How to Get Your M1 Licence in Ontario

What the M1 actually is

Ontario licenses motorcyclists in three stages: M1 (learner), M2 (intermediate), and M (full). The M1 is earned with a written knowledge test — no riding required — and it lets you start riding on the road immediately, under restrictions designed to keep new riders out of the highest-risk situations. It's valid for 90 days, and you must hold it at least 60 days before you can move up to M2.

Step by step

1. Study the Official MTO Motorcycle Handbook. The knowledge test is drawn from it — road signs, rules of the road, and motorcycle-specific skills like lane position, braking, and carrying loads. Pair it with free practice tests in the real M1 format so the question style holds no surprises.
2. Go to a DriveTest centre. The knowledge test doesn't require the kind of long-lead booking a road test does — check your local centre's hours and whether it takes walk-ins or online booking. Bring accepted identification (passport, PR card, or Ontario photo card) and glasses or contacts if you wear them.
3. Pass the vision test and the written test. The M1 knowledge test has 64 multiple-choice questions in sections covering road signs, rules of the road, and motorcycle knowledge — and you need 80% in each section, not just overall. Acing the signs section is the easiest ground to bank; our road signs guide covers every sign with pictures.
4. Ride under M1 restrictions. Congratulations — you're a licensed rider, with conditions (next section). Use the 60-day minimum period to build real skills, ideally in quiet traffic and good weather.
5. Move up to M2. Two routes: pass the M1 exit road test at DriveTest, or — the route most riders take — complete a government-approved motorcycle safety course, which certifies you for M2, teaches you far more than the minimum, and often earns an insurance discount.
6. Earn your full M. After riding on your M2 (about 22 months, reduced with an approved course), pass the M2 exit road test — a longer test that includes highway riding — and the licence is yours for good.

M1 restrictions — the four rules

• Zero alcohol. Your blood-alcohol level must be 0.00 while riding.
• Daylight only. No riding from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise.
• No big highways. 400-series highways and high-speed expressways (like the QEW) are off limits.
• No passengers. You ride alone until M2.

What it costs

Expect roughly $25 for the knowledge test and M1 licence, with separate fees for each road test later in the process, and course fees (typically a few hundred dollars) if you take the safety-course route to M2. Fees change — check the current schedule on Ontario.ca or DriveTest before you go.

Details like fees, booking rules, and test formats change over time. This guide describes the process as of 2026 — always confirm current requirements with MTO / DriveTest.

How to pass the written test on the first try

The M1 test fails people for one reason: the per-section 80% bar. You can know the rules cold and still fail on signs, or vice versa. Practice each section separately until you're consistently above 80% in all three — then the real thing is routine. The free Ontario practice test mirrors the real format: 64 questions, 80% to pass, road signs with pictures.

Frequently asked questions

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Unofficial guide — not affiliated with MTO, DriveTest, or any licensing authority. Rules, fees, and formats change; always verify current requirements with MTO / DriveTest.