Every person with a driver’s license knows the pain of going through the ICBC road tests— both of them. Regardless, if you want to be a fully-fledged driver, you have to take your Class 5 test next. Although, it’s a total toss-up whether you’ll even be able to book your test, since ICBC themselves have acknowledged the backlog of drivers in the queue to book their exams.
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But things are officially changing.
ICBC Road Tests
Public Safety Minister Garry Begg announced in 2025 that new legislation will remove the second road test required to move to a Class 5 license. This comes from the aforementioned test backlog that ICBC has been grappling with as of late. Due to an increase in demand and a lack of examiners to go around, some ICBC customers have been waiting up to multiple months just to book their driver’s licensing tests.
The removal of the second test is meant to reduce those waiting times.
The Next Steps
Starting October 19, 2026, drivers holding a Class 7 license “who are eligible may qualify for a one-time, automatic licence upgrade from a Class 7 to a Class 5 licence, meaning they won’t be required to complete an in-office driving record assessment.”
Following this, drivers will be under a 12-month restriction period where they will have to uphold that crystal-clean driving record. That means absolutely no infractions on their name, ranging from speeding to distracted driving, to other, more serious infractions.
“During the restricted period, drivers will be subject to a zero blood-alcohol and drug restriction and face greater scrutiny than experienced drivers if they receive any violations on their record,” explains a press release from the province. “The new 12-month restricted period will help flag and correct mistakes made by new drivers and ensure they spend more time developing good driving habits on the roads.”
Gaming the System
Since the legislation’s announcement, more and more N-drivers are electing to delay their final driving test. For some, it is because they have already maintained their novice license for many years, and so another year and a half of waiting will hardly change anything. For others, it is to avoid doing another test.
Many Redditors have expressed that they are “gaming the system” or have “played the long game” when it comes to their final road test.
What do you think about the new legislation?
