Is G Test Easier Than G2? | G2 vs G Road Tests

Ontario’s graduated licensing system has two road tests. The G2 road test gets you out of the G1 learner stage. The G road test gets you your full licence. People often assume the second one is just a longer version of the first — it is not.

Here is what actually changes between them, and an honest answer to the question everyone asks: is g test easier than g2?

Quick Fact About G2 vs G Road Test

What Is the G2 Road Test?

The G2 road test is the first of the two. DriveTest describes it as a “city test” because it checks basic driving skills on regular streets, and it usually takes about 20 minutes of driving.

The Ontario government lists the skills it covers: turning left and right, stopping, parallel parking, one-way streets, lane changes, three-point turns, driving in residential neighbourhoods, and traffic lights, stop and yield signs.

For the full picture, see our G2 road test guide

What Is the G Road Test?

The G road test is the second and final one. It assesses more advanced driving skills, includes a highway component, and usually takes about 30 minutes of driving.

Pass it and the novice restrictions come off. Until you do, you are still a G2 driver, which means the zero blood alcohol rule still applies.

Our G road test guide covers it in detail.

What Is the Biggest Difference?

Highway driving. That is the short answer, and everything else follows from it.

The G2 test keeps you on ordinary streets at ordinary speeds, where you can stop and think. The G test puts you on major roads and expressways, where you are judging gaps, speeds and timing at 100 km/h with no opportunity to pause.

On the G test the examiner is looking at how you handle:

• Merging on and off major roads and expressways
• Maintaining appropriate speed and space
• Signalling
• Turns, curves and lane changes
• Intersections
• Driving in business areas

If highways are the part that worries you, our highway driving tips for new drivers covers merging, lane changes and exits step by step.

What Requirement Does Only the G Test Have?

This is the difference people find out about too late.

Before the G road test, you must declare your highway driving experience. You will be asked how many times in the last three months you have driven on a highway with a speed limit of at least 80 km/h, or on a 400-series highway, and how long those trips were on average.

You must have driven at least five times on those roads in the last three months. If you do not qualify, your appointment is cancelled and you lose 50% of your road test fee. There is no equivalent requirement for the G2 test.

What Changed About the G Road Test Recently?

Until further notice, the G road test has been temporarily modified at full-time DriveTest Centres. The modified version leaves out four things, because the G2 test already covers them:

• Parallel parking
• Roadside stops
• Three-point turns
• Driving in residential neighbourhoods

Part-time Travel Point locations continue to offer the standard G road test, which does include them.

So depending on where you book, the G test may have no slow-speed manoeuvres at all — or it may include the same parallel parking you did for your G2. Confirm with DriveTest before your test, and practise them either way.

What Is the Same on Both Tests?

More than you might think. If you remember how your G2 test day went, most of it repeats:

• You bring the vehicle. DriveTest centres do not provide one. Owned, borrowed or rented is fine.
• The vehicle check is identical. Same requirements, same reasons a test can be declared out-of-order.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes early to check in.
• The examiner cannot coach you. Ask your questions before you start.
• No passengers or pets in the vehicle, and recording devices must be disabled.
• You get a short verbal summary afterwards, and a scoresheet showing where to improve.
• If you are unsuccessful, you generally wait at least 10 days before trying again, and fees apply each time.

Is the G Test Harder Than the G2?

The honest answer is that it is different rather than simply harder — and anyone who gives you a percentage is making it up, because DriveTest does not publish pass rates.

What can be said fairly:

The pattern instructors see is straightforward: drivers who have done real highway driving find the G test manageable, and drivers who have avoided highways for a year find it genuinely hard. The test is not harder in the abstract; it is harder if you have not practised the thing it tests.

What Happens After Each Test?

After you pass the G2

You get a G2 licence and can drive on your own, on all Ontario roads, at any time of day in most cases. But you must still keep a zero blood alcohol level and carry only as many passengers as there are working seatbelts. Drivers aged 19 and under have extra passenger limits between midnight and 5 a.m.

After you pass the G

You get a full Class G licence and those novice restrictions lift. Either way, you return inside the centre to apply your results and receive a temporary licence valid for 90 days or until your photo card arrives.

How Long Does the Whole Process Take?

You have up to five years to finish the whole process from your G1. If you are approaching that and still do not have a full G, DriveTest explains you may requalify as a G2 driver for another five years by passing the G2 road test again, with fees applying.

Conclusion

The two tests reward different preparation. For the G2, that means city skills stops, intersections, parking and turns. For the G, it means real highway time. Go Drive Driving School offers both G2 driving lessons in Barrie and G road test preparation, with one-on-one in-car lessons and honest feedback after every drive. See our programs and fees or contact us at 705-717-0406.

FAQs

Is the G test easier than the G2?

Neither is officially easier. The G test has fewer slow-speed manoeuvres but adds highway driving, which is where most of its difficulty sits. DriveTest publishes no pass rates for either test.

What is the main difference between the G2 and G road test?

The G test includes highway driving and the G2 does not. The G test is also longer, at about 30 minutes versus about 20.

Do I need highway experience for the G test?

Yes. You must declare that you have driven at least five times in the last three months on a highway with a speed limit of at least 80 km/h or on a 400-series highway.

Is parallel parking on both tests?

It is on the G2 test. On the G test it depends where you book — the modified test at full-time DriveTest Centres leaves it out, while Travel Point locations still include it.

How long do I have to wait between the G2 and the G test?

12 months with your G2 licence. Unlike the G1 stage, a driver education course does not shorten it.

Can I skip the G2 and go straight to the G test?

No. You have to pass the G2 road test and hold a G2 licence for 12 months first.

Is the vehicle check different for the G test?

No. The same vehicle requirements apply to both tests.

Do I keep the G2 restrictions until I pass the G?

Yes. The zero blood alcohol rule and the other novice conditions apply for as long as you hold a G2.