BC Removes the Second Road Test on Oct 19, 2026: What It Means

On October 19, 2026, British Columbia stops running the second road test — the Class 5 test that novice drivers took to get rid of their N. In its place ICBC will look at your driving record. The first road test, the one that gets you from L to N, is unchanged, and so is the knowledge test that starts the whole thing.

What actually changes

• The Class 5 road test is removed for eligible Class 7 novice (and Class 7, 8) drivers with a clean record.
• A Driving Record Assessment replaces it. There is no car, no examiner, no route — ICBC checks whether your novice time and your record meet the criteria.
• Pass the assessment and you get a Class 5 licence with a 12-month restricted period: zero blood alcohol and zero drugs, and violations are treated more seriously than they would be for an experienced driver.
• Class 5 road tests booked for October 19 or later are being cancelled, with an email from ICBC about next steps. If your test is before that date, you can still take it and you get an ordinary unrestricted Class 5.

Who qualifies for the Driving Record Assessment

• Under 25: 24 months of safe driving as a novice — 18 months if you finished an ICBC-approved GLP course during the learner stage.
• 25 or older: 12 months of safe driving as a novice.
• No convictions for excessive speed or for using an electronic device during that period.
• No prohibitions and no suspensions during that period.

Miss one of those and you do not fail a test — you restart the novice clock and become eligible again once you have put a clean stretch behind you. Some drivers who already meet everything may be upgraded automatically without visiting an office; everyone else books a "Driving Record Assessment" appointment or walks in.

The knowledge test is still the front door — and it moved online

None of this touches the first step. You still need to pass the 50-question knowledge test, with 40 correct, before you can drive with a supervisor. Since June 9, 2026 you can take it at home:

• $15, the same questions and the same pass mark as the office version, offered in 12 languages.
• Desktop or laptop with a webcam only — no phones or tablets. Identity checks and webcam monitoring run during the test.
• You have 72 hours after registering to start, then 45 minutes in one sitting.
• Passing does not make you licensed. You still visit a driver licensing office for the vision test, your photo and the actual L, and results stay valid for one year.

What drivers are actually saying

The change was picked up in a busy r/britishcolumbia thread — around 560 upvotes and close to 300 comments — and the reaction is not what you would expect from a safety story. Most of the top comments call the second test redundant: "if a driver fails, they just hop back into their car and drive home." Several people point out that the drivers scaring them on the road hold full Class 5 licences with years of experience, not Ns. Others focus on ICBC capacity — appointments are hard to get, waits are long, and freeing up examiners for first road tests is a real gain.

The pushback is worth reading too. One commenter argues the bigger risk is the learner test being taken at home, not the Class 5 test disappearing. Another notes that driving-school operators quoted as opponents also stand to lose business. And a recurring theme: none of this matters much without enforcement for drivers who have been on the road for twenty years.

One 19-year-old N holder described it well — she has driven for two years with zero faults, and points out that passing a 30-minute test would not have removed the bad habits she knows she has. That is roughly the province's own argument: months of record beat one appointment.

What to do about it now

If you are still at the learner stage, nothing about your plan changes: study Learn to Drive Smart, pass the knowledge test, then work toward the Class 7 road test, which still exists and still has an examiner in the passenger seat. If you are an N holder, the useful move is boring — keep the record clean. Under the new system your record is the test.

Confirm details on ICBC's page on the GLP changes before you book anything, since dates and criteria can be adjusted.