If you’re on your L or P plates in NSW, the alcohol rule is simple: zero. Not “one drink is fine”. Not “under 0.02”. Zero. Drugs follow similar logic: driving with any illegal drug in your system is an offence, however you feel. This guide covers the limits, how police test, how medicines fit in, and what happens if you’re caught. These rules are also tested in the Alcohol and Drugs part of the DKT.
Key Fact: Learner, P1 and P2 drivers must have no alcohol in their system when driving. Full licence holders must stay under 0.05. Your limit depends on your licence, not on how you feel.
NSW BAC Limits by Licence
Your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit depends on your licence and what you’re driving. These are the limits in the current NSW Road User Handbook:
| Licence or vehicle | Legal limit |
|---|---|
| Learner (L) | Zero |
| Provisional P1 (red P) | Zero |
| Provisional P2 (green P) | Zero |
| Learner or provisional licence from interstate or overseas | Zero |
| Full (unrestricted) licence, including interstate and overseas full licences | Under 0.05 |
| Buses, coaches, taxis, rideshare and chauffeur-driven hire cars | Under 0.02 |
| Heavy vehicles over 13.9 tonnes, dangerous goods vehicles | Under 0.02 |
| Supervisor of a learner driver | Under 0.05 |
Two points often trip people up:
- Your supervisor isn’t on zero. A learner’s supervisor must be under 0.05, with no illegal drugs in their system and not under the influence of any drug. Supervisors can be tested and face the same severe penalties as drivers.
- 0.02 isn’t for P platers. The 0.02 limit is for professional drivers, such as bus, taxi, rideshare and heavy vehicle drivers.
Why Zero for New Drivers?
New drivers are still building the skills experienced drivers take for granted, such as judging gaps, reading hazards and controlling the car under pressure. Alcohol attacks exactly those skills. According to the Road User Handbook, alcohol:
- slows your brain, so you react and decide more slowly;
- weakens your judgement of speed and distance;
- gives you false confidence, so you take more risks;
- makes it harder to do two things at once, so you miss lights and pedestrians;
- makes you drowsy.
Even one or two drinks affect you, and your crash risk rises the more you drink. A zero limit also removes any guesswork. You can’t estimate your own BAC by counting drinks, because your size, weight, tiredness and serving sizes all change it.
The Morning After
This is where many young drivers get caught. Your body clears alcohol at a fixed pace, and nothing speeds it up:
- not black coffee;
- not a cold shower;
- not a big breakfast or water;
- not sleep.
The handbook warns that after heavy drinking it can take more than 18 hours for your BAC to return to zero. A big Saturday night can mean you’re still over a zero limit on Sunday afternoon.
DKT Tip: Any DKT answer suggesting coffee, food, a shower or exercise will “sober you up” is wrong. Only time lowers your BAC.
Plan Before You Go Out
If you’re going to drink, decide how you’ll get home before your first drink, while your judgement is still clear. You could:
- catch public transport or a taxi;
- get a lift with a driver who hasn’t been drinking;
- stay the night.
Breath Testing
- Police can stop any driver at any time for a random breath test (RBT). That includes learners, and it can include your supervisor.
- Police can breath test any driver involved in a crash.
- You must not refuse a breath test, or a blood or urine test after a crash. Refusing carries severe penalties.
- It’s a separate offence to drink alcohol while driving, even if your BAC stays under your limit.
Drink-Driving Offence Ranges
NSW groups drink-driving offences by how much alcohol is in your system:
| Range | Who and what BAC |
|---|---|
| Novice range | A learner or provisional driver with a BAC above zero |
| Special range | A special category driver (such as a bus or taxi driver) at 0.02 or more |
| Low range | 0.05 to 0.079 |
| Mid range | 0.08 to 0.149 |
| High range | 0.15 and above |
For an L or P driver, any alcohol is a novice range offence.
Penalties
According to nsw.gov.au, for a first low, special or novice range offence:
- police can suspend your licence on the spot, for 3 months;
- you may also get a fine.
More serious offences are dealt with by the courts. The Road User Handbook lists the possible penalties for drink driving as:
- fines;
- loss of licence;
- prison;
- an alcohol interlock, a breath-testing device linked to the ignition.
How serious the penalty is depends on how far over the limit you are and whether it’s a repeat offence. Mid-range and high-range offences can bring an interlock even for a first offence. If you’re convicted of two drink-driving offences within five years, you have to pass the Driver Knowledge Test again before you can be licensed.
For a learner or P1 driver, a suspension also sets your licence timeline back. For example, the 12 months you need on P1 before moving to P2 is extended by the length of any suspension.
We’ve left out dollar amounts on purpose. NSW fines are indexed every 1 July, and published figures often differ. Check nsw.gov.au for the current amounts.
Drugs and Driving
Illegal Drugs
NSW Police use Mobile Drug Testing, a roadside saliva test, to check for four drugs:
| Drug tested | Includes |
|---|---|
| Cannabis | THC |
| Methamphetamine | Speed and ice |
| MDMA | Ecstasy |
| Cocaine | — |
It’s an offence to drive with any of these present in your system, even if you feel normal. Drugs can stay in your body long after you’ve taken them. Police can also test drivers who seem impaired by any drug. A driver who fails a sobriety assessment can be taken for blood and urine tests, which detect a much wider range of drugs and medicines.
For a first offence of driving with an illegal drug present, nsw.gov.au lists a 3-month licence suspension when it’s dealt with by penalty notice. Heavier penalties are possible in court.
Key Fact: NSW Parliament passed changes in September 2026 that will affect medicinal cannabis patients who drive. Until those changes start, the existing law applies: it’s an offence to drive with THC present, even with a prescription.
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medicines
It’s an offence to drive under the influence of any drug, and that includes legal medicines. Common examples that can cause drowsiness, blurred vision, poor concentration or slower reactions are:
- painkillers;
- cold and flu tablets;
- allergy medicine.
To stay safe:
- read the label and follow any warning about driving;
- ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’re unsure, and don’t drive until you’ve asked;
- don’t assume a medicine will affect you the way it affected a friend.
Never Mix Them
The handbook warns that combining alcohol with drugs, including prescribed and over-the-counter medicines, is more dangerous than either alone, and the effects are unpredictable.
Quick Recap for L and P Drivers
- Zero alcohol, every drive, including the morning after.
- No illegal drugs in your system, ever.
- Check every medicine label before driving.
- Your supervisor’s limit is under 0.05, not zero.
- Breath and drug tests can happen any time, and you can’t refuse them.
- Any alcohol at all is a novice range offence, and police can suspend your licence on the spot for a first offence.
Study This Topic for the DKT
Alcohol and drug questions are some of the most straightforward on the DKT, but only if you’ve learned the numbers exactly. Read our Alcohol and Drugs study guide, practise with the Alcohol and Drugs quiz, then put it all together in a full mock test. For the rest of the conditions on your Ls, see NSW learner driver rules.
The Learners Test app covers all 11 DKT topics, with every answer explained. Download it here.
The Learners Test is an independent study app and isn’t affiliated with Transport for NSW or Service NSW. This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules are current as of October 2026.
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