Ontario Driving Licence Must know before you waste your money

[logic_bomb]

Hello,
If you are from foreign country with no licence exchange agreement and have 24 Months or More of Driving Experience in the Last 3 Years you are eligible to give g1/g2 exit road test... Coreect. Clearing g2 will give you full G licence.... And you belive in your superior driving skills because you drove in home country for years and you think you can clear G2 road test. Please read my story and opinion before you waste money and time.

I was driving in India for 7 years with my own car on highways , I considered myself expert driver. When I came to Canada I went to driving school for few lessons , I asked my instructor to suggest me if I should go for G or G2, After one lessson he told me I am ok G just need few more lessons... I paid for out of Toronto drive test car rental abot 250$ and after ok road test managed to fail with reason being "too many errors"....

Something I learned from this:

G2 is as good as G in most of cases ( except for driving with alcohol level)
Passing G2 test is way too easy and 1 mistake in 30 min road test is enough to fail in G test.
Driving school guys want you too give G test they know you will fail and give them money again...
If you are from Countries like India with little or no drving rules , no concepts like right of way ,you are most likely to fail the G test.

So my suggestion , try for G2 its good you can drive alone,rent ... may be after few years try for G

 

[torontosm]

Hello,
If you are from foreign country with no licence exchange agreement and have 24 Months or More of Driving Experience in the Last 3 Years you are eligible to give g1/g2 exit road test... Coreect. Clearing g2 will give you full G licence.... And you belive in your superior driving skills because you drove in home country for years and you think you can clear G2 road test. Please read my story and opinion before you waste money and time.

I was driving in India for 7 years with my own car on highways , I considered myself expert driver. When I came to Canada I went to driving school for few lessons , I asked my instructor to suggest me if I should go for G or G2, After one lessson he told me I am ok G just need few more lessons... I paid for out of Toronto drive test car rental abot 250$ and after ok road test managed to fail with reason being "too many errors"....

Something I learned from this:

G2 is as good as G in most of cases ( except for driving with alcohol level)
Passing G2 test is way too easy and 1 mistake in 30 min road test is enough to fail in G test.
Driving school guys want you too give G test they know you will fail and give them money again...
If you are from Countries like India with little or no drving rules , no concepts like right of way ,you are most likely to fail the G test.

So my suggestion , try for G2 its good you can drive alone,rent ... may be after few years try for G

What you failed to mention is that insurance rates are much higher if you have a G2 vs. a G license.

 

[coloneldent84]

What you failed to mention is that insurance rates are much higher if you have a G2 vs. a G license.

Could you please specify how much that difference is? How much does a new driver pay for auto insurance in G2 vs G level in general? In GTA for example?

 

[ssoy]

I am also from a country with little rules and was in the same situation. Did not take any lessons but practiced the test route and the rules over and over. I talked to ppl that have taken the test at the center and they also gave me tips. All of that I shared with my husband, who also took 2 hours of lessons on top of it. End result, I passed G easily, he failed because of one mistake that not even the instructor thought of before. Now, it could be bad luck, or discrimination or the tester's mood. Unfortunately no guarantees but I am glad I went for G because now we will get the insurance under my name as primary. I don't know the exact numbers but I checked a few quotes and it did make a difference between me and my husband being the main driver. When theinsurance is so insanely high to begin with, any amount makes a difference.
OTOH, husband passed G2 easily so it is true that you have easier time with it.

 

[logic_bomb]

Thanks for clarifying with insurance , I stay in downtown and I have no plans to buy car need licence just to rent a car.

 

[alok4best]

OP, I don't think what you said is a general rule of thumb. I know at least 4 people at work, who had driving experience from India and they all cleared full G road tests in their first attempt. Which country you have experience from is not so important, what is important is your own driving habits.
Not everyone in India drives rashly, a lot of Indians also drive very patiently and obey all laws.

I am an Indian myself, and since I had very little card driving exp in India despite of having a full Indian license, I decided to go one step at a time.
So I wrote the test and got G1, then waited few months, practiced, and upgraded to G2. I now plan to practice more on G2 before attempting G next year.

However, if I were to go for a motorbike license, I will directly go for full M, since I have more than 150K KMs of riding experience and I am a defensive driver by instincts.

 

[davek1979]

You also forget to mention that you cannot renew a G2 licence. You can only renew a G licence.

 

[sharat_joshi77]

You also forget to mention that you cannot renew a G2 licence. You can only renew a G licence.

Yes. That is true. Once the G2 licence is expired, you are right at the start of process (Written test etc).
The best way is:
- Give the G2 test and clear it (they are less stringent in observations than G) and then give for G level after a year or two of practicing
- Select a small test location for G test (I heard Guelph is a small test location and less chances to fail if drivers are following rules. Brampton/ Etobocoke are very strict in giving marks in road test.

 

[sharat_joshi77]

Could you please specify how much that difference is? How much does a new driver pay for auto insurance in G2 vs G level in general? In GTA for example?

I drive a 2014 RAV4, and the diff in G2 and G was around $28 per month.

 

[coloneldent84]

I drive a 2014 RAV4, and the diff in G2 and G was around $28 per month.

that is a good thing to know, but It is not a big difference!

Are you residing In Ontario?? I am asking because I will go for G2 since I don't have enough driving experience to go for a full G licence. I used to consult online auto-insurance websites, but all quotes I got were astronomical (In GTA) (over 5000 a year!).

 

[sharat_joshi77]

that is a good thing to know, but It is not a big difference!

Are you residing In Ontario?? I am asking because I will go for G2 since I don't have enough driving experience to go for a full G licence. I used to consult online auto-insurance websites, but all quotes I got were astronomical (In GTA) (over 5000 a year!).

Yes. I am in Ontario/ Brampton. This place tends to have max insurance rates.
Once you are in Canada, even this amount looks bigger when it adds up to the total expenses

I did the same (went for G2 and then after a year or so, for G)
Check RBC Insurance. In my experience, they have the best competitive rates in market. But you are seeing about right numbers that are going on in market these days.
If you are married, and your wife also has the same qualification (G2/G as you), you might get some discount for your insurance rate as well.
All depends on the offers and your situation.

I have seen people paying as much as $500/month for a SUV with 2 drivers in the insurance plan...

 

[coloneldent84]

Yes. I am in Ontario/ Brampton. This place tends to have max insurance rates.
Once you are in Canada, even this amount looks bigger when it adds up to the total expenses

I did the same (went for G2 and then after a year or so, for G)
Check RBC Insurance. In my experience, they have the best competitive rates in market. But you are seeing about right numbers that are going on in market these days.
If you are married, and your wife also has the same qualification (G2/G as you), you might get some discount for your insurance rate as well.
All depends on the offers and your situation.

I have seen people paying as much as $500/month for a SUV with 2 drivers in the insurance plan...

Thanks buddy for this information although I am sad because of these high figures ???

 

[sharat_joshi77]

Thanks buddy for this information although I am sad because of these high figures ???

these high figures will be part of your life in Canada...
get used to them and your life will be somewhat easy

 

[alok4best]

Thanks buddy for this information although I am sad because of these high figures ???

Unfortunately in Ontario, you do not have any alternatives to paying huge premiums for first few years.

 

[logic_bomb]

Yes. That is true. Once the G2 licence is expired, you are right at the start of process (Written test etc).
The best way is:
- Give the G2 test and clear it (they are less stringent in observations than G) and then give for G level after a year or two of practicing
- Select a small test location for G test (I heard Guelph is a small test location and less chances to fail if drivers are following rules. Brampton/ Etobocoke are very strict in giving marks in road test.

-> Give the G2 test and clear it (they are less stringent in observations than G) and then give for G level after a year or two of practicing

Seems this is best option , ya insurance + parking costs (500+120 parking rate in my building per month+Variable cost depends on roads/office space at least 6$ a day) , made me forget buying car and use TTC. I am occasionally renting car now which is quite cheaper compared to cost of owning one.