
Displaying P-plates
P1 licence holdersThe holder of a car or motorbike (class C, RE or R) P1 type licence must clearly display red P-plates (PDF**, 20KB) on their car or motorbike. This applies to:
- P1 provisional licence holders
- P1 probationary licence holders
- P1 restricted licence holders.
P2 licence holders
The holder of a car or motorbike (class C, RE or R) P2 type licence must clearly display green P-plates (PDF**, 20KB) on their car or motorbike. This applies to:- P2 provisional licence holders
- P2 probationary licence holders
- P2 restricted licence holders.
| Plate colour | Who must display | What the plate must look like |
|---|---|---|
| Red | The holder of a C, RE or R class:
| A plate or sign with:
|
| Green | The holder of a C, RE or R class:
| A plate or sign with:
|
P-plate specifications
A P-plate is a plate that features an uppercase red letter 'P' or an uppercase green letter 'P' on a white background. You can buy P-plates from service stations, major retailers and automotive outlets. Check with your local supplier for cost.
You can also download and print a red P-plate (PDF**, 20KB) or a green P-plate (PDF**, 20KB). When printing the P-plate template use a colour printer, white A4 paper or card and ensure the page scaling is set to 'None'.The minimum size and colour of a P-plate is 14.6 cm x 14.6 cm. The P-plate may be larger than the minimum size requirement of 14.6 cm x 14.6 cm but not so large that it will obscure your view when driving.
How the plate must be fitted
A P-plate must be fitted:
- to the front and rear of the car (rear only for motorbikes)
- so the 'P' character is visible on each plate from 20 metres (m) away at any point within an arc of 45 degrees from the surface of each 'P' plate above or to either side of the car or motorbike.
Penalties
The display of P-plates lets other drivers know that you are a novice driver. It also assists enforcement officers identify which drivers are placed on restrictions and what these restrictions are. Failure to display P-plates incurs a A$160 fine and two demerit points.
It is an offence to display P-plates on a vehicle if you are not the holder of a P1 or P2 type provisional or probationary licence. Doing so carries a penalty of A$80.
**While this department has taken every possible precaution with the creation of these files, they are downloaded and used at your own risk. Adobe Reader is needed to open and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files and is free to download from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Various tools to enable access to these files for people using a screen reader can be found at http://access.adobe.com. Further information is available from the "Help with downloading, reading and printing PDF".
Last updated 30 June 2009

