The road test, and who really needs one

A G2 road test after a DUI: first check whether you need one

This is the most commercially awkward thing on our site and it is still the first thing we say. Ontario requires a road test only where the full class licence was suspended or invalid for more than three years. One to three years is an eye test and nothing else.

A first Criminal Code conviction carries a minimum one-year suspension, which lands in that first band. Under Stream A it is three months. Most first-time offenders never sit a road test, and we would rather tell you that than take a booking you do not need.

If you do need one, the car has to match the licence

DriveTest inspects the vehicle before the examiner gets in. Two of the three interlock clauses on their out-of-order list are mismatches, and they run in both directions: a licence with an “I” and a car without a device, or a car with a device and a licence without the condition. Either one ends the appointment.

The distinction worth knowing on the day

If you cannot provide an acceptable breath sample, DriveTest cancels and you lose 50% of the fee. If the device will not accept a valid sample — a fault on its side, at the start or during a rolling retest — DriveTest cancels and reschedules you free of charge.

Nobody in this niche writes that up properly, and it is the difference between a wasted fee and a free second date.

The ordinary things that end appointments

People focus on the interlock and then get caught by something mundane. No passengers and no pets in the vehicle — your instructor waits in the car park. In-vehicle recording devices must be disabled, and dashcams count. Arrive 30 minutes early, not five.

Ottawa: the two centres are not interchangeable

Canotek Road runs G2 and G road tests only. Walkley Road handles every licence class and is the only Ottawa centre with Saturday appointments, which is why its queue is longer. Book whichever gives you the earlier date; we cover both as standard.

Read the long-form version in your road test with an “i” condition. If a road test is part of your route back, we cover interlock car rental for a G2 or G road test and the ten-hour interlock training course. Related reading: car insurance after a DUI in Ontario and life after a DUI in Canada, or browse every Ontario DUI licence recovery article.