Getting a driver’s licence is a key milestone for a teen on the way to independent adulthood, but the cost of achieving it varies significantly depending on where you live in Australia. That’s according to new research from professional driving instructor finder EzLicence, which has compared the full licensing journey across all states and territories, including government fees, testing requirements, and the average cost of six driving lessons.

As a result of the survey, South Australia is comfortably the most expensive to secure your driver’s licence, with total licensing costs exceeding $1300 when including driving lessons and multiple test stages. Queensland follows with a $957.20 cost, followed closely behind by New South Wales at $940.05.

In contrast, South Australia’s neighbour Victoria is the cheapest state for obtaining a driving licence at $558.52, with the lowest overall fees and additional savings from safe driver incentives. When also adjusted for income, South Australia remains the least affordable state, while the Northern Territory and Victoria are, comparatively, the most accessible for young drivers.

StateLearner TestLearner Licence6x Driving LessonsProvisional (P1) Hazard Perception TestProvisional (P1) Practical Driving TestProvisional Licences (P1 & P2)Full Licence – 1 yearTotal Cost w/ 6 LessonsSafe Driver Discount ValueTotal Cost w/ Discount + 6 Lessons
South Australia$41.00$74.00$681.49$35.00$265.00$185.00$75.00$1,356.49$0.00$1,356.49
Queensland$28.70$77.55$493.00$41.30$67.15$157.95$91.55$957.20$0.00$957.20
New South Wales$57.00$31.00$469.05$57.00$70.00$184.00$72.00$940.05$0.00$940.05
Australian Capital Territory$0.00$63.30$493.71$0.00$129.00$160.30$52.30$898.61$69.13$829.48
Western Australia$22.40$150.80$474.84$29.90$0.00$96.40$48.20$822.54$48.20$774.34
Tasmania$0.00$39.65$441.10$0.00$106.16$66.39$39.65$692.95$39.65$653.30
Northern Territory$110.00$0.00$492.24$0.00$0.00$0.00$39.00$641.24$39.00$602.24
Victoria$0.00$0.00$453.89$0.00$73.30$0.00$31.33$558.52$31.33$527.19

Driving lesson prices vary quite a bit across Australia, and the differences between regions are just as important as state averages. Adelaide is the most expensive region nationally at $113.58 per hour, sitting well above the national average of $80.31. This points to fewer instructors and tighter availability – and plus the state’s already high licensing fees.

New South Wales shows a notable pattern where regional areas are often more expensive than Sydney itself, while at the more affordable end, Melbourne ($75.52) sits below most other major capitals, while Hobart ($73.52) is the least expensive capital city.

Other areas of EzLicence’s survey included the time required to obtain a full licence nationally, ranging from just 2.5 years to up to five years. Victoria has the longest pathway at a minimum of five years for drivers under 21. At the other end of the scale, the Northern Territory has no mandated minimum supervised driving hours, as well as the shortest minimum pathway to a full licence at two and a half years.

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The difference in cost for driving lessons for automatic transmissions versus manual was also examined, with South Australia again the most expensive at $688.24 more than automatic, or more than double the price, making it by far the most expensive state for manual learners.

“When you look at the full picture, it becomes clear that the cost of getting a licence in Australia is driven far more by driving lessons than by government fees alone, with lessons making up the biggest share of the total expense in most states,” said Ross Rivalland, Sales Manager at EzLicence. “As more learners are responsible for covering these costs themselves, the financial pressure can add up quickly.”

The full EzLicence survey is available to view here.