Ignition interlock program questions people actually ask
The questions we are actually asked, answered the way we answer them on the telephone. No claims we cannot back up, and sources named where it matters.
Ignition interlock program questions: what we do and do not
Do you install ignition interlock devices?
No. Installation in Ontario is done by two government-approved providers, Smart Start Canada and ALCOLOCK Canada. You sign a lease with one of them and they fit, service and eventually remove the unit.
We are a driving school. We teach you to use the device, and we rent a car that already has one fitted so you can sit a road test. If you need an install, the providers are who you want.
Can you get me a road test date sooner?
No, and please be careful with anyone who says they can. We have no arrangement with DriveTest. You book your own test at drivetest.ca or 1-888-570-6110, and the Ministry of Transportation publicly cautions against third-party road-test booking sites and resellers.
What we can do is be there on the date you get, with a car that passes the vehicle check. That is the part that is genuinely hard to arrange.
Are you connected to the Ministry or to DriveTest?
No. We are an independent driving school. We are not affiliated with the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, DriveTest, Smart Start or ALCOLOCK, and we do not participate in the Reduced Suspension with Ignition Interlock Conduct Review Program — that programme has no role for a driving school in it.
Do you run Back on Track?
No. Back on Track is Ontario’s mandatory remedial programme, delivered through remedial.net. Nothing we run substitutes for any part of it or shortens it. The Back on Track program in Ontario sets out what it actually involves.
The vehicle, the rules and the day
Does my road test really have to be in a car with an interlock?
Yes, if your licence carries the “I” condition. DriveTest inspects the vehicle before the test begins, and their published requirements list “ignition interlock device not installed if a requirement exists” among the conditions that make a road test out of order.
It works the other way too: a vehicle fitted with a device when the licence does not carry the condition is also out of order. The car and the licence have to match.
What does out of order actually cost me?
You lose 50% of the road test fee. The other 50% stays as a credit on your driving record and can be applied when you book a new test. Then you wait for another appointment, which is usually the expensive part.
What if I cannot give a clean breath sample at the centre?
Two different outcomes, and the distinction matters. If you cannot provide an acceptable sample, the test is cancelled 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 reschedules you at no charge.
Can someone ride along during my test?
No. Passengers make a road test out of order, so your instructor waits in the car park while you drive with the examiner. Everything useful they can tell you happens in the hour before.
Which Ottawa DriveTest centre should I book?
Whichever is closer, with two caveats. Canotek runs G2 and G road tests only, so if you need anything else it has to be Walkley. And Walkley is the only Ottawa centre with Saturday road test appointments, which matters if you cannot take a weekday off. We bring an ignition interlock road test car across Ontario to either one, with the drive time from each area listed.
Whether any of this applies to you
Do I even need a road test?
It depends on one thing only: how long your licence was invalid.
- 1 to 3 years — eye test only. No road test. A first conviction carries a minimum one-year suspension, so most first-time drivers land here.
- 3 to 10 years — knowledge test, eye test and two road tests, with no mandatory waiting between them. This is who we are for.
- 10 years or more — you reapply as a new driver and serve every graduated licensing waiting period.
Tell us your dates on the phone. If you are in the first band we will say so rather than take a booking.
How long does the interlock condition last?
After a Criminal Code conviction: a minimum of one year for a first offence, three for a second and six for a third. For offences on or after 1 July 2026, installing within 30 days of reinstatement and complying throughout can reduce that to a minimum of nine months for a first offence and two years for a second. the Ontario ignition interlock program in full
Can I drive my partner’s car if it has no device?
No. During the “I” condition you may drive only a vehicle with an approved interlock fitted. Penalties run from $200 to $1,000 for most vehicles, with vehicle impoundment, and an owner who knowingly lets you drive their car can also be charged.
Money, discretion and dates
Why is there no price on this website?
Because there is not one number. What you pay depends on how many road tests you need, whether the training goes with the car, which centre you are testing at and how far out the date is. Someone booking a single car for Canotek next week and someone booking the full course plus two tests are not the same job.
So send us the details and we come back with a written figure with everything in it, usually the same day. There is no deposit to get one and nothing attached to it.
Will anyone at the centre know why I am there?
The car carries no driving-school signage — no roof sign, nothing on the doors. Your name is not on a windscreen or any clipboard a passer-by could read. We do not ask what happened, and we never will.
How quickly can you fit me in?
The car is usually the easy part; your DriveTest appointment is the scarce thing. Send the date as soon as you have it. Training and a road test can be completed within 24 hours if the schedule allows, which is how out-of-town clients usually do it.
Do you serve outside Ottawa?
Kingston, Cornwall, Brockville and Pembroke by arrangement, along with the Ottawa suburbs and Gatineau for Ontario licence holders. Every area we bring an interlock test car in Eastern Ontario to is listed with its drive time.
Question not answered?
Ring and ask. If it is quicker to tell you that you do not need us, that is what will happen.
- Answered the same day, Monday to Saturday
- A written figure with everything included
- If you don’t need a road test, we’ll tell you that instead
Phone is faster. Someone answers Monday to Saturday, evenings included.