How to book a road test in Ontario (and get an earlier date)

When you can book

• G2 road test: after 12 months on your G1, or 8 months if you finished a ministry-approved driver education course. The 8-month date only shows up once your driving school has entered your course results.
• G road test: after 12 months on your G2.
• Your licence must be valid on test day. You can’t book a road test for a date after your licence expires. The licence expiry guide explains what to do if that’s getting close.

The calendar starts at the date you’re eligible, so you can book ahead for a date on or after it.

Three ways to book

Availability is the same whichever way you book. Your first G2 road test is usually already paid for, because it’s part of the $159.75 G1 package.

Booking online, step by step

1. Have these ready: an email address, your licence number, the expiry date on your licence card, and a payment card.
2. Create an account on DriveTest’s booking site and verify your email.
3. Choose your test and a centre. ontario.ca suggests having a first, second and third choice of location.
4. Pick a date. In the calendar, white dates have openings and grey dates are full. You can go back and try another centre.
5. Pick a time and pay, unless your test is already paid for. Your confirmation comes by email, and showing it on your phone is fine.

• You have 45 minutes to finish once you start.
• You can only hold one booking at a time, and the earliest slot you can book online is 24 hours away.
• DriveTest expects one email and one payment card per licence number, which matters if you’re booking for more than one family member.

How to get an earlier date

DriveTest’s own advice is simple:

• Check back often. Openings appear throughout the month as other people cancel.
• Look at more than one centre. The same week can be full in one city and open in the next.
• Book early. Tests are posted up to six months ahead, and DriveTest adds more dates within that window over time.
• Ask about standby. Your DriveTest centre can put you on its standby list. It’s first come, first served and not guaranteed, so bring payment if you’re hoping to be taken.

DriveTest says it aims to have road tests available within 42 days at every full-time centre. Road tests are by appointment only; there are no walk-ins.

Testing in Hamilton and nearby

Hamilton’s DriveTest centre is at 370 Kenora Avenue North. When we checked, it ran road tests Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and it’s closed on statutory holidays. It gives both the G2 and the G road test. The Hamilton DriveTest centre guide covers the day itself.

If Hamilton is booked up, the nearest other full-time centres that give both tests include Burlington (1250 Brant Street), Oakville (2370 Wyecroft Road) and St. Catharines (285 Bunting Road). There’s no part-time Travel Point near Hamilton.

Changing or cancelling a test

• 48 hours’ notice to change or cancel without losing the fee. With less notice, the fee is gone, and rebooking means paying again.
• Arriving late or not showing up also costs you the fee.
• Exceptions, with proof: severe weather (ask to rebook within three days), a death or illness in your immediate family, jury duty, incarceration, or an unscheduled call in to work.
• If DriveTest posts a service disruption, don’t cancel yourself. DriveTest cancels for you, and you keep your fee.
• Changing the licence class of a test means a new booking and a new fee.

If you cancel a slot by mistake, you can’t simply take it back: cancelled slots are pulled from every booking channel for a while.

On the day

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early with your licence, and your glasses or contacts if you need them.
• Bring a car that passes the examiner’s check. If the car or anything else doesn’t meet the requirements, the test is declared out of order and you lose half the fee.
• For a G test, you need at least five trips on a qualifying highway in the past three months. Without them, the test is cancelled and you lose half the fee.

If you don’t pass

You can book again after 24 hours, but there must generally be at least 10 days between tests, and you pay the full fee each time: $53.75 for the G2 and $91.25 for the G. There’s no limit on attempts while your licence is valid. The guide to why people fail the G2 covers what to work on.