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SAAQ Class 5 overview

SAAQ Class 5: Getting your Class 5 licence

Minimum age, the mandatory driving course, the learner's licence and its rules, when you can take the knowledge and road tests, the probationary licence and passenger limits for young drivers.

  • 14 questions
  • Topic drill
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Getting your Class 5 licence · Question 1Score 0/0

You are 17 and applying for your first licence. Besides your identification, what must you provide?

Study reference: SAAQ Driver's Handbook (2nd edition), Ch. 1 The Driver — Licences to drive: to obtain a first driver's licence, pp. 15–22

All 14 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. You are 17 and applying for your first licence. Besides your identification, what must you provide?

    1. Proof that you own a vehicle
    2. A signed note from your employer
    3. A letter from your high school
    4. Written consent from a parent or guardian

  2. You pass two sections of the SAAQ knowledge test but fail the third. What happens next?

    1. Wait 3 months and redo Phase 1 of the course
    2. Retake all three sections the next day
    3. Wait 7 days, then retake all three sections
    4. Wait 28 days, then retake only that section

  3. How long is a Class 5 learner's licence valid once it is issued?

    1. 6 months
    2. 12 months
    3. 24 months
    4. 18 months

  4. You are 18, newly on a probationary licence, and want to drive four friends home at 1 a.m. When is this allowed?

    1. When someone licensed 2+ years sits in front
    2. When one passenger has a learner's licence
    3. When all passengers wear seat belts
    4. When you stay under the speed limit

  5. What is the minimum age to apply for a Class 5 (passenger vehicle) licence in Québec?

    1. 15 years old
    2. 17 years old
    3. 16 years old
    4. 18 years old

  6. Your aunt offers to ride with you while you practise on your learner's licence outside driving lessons. What must be true of her licence?

    1. She has held it for at least 2 years
    2. She has held it for at least 6 months
    3. She has held it for at least 1 year
    4. She has held it for at least 5 years

  7. You hold a learner's licence and your fully licensed father is with you. It is 12:30 a.m. May you drive him home?

    1. Yes, because a licensed adult is beside you
    2. Yes, as long as you keep under 50 km/h
    3. Yes, if the trip is shorter than 10 km
    4. No, learners may not drive from midnight to 5 a.m.

  8. You are 19 and have driven on a probationary licence for 9 months. It is 2 a.m. What is the most passengers aged 19 or under, other than family, you may have?

    1. Four
    2. One
    3. Three
    4. Two

  9. What is the minimum time you must hold a learner's licence before you are eligible for the road test?

    1. 18 months
    2. 8 months
    3. 6 months
    4. 12 months

  10. After you pass the road test, how long must you hold a probationary licence before you can get a regular driver's licence?

    1. 12 months
    2. 36 months
    3. 18 months
    4. 24 months

  11. You are 18 and have had your probationary licence for 4 months. At 1 a.m., how many passengers aged 19 or under (not family) may you carry?

    1. Three
    2. Two
    3. None
    4. One

  12. You are 18, have a 3-month probationary licence and are driving at 2 a.m. Which passenger is NOT counted toward your passenger limit?

    1. Your 17-year-old brother
    2. Your 16-year-old neighbour
    3. Your 18-year-old classmate
    4. Your 17-year-old cousin

  13. You received your learner's licence in January. What is the earliest you can sit the SAAQ knowledge test?

    1. After holding it at least 10 months
    2. After holding it at least 12 months
    3. After holding it at least 3 months
    4. After holding it at least 6 months

  14. When you apply for a first driver's licence, how many pieces of identification must you present?

    1. Three
    2. Four
    3. One
    4. Two

Getting your Class 5 licence: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Basic requirements

  • A first licence is normally a Class 5 (passenger vehicle) licence, reached by holding a learner's licence, then a probationary licence.
  • Minimum age: 16.
  • Under 18: written consent from a person with parental authority is required.
  • Two pieces of ID are required. The first: from the Directeur de l'état civil du Québec (or a recognized civil authority elsewhere in Canada), a Canadian citizenship certificate or other legal proof of citizenship, a Permanent Resident Card or a Canadian passport. The second may be a provincial health insurance card.

Eligibility

  • Must be a Canadian citizen or authorized to stay in Canada more than six months, with principal residence in Québec.
  • At least 16; consent of father, mother or legal guardian if under 18.
  • You may register for the driving course before turning 16 to do the theory part.

Registering for the driving course

  • The driving course (Road Safety Education Program) is mandatory before driving a passenger vehicle.
  • Four learning phases that alternate theory modules and in-car sessions; focus on visual scanning, anticipating risk, dangerous behaviour (speed, alcohol, drugs, distraction) and sharing the road.
  • Given by driving schools recognized by the AQTr (handbook); the Class 5 page says a school recognized by the SAAQ.

Getting a learner's licence

  • A knowledge test is taken at the end of Phase 1 (the Class 5 page says it is given by the driving school, Module 5).
  • To get the learner's licence at an SAAQ service centre: prove identity, fill out the Declaration of Illness or Impairment and meet medical requirements, pass the SAAQ vision test, bring the driving school attestation.
  • Learner's licence must be held at least 12 months.
  • Learner rules: an authorized person must always sit in the front passenger seat to help and advise; no driving between midnight and 5 a.m.; no driving after consuming alcohol or drugs.
  • Learner with 4 or more demerit points: licence revoked, must wait 3 months before getting a new one.

Obtaining a learner's licence

  • A learner's licence is valid for 18 months; if you have not obtained your probationary licence within that time, it can be renewed for another 12 months.
  • Payment by credit card is not accepted at service outlets.

Practising driving

  • During the course, a learner may drive with a driving instructor.
  • Outside class, the accompanying rider must have held a valid passenger vehicle licence for at least 2 years, sit beside the learner and be ready to help and advise.
  • A probationary licence holder can never be an accompanying rider.

Knowledge test

  • SAAQ knowledge test is taken during the course, at an SAAQ service centre, by appointment, after holding the learner's licence at least 10 months.
  • Checks knowledge of regulations, signs and signals, and behaviour in various situations.
  • Three sections: Highway Safety Code; road signs, pavement markings and traffic signals; behaviours and techniques for driving a passenger vehicle. All multiple choice.
  • Pass mark: 75% on each of the three sections. After a failure, wait at least 28 days; retake only the failed sections (fees apply each time).
  • Takes 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Cheating (possessing or using any electronic device, outside help, filming/recording) = automatic fail and a 90-day wait before retaking; 180 days for a repeat (Class 5 page, French version updated Sept 9, 2026; the older Preparing for the Tests page still says 56/90).
  • Passing the knowledge test does not exempt you from the remaining theory modules and in-car sessions.

Passing the road test

  • Requirements: appointment, knowledge test passed, learner's licence held at least 12 months, completed driving course attestation from a recognized school.
  • Failure: wait at least 28 days before retaking.

Probationary licence

  • Obtained at an SAAQ service centre after passing the road test.
  • Must hold a valid probationary licence for 24 months before getting a regular driver's licence; the 24 months only count while it is valid.
  • 4 or more demerit points: revoked and suspended for at least 3 months.
  • Zero tolerance: no trace of alcohol or drugs when driving.
  • Cannot be an accompanying rider for a learner.

Carrying passengers

  • Applies to probationary licence holders aged 19 or under, between midnight and 5 a.m., for passengers who are also 19 or under.
  • 6 months or less of experience: 1 such passenger. Between 6 and 12 months: up to 3.
  • Immediate family does not count: spouse (married, civil union or de facto), the driver's or spouse's children, brothers and sisters, other children of the driver's mother or father or of their spouses.
  • Limits do not apply once the driver has more than 12 months of experience, or when someone who has held a licence for 2 or more years sits in the front passenger seat able to help and advise.

Driver's licence and demerit brackets

  • After 24 months of probationary experience, obtain the regular driver's licence at an SAAQ outlet.
  • Brackets: learner and probationary 4 points; driver's licence under 23: 8; age 23 or 24: 12; 25 or older: 15.

Licence classes

  • Québec has 13 licence classes. You cannot jump directly from one class to another; conditions may require 1 to 3 years of experience or a health professional's report.
  • Additional classes require knowledge and road tests after a vision test.

Intro

  • A Class 5 licence covers a passenger vehicle (two axles, net mass under 4,500 kg), motor home, tool vehicle, service vehicle, moped or scooter, farm tractor (conditions apply) and three-wheeled Slingshot/T-Rex-type vehicles.

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