long the full licence has been invalid (for people under 80):
| Full G invalid for | What DriveTest says you need |
|---|---|
| Less than 12 months | Visit ServiceOntario. No tests required. |
| 1 to 3 years | Visit a DriveTest Centre. Vision test. |
| 3 to 10 years | Knowledge test, vision test and two road tests, with no required waiting period between them. |
| 10+ years | Knowledge test, vision test and two road tests after meeting each waiting period. |
None of this applies to a G1 or G2. Those are novice licences, and they cannot be renewed.
How to practise before you reapply
If you are starting over, you will sit the knowledge test again. Our guide to how the Ontario G1 test works covers the format and pass mark.
To check where you stand, try our free mock exams: Road Signs and Rules of the Road, 20 questions each. The Ontario G1 practice test app has 250+ practice questions organized by handbook topic, 85 road sign flashcards, 20 mock exams and smart review of the questions you miss.
Frequently asked questions
Can you renew a G1 in Ontario?
No. Ontario.ca says that once a G1, G2, M1, M2 or M2 with L condition licence expires, "you cannot renew it." You reapply as a new driver at a DriveTest Centre.
My G1 expired. Do I redo the test?
Yes. If you did not book a road test before the expiry date, you reapply as a new driver, which means paying the application fee and passing the vision and knowledge tests again.
How long is a G1 valid in Ontario?
Five years. DriveTest's G1 licence package includes "a five-year licence" and ontario.ca gives you up to five years to finish graduated licensing. Your exact expiry date is printed on your card.
Can I get an extension if my G1 is about to expire?
Possibly. If you booked a road test before the expiry date, DriveTest says you may be able to get an extension until your road test date by visiting a DriveTest Centre.
Do I have to wait 12 months again after my G1 expires?
It depends. DriveTest says that if a novice licence has been expired for less than three years, "you may not need to serve the mandatory waiting periods." It does not publish who qualifies, so ask a DriveTest Centre.
What happens if my G2 is about to expire?
You can retake the road test you passed to get your G2 and get five more years as a G2, according to ontario.ca. Once the G2 has expired without a road test booked, you reapply as a new driver.
Can I drive with an expired G1?
No. Ontario.ca says, "It is illegal to drive with an expired, cancelled or suspended driver’s licence." DriveTest says the same.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, Renew an expired driver's licence: licence cards usually renewed every five years, novice licences cannot be renewed, extension with a booked road test, illegal to drive with an expired licence.
- Government of Ontario, Get a G driver's licence: new drivers: five-year rule, application requirements and fee, May 11, 2026 declaration, 12 months with a G1 before the first road test, failed road test with a valid or expired G1, G2 about to expire.
- DriveTest, Expired Licences & Renewals: reapply as a new driver, extension until road test date, less-than-three-years waiting period note, expiry date on card, full G renewal requirements.
- DriveTest, Fees for Drivers' Licences & Tests: Class G1 licence package contents and Class G test fees.
All quotations were checked against these pages in October 2026.
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