The SAAQ road test (Class 5): what you need to know

The SAAQ road test is the on-road driving test that leads to the Class 5 probationary licence. It comes after the knowledge test and at least 12 months on a learner’s licence, and is booked online on SAAQclic.

This page describes the road test the way the SAAQ presents it, so you know what to expect. One honest note up front: Permis 101 does not prepare you for this test. The app prepares you for the knowledge test that comes before it — whose material, as you will see, comes back on the road.

When the road test comes

The SAAQ runs the two tests in a fixed order: passing the knowledge test is a prerequisite for the road test. To be admitted on the day, you need an appointment and:

• a passed knowledge test;
• a learner’s licence held for at least 12 months;
• the completed attestation from your driving school, recognized by the AQTr, confirming you finished every phase of the course.

You book on SAAQclic. If you cannot make it, change the appointment at least 48 hours before the scheduled time: past that, the SAAQ charges a no-show fee, payable before the new test. Passing gets you the probationary licence, which you hold for 24 months before obtaining your driver’s licence.

How the test unfolds

Count on about 30 minutes of driving and about an hour for the whole appointment. Before setting off, the examiner explains how the test will proceed, then checks the vehicle’s main mechanical systems and components: windshield, side windows, rear window, rear-view and side mirrors. You are asked to place a removable “Examen de conduite” sign on the roof, which the examiner provides. No passenger or pet is allowed on board during the test.

Then comes the driving itself, on the road, in real traffic. At the end, whatever the result, the examiner takes the time to point out your strengths and the areas that need improvement — feedback worth writing down, especially if you have to retake.

What the evaluation sheet measures

The SAAQ’s road-test page does not reproduce the evaluation sheet, and this page will not invent one. What the SAAQ’s documents do say is clear. During the road test, the SAAQ checks two things: first, whether you put your knowledge of the Highway Safety Code, the road signs and the behaviours expected on the road into practice; second, whether you drive as a safe, cooperative and responsible driver.

The passing score is 75%. Read the first half of that sentence again: the theory is not behind you once the knowledge test is passed. Every right-of-way rule, every sign, every speed limit you learned for the knowledge test is evaluated again here, applied in real time, without the luxury of thinking it over. That is the reason not to memorize the theory for test day and let it go afterwards — and to have genuinely understood it instead.

The vehicle and what to bring

You show up with a vehicle that is safe and in good mechanical condition. Bring:

• your learner’s licence;
• the vehicle’s registration certificate, valid and signed;
• a paper copy of your proof of liability insurance;
• the attestation of completion from your driving school;
• if the vehicle is rented, the rental contract or receipt.

The fee

Fees apply to every road-test attempt, retakes included, and are paid to the SAAQ — together with the probationary licence fee, on the day of the appointment. The current amount is on the fees page for knowledge and road tests. Check the current fee when you book.

Failing and retaking

If you fail, a minimum wait of 28 days is imposed before you can retake — the same wait as for the knowledge test. It is counted in days, from the day of the fail. The retake is booked like a first attempt, and the fee applies again.

The best use of the wait is the one the examiner handed you as you got out of the car: the areas to improve are named, and those are what to work on, with your accompanying driver or your school. If it was knowledge of the rules that fell short on the road, the per-section logic of the knowledge-test retake applies here too: target what was missing, don’t redo everything.

Preparing

Preparation for the road test is the driving course and the hours behind the wheel with your accompanying driver — the SAAQ recommends practising in varied conditions: in rain or snow, in the evening or at night, on different kinds of roads and in heavy traffic. Permis 101 plays no part at this stage.

Where the app counts is earlier: at the knowledge test, with mock tests in the real format and a verdict per section. And since the theory is evaluated again on the road, theory you understood — not just memorized for test day — is also the best foundation for what comes next.

For official information on the road test, see the SAAQ’s road test page.

Frequently asked questions

Go further

• Failing the test: the 28-day rule
• The passing score: why the average doesn’t count
• Retaking the test, section by section
• The complete guide to the knowledge test
• The Permis 101 FAQ

Official sources

The facts on this page come from the official pages of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

• Road test to obtain a probationary licence – passenger vehicle (Class 5)
• Fees for knowledge and road tests
• Competency examination policy PO-PM 05 (PDF, French)
• Driver’s Handbook
• Driving a Passenger Vehicle
• Quick reference guide: obtaining a Class 5 licence (PDF)

First, the knowledge test

The road test comes after the knowledge test — Permis 101 prepares you for that one. Mock tests in the real format, a verdict per section, and your margin measured before you book.

Free to start · $19.99 CAD once · No subscription

Permis 101 is an independent app, not affiliated with the SAAQ. For official information and to book your test, go to the SAAQ.