ICBC Class 5 Road Test Removed in BC

This is the first significant update to BC's Graduated Licensing Program in more than 25 years. If you hold a Class 7 Novice licence, are learning on a Class 7L, or are moving to BC, it changes your path to a full licence. We check every fact on this page against ICBC and BC government sources and update it when ICBC publishes new details. [ICBC]

Why BC Is Removing the Second Road Test

BC says a clean record built over time predicts long term safety about as reliably as one road test. When the change was announced on July 20, 2026, Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, made that point directly. In lessons around Victoria we regularly see students who drive well for months, then struggle for 30 minutes because an examiner is in the passenger seat. [BC Gov]

BC is also catching up with other jurisdictions. The Province says nearly all graduated licensing programs worldwide have no second road test, and that Transport Canada collision statistics show three of the four Canadian provinces with the lowest motor vehicle fatality rates have no exit test. After October 19, Ontario is the only Canadian jurisdiction that still requires one. [BC Gov]

Access matters too. ICBC says removing the test reduces barriers for drivers in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, where road test appointments can be hard to reach. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs welcomed the changes and linked them to the UBCIC Road to Reconciliation discussion paper. [BC Gov]

The program has not had a significant update in more than 25 years. The new 12 month restricted Class 5 stage is how BC keeps new drivers under closer watch after they upgrade.

How the Driving Record Assessment Works

The Driving Record Assessment is a review of your driving record, not an in car exam. ICBC checks that you have driven long enough on your Novice licence with a clean record. You must meet every one of these criteria to upgrade from Class 7 to Class 5, or from Class 7, 8 to Class 5, 6. [ICBC]

Where to find your eligibility date

Starting October 19, 2026, your driving record lists an "Earliest Exit Date." That is the first day you can apply for the Driving Record Assessment.

Where to go

Once you meet the criteria, visit a driver licensing office by appointment or as a walk in customer. The Province says the assessment will be offered at ICBC driver licensing offices, Service BC offices and driver licensing agents. ICBC's online booking, from October 19, covers ICBC driver licensing offices only. Choose the "Driving Record Assessment" service type when you book. [BC Gov]

What it costs

ICBC accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit and personal cheques. Outstanding debt with ICBC can hold up a renewal or upgrade, so ICBC asks you to call Account Services at 604 661 2723 or 1 800 665 6442 before booking.

How the Restricted Class 5 and Restriction 55 Work

After you upgrade, your Class 5 carries restriction 55 for 12 months. Restriction 55 means zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug content while driving. ICBC prints its expiry date on the back of your licence, and it comes off automatically with no action needed. [ICBC]

• Confirmed: restriction 55 lasts 12 months and expires automatically.
• Confirmed: a prohibition or suspension restarts the 12 months from the date your licence is reinstated.
• Confirmed: drivers under 25 still display the N sign while driving on a Class 7 licence. [ICBC]
• Confirmed: ICBC's guidance for Class 7 drivers 25 and older says that from October 19 they no longer need to display the N sign or have a supervisor to carry more than one passenger.
• Confirmed: the Province says violations during this stage face greater scrutiny than for experienced drivers. [BC Gov]
• Not yet stated: whether an ordinary ticket, without a prohibition or suspension, changes the end date.

Book Your Class 5 Road Test or Wait?

Until October 18, eligible Novice drivers can still choose the Class 5 road test. Any second road test scheduled on or after October 19 will be cancelled, and ICBC will email you with next steps. With only weeks left, the choice is about which Class 5 you want and when. [ICBC]

Who Still Needs to Take a Road Test

The change removes the Graduated Licensing Program exit test, not every road test in BC. Drivers moving to BC follow licence exchange rules based on age and driving experience after the learner stage. [ICBC]

Moving to BC with a licence from a reciprocal jurisdiction

• Drivers from outside ICBC's licence exchange program, or who cannot prove their experience, complete a vision screening and, depending on experience, a knowledge test and a road test.
• From October 19, a commercial learner's licence needs a Class 5 or Class 6 licence, with or without restriction 55, plus 24 months of driving after the learner stage, or 18 months with a completed approved GLP course.
• Motorcycle licensing gets separate changes through the Motorcyclist Licensing Program in 2027.
• ICBC has not said whether a previously failed Class 5 road test affects the assessment. Follow your ICBC letter or ask ICBC directly.

Why Your Class 7 Road Test Matters More Now

With the second test gone, the Class 7 road test is the main in car test for most BC drivers. After it, nobody checks your driving in person again on the way to Class 5. Your record does the talking, so the habits you build as a learner carry through the Novice stage and the restricted year.

Professional lessons help you develop observation, speed control and hazard perception for the Class 7 road test on roads around Victoria, and the defensive habits that keep your record clean afterwards. At Sky Driving School Ltd., a driving school in Victoria BC, lessons take place in our Toyota Prius Prime and Hyundai Elantra, automatic dual control training vehicles used by a Division 27 licensed driving school.

Read our guide to the ICBC road test in Victoria, review the most common road test mistakes, or book road test preparation Victoria BC students use before their Class 7 test.