Learner permit rules
- Your car needs an L-plate at the front and another at the back.
- Someone who has held a full car licence for 2 years or more must sit beside you.
- You may not drive on a motorway.
- Take 12 Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons with an approved driving instructor (ADI) before your test.
Source: Rules of the Road (RSA, 2026), Section 2: The learner driver, conditions 1), 2), 4) and 6), pp.29-32
After you pass, and new rules
- When you get your first full licence, show N-plates for 2 years.
- Learner and novice drivers are disqualified at 7 penalty points. Others at 12.
- From 1 Nov 2026: after 4 years on learner permits, you must take the driving test before you can renew.
- From 1 Nov 2026, you can sit the theory test from age 15.
Source: Rules of the Road (RSA, 2026), Section 1, Novice drivers, p.23, and Section 15, Driving bans, p.187; RSA, Multiple learner permits web page; theorytest.ie news, 1 Nov 2026