Far too often we continually see provisional drivers driving vehicles with their red or green P plates tucked in
behind and obscured by the number plates or inside of the vehicle and barely visible. If this is something you do as a learner or provisional driver, and you come under notice of police, you may be in of the NSW Road Rules and earn yourself 2 demerit points and a substantial fine. The other major concern is that it may create issues from a safety perspective. Worth it? Not at all!
All learner and provisional drivers must clearly display their L and P plates on the front and rear of the outside of the vehicle – the letters must not be hidden. If you are driving in another state, All NSW learner, P1 and P2 drivers must obey the same licence conditions and restrictions (as listed below) that apply to them in NSW when they drive in other states or territories in Australia. Instead of drawing unnecessary attention to yourself, display your L or P plates with pride.
Always ensure that you display L plates (black on a yellow background) and P plates (red or green P on a white background), in such a manner as to be clearly visible on the front and rear of the vehicle, and on the outside. The letter P on the plate must be clearly displayed and not obscured in any way whatsoever. If you’re towing a trailer, a P plate must be on the rear of the trailer. To prevent your L or P plates from falling from the vehicle, be sure to invest in some decent L and P plate holders.
Are we allowed to place our L or P plates on the bonnet of our cars? I drive a Honda Jazz 2016 model and I was just curious if this is allowed.
Hi James, yes they can as long as they are clearly visible and not obscured when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Just make sure that they’re on the exterior of the vehicle in a visible position at the front and the rear .
I can’t put my daughters L plates on the outside of my car because they set off the sensors around the number plate and magnetic plates do not stick to me car. What can I do
Hi Angela,
Can you please send us a pic of the rear of your daughters car so we can take a quick look and offer suggestions for you. Please blur the registration number out.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
If we are coming from Victoria is it alright to have L and P plates on the inside of the car because that is what’s issued in Victoria, and they are visible. As well as a white P on a red background which is different to the issued NSW ones of red P on a white background, as we live in Victoria so that L and P plates are different
Hi Jackson,
Yes. Clearly displaying your L and or P plates on the inside of the your vehicle is ok if you are a licence holder in VIC. Whatever your state requires in regards to your licence condition, is what you abide by. The same applies to the P plates with the white ‘P’ on a red or green background.
Learn Drive Survive Team.
What do i use to stick the L plates onto my Vespa so i dont damage the paintwork?
Hi Kate,
If you like, email us your postal address to enquiries@learndrivesurvive.com.au and we will gladly send you a free set of Plate Clips that simply clip onto the number plate of your Vespa and secure your L plate. There are no nuts or bolts required and they will not cause any damage whatsoever.
Thanks for reaching out.
Kind regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
When you display a P plate in NSW does it have to have the speed limit on it (90)
Or can you display a Plain one just a P ?
Hi Diane,
It is not legislated in NSW that L and P plates must display the speed limits. For L plates, as long as the black L is on a yellow background and the red or green P is on a white background (NSW). The speed limits to show the speed limit for the class and licence condition. Just ensure that the plates are displayed on the front and rear and on the exterior of the vehicle. They cannot be obscured and the letter L or P must be clearly visible.
hi! i’m on my learners car license, every time i put l plates on , both magnetic and normal they end up flying off. can i put some on the inside as well? so if the exterior fall off i won’t get in trouble because they are still on the inside
Hi Abi,
In NSW, you MUST display your L’s on the outside of your vehicle (front and rear). You can’t display them on the inside. Maybe purchase some L and P plate clips – L Plate Clips. These should secure you L’s fine.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Hi, am I allowed to display multiple plates on my car in NSW? Example: having two P plates on the back of the car and two P plates on the front of the car.
Hi Storme,
There is nothing legislated that states you must only display 1 ‘L’ or ‘P’ plate on the front and rear of your vehicle. There are many learner drivers and provisional drivers that display 2 plates on the front and rear. You may have even seen driving schools displaying 2 ‘L’ plates during driving lessons. In saying that however, I wouldn’t be displaying a heap of them just for the fun of it, otherwise you may get some ‘unwanted’ attention from the Highway Patrol.
Drive Safely!
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Hi there
My wife and I just bought a scooter and we’re wondering whether we have to display a L plate on the front as well as the rear in NSW.
At present we only have on the rear.
I have been trying to see if the front L plate display is a requirement however finding it challenging to locate.
Are you able to help?
Hi Alfred,
Thanks reaching out to us. You only need to display the L or P plates on the rear of your motorcycle so the letter ‘L’ or ‘P’ is clearly visible. Hope this helps out.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Hi. I am having difficulty displaying the L plate on the front of my Mazda CX. The magnetic L plates work very well on the back of the CX9 however there is no space that is magnetic on the front and so the magnetic plates don’t fasten anywhere on the front. Not even the bonnet. I tried displaying them via a bracket attached to the number plate but it triggers the sensors. Do you have any solutions please?
Hi Jacqeline,
Apologies for the late response. If you like, send us an email and we will gladly send you a set of L & P plate clips. These clips can be easily attached to the top, bottom or sides of your number plate which may avoid triggering the sensors. Just send us an email to enquiries@learndrivesurvive and provide us with your postal address so that we can send you a set of clips free of charge :).
Look forward to hearing from you!
regards
Learn Drive Survive
I am on a motorcycle and im struggling to keep L plates on. Is it legal for me to mount them on my backpack
Hi Steven,
The law states that you must display an L plate – black L on an orange/yellow background – on the rear of your motorcycle ensuring that the letter ‘L’ is clearly visible. However, there are many riders who fix them to their backpacks. I have never heard of anyone being fined as they are clearly displayed to following motorists. In fact, we have had many learners who also ride motorcycles who did the same. If you like, email us directly to enquiries@learndrivesurvive.com.au or call us on 1800 898 969 and we will happily send you a free set of L & P plate clips to secure your L plate.
Kind regards,
Learn Drive Survive Team
I’m a learner in QLD, but my family are travelling down to NSW for holidays. I have L plates displayed on the inside of the car as that is permitted in QLD, but apparently not in NSW. Would I need to get new sets of plates to put on the outside of my car? and if so, how because the magnetic plates don’t work well and there’s not much options.
Hi Ivan and apologies for the super late reply as some of us took some time off over the Christmas and NY. I understand this is too late for you now but for future reference, you must drive to the licence conditions of your state. So if you hold a QLD learner licence, you can display your L and P plates from the inside of your vehicle as long as it can be clearly seen from 20m away. On the other hand, NSW learner drivers and provisional drivers travelling through QLD must display their L and P plates on the outside of their vehicle (front and rear).
In addition, L and P plate holders have speed restrictions whereas QLD L and P plate drivers don’t. NSW Learners can travel no faster than 90km/h regardless if the posted speed limit is 100 or 110km/h. P1 (red) can only drive at speeds of up to 90km/h while P2 (green) have a restricted speed limit of 100km/h. So anytime you drive interstate, just remember to drive to the conditions of your licence in the state that it was issued in.
Thanks for your question.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
hello! i am visiting from Victoria for a couple of months, just wondering if it’s okay to keep my P plate displayed on the inside of the vehicle or do i have to display them outside? if so, where do i get the brackets to display them? thanks!
Hi Jade,
If you have a Victorian licence, your licence conditions allow you to display your P plates on the inside of your vehicle as if you were driving in VIC. Just make sure that they are clearly displayed front and rear and can be easily seen.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Hi, We are trying to work out how to attached the ‘L’ plates onto our Suzuki Swift Sport for our daughter as the number plates are located in a ‘cove’ which doesn’t leave enough space for the plate. We don’t want to use the magnet ones as we are worried they will affect the paint. Also the clips won’t work because of the frame and space issue. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Rebecca,
The clips usually fit beneath the number plate frame. Mainly towards the centre where the most ‘flex’ of the frame is. If the clips don’t fit either side of the number plate, maybe try clipping the ‘L’ plate on the bottom side of the number plate. Otherwise if all else fails, secure an ‘L’ plate under the rear wiper blade but make sure the L is clearly displayed.
Hope this helps out.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Hi, was just wondering if having p plates displayed on the inside of my car is ok if I have my vehicle registered in Queensland however I hold a new south whale licence
Hi Taj,
Unfortunately not! If you hold a NSW Provisional licence, you must display your P plates externally both front and rear. This is regardless if the vehicles is registered in QLD or not. Hope this helps you.
Kind regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
Can we use plates with a white p on red background in NSW?
If you hold a NSW P1 Provisional licence, you must display P plates that have a red P on a white background. Interstate Learner & Provisional drivers, must drive to the licence conditions of the state that issued their licence.
Regards
Learn Drive Survive Team
On a Victorian licence if I’m borrowing a nsw rego car from family etc what plate do I display NSW or Vic?
Probably seems stupid but genuinely don’t wanna loose licence if it’s just to borrow I think it would be display NSW plates but then if I go back into Victoria as part of errands and I randomly get pulled over would I get in trouble for displaying none Victorian even though my licence is conditioned to that… Possible explanation of where that info comes from too so I can cover my arse if it’s wrong to someone
Hi Caron,
Although the vehicle is registered in NSW, you need to abide by the licence class/conditions of the issuing state, being VIC. So in this case you need to display your L or P plates from VIC and not NSW.
Thanks for reaching out.
regards
Learn Drive Survive® Team.
Hi LSD Team
Do you know the law surrounding the Plates in NSW as to whether they have to have the Speeds
marked on them.
We sell them at our store and are trying to find if we have to get these particular ones
Thanks heaps
Hi Troy,
There is no specific legislation regarding L or P plates having to have the speed limit stamped/displayed onto the actual plates. The RMS provide L and P’s free of charge with the speed limit displayed on them however, reject shops, service stations etc only have the L or P without the speed limit. As long as the right plate (as per licence conditions) is correctly displayed e.g Black L on yellow background for L’s and red or green P on white background for P’s. Just remember, that you must clearly display them on the front and rear (exterior) without the L or P being obscured in any way.
Thanks for writing in.
Kind Regards
Learn Drive Survive® team