Driving Tests

PEI Stage 1 Rules: Supervising Driver, Passengers, 1 a.m. Curfew

informational·how to guide·Published July 28, 2026

Who can sit beside a Stage 1 driver in PEI?

In Prince Edward Island, your supervisor must be a fully licensed driver who has held a licence for at least four years, holds a licence class for your vehicle and keeps blood alcohol under 50 mg per 100 mL. Nobody else sits in front, and only the supervisor's immediate family may ride in the back. Under 21, you may not drive from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Where these rules come from

This guide uses the Graduated Driver Licensing Regulations, the Highway Traffic Act and the Graduated Driver Licensing Program information booklet from the Highway Safety Division, as of 2026. It covers cars and light trucks, and it also uses the Demerit Point System Regulations and the Co-pilot brochure. Where the booklet and the law use different words, this guide follows the law. Confirm the rules with Access PEI (princeedwardisland.ca) before you drive.

Who can be your supervising driver

Your supervisor sits in the seat beside you. The law calls this person the accompanying driver.
Your supervisor is a fully licensed driver and has held a valid driver's licence for at least four years. A licence from another jurisdiction counts when the Registrar recognizes it. The practice question on who must sit beside a Class 7 holder tests this rule.
Your supervisor's licence class lets them drive the class of vehicle that you drive.
Your supervisor's blood alcohol stays under 50 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood while you drive.
A licensed driving instructor can also be your supervisor when the instructor licence covers your class of vehicle.
Keep your permit with you whenever you drive.

Who can ride in each seat

Who can ride in each seat
Seat or situation	Who may sit there
Driver's seat	You, the Stage 1 driver
Front passenger seat	Your supervising driver only
Back seats	Only immediate family members of your supervising driver
Any seat	No more people than seating positions with an available seat belt
Lesson with a driving instructor in an approved driver education course	Up to four passengers, not counting the instructor

Can your friends ride with you?

Not when a parent or another private supervisor sits beside you, unless your friends belong to that supervisor's immediate family. The rule follows your supervisor's family, not yours, so a school friend cannot ride along, even in the back seat. The front passenger seat is only for your supervisor. The Highway Traffic Act sets the same limit: no other persons except the supervisor's immediate family members may be in the vehicle. If you are not sure whether a relative counts as immediate family, ask Access PEI before you drive.

Can you drive at night? The 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. rule

You are under 21

You may not drive between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Before 1 a.m. and after 5 a.m., you can drive with your supervisor.

Your supervisor is beside you at 2 a.m.

The ban still applies. A supervisor does not change it, and Stage 1 has no exemption. Only a Stage 2 driver can get a written exemption from the Registrar, as the Stage 2 and Stage 3 rules explain.

You are 21 or older

The 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. rule does not apply to you. All other Stage 1 rules still apply.

Zero alcohol, zero drugs and no hand-held devices

Your blood alcohol must be zero while you drive or have care or control of the vehicle. The practice question on blood alcohol in the graduated licence stages covers it.
Your blood drug concentration must be zero too.
Do not use a hand-held cellular telephone, headphones, an mp3 player or any other hand-held electronic device while you drive.
Hands-free use of a phone is allowed. Headphones are on the banned list, so do not wear any.
Holding or using a hand-held device while driving brings a fine of $500 to $1,200 (CAD) under the Highway Traffic Act and 5 demerit points.

The L decal on your car

You get the decal, a yellow sticker with a black capital L, when your photo is taken for the Instruction Permit. It is free. You must display it on any vehicle you drive, in a location the Registrar approves. The booklet says to put it on the inside of the windshield, just above the inspection sticker. You can remove it and move it to the next vehicle you drive. A lost or destroyed decal is replaced free at any Access PEI location.

One demerit-point offence means a one-month suspension

In Stage 1, one offence is enough. When you are convicted of any offence that carries demerit points, the Registrar suspends your Stage 1 licence for one month. After the suspension, the minimum time you must hold the Stage 1 licence before you can get a Stage 2 licence grows by 30 days: 365 days become 395, or 275 days become 305 after a driver education program. The guide to new driver penalties and demerit points explains the full point system.

Key takeaways

Your supervisor sits beside you, is fully licensed, has held a valid licence for at least four years and keeps blood alcohol under 50 mg per 100 mL.
Nobody else sits in the front seat. Outside a driving-school lesson, back-seat passengers can only be your supervisor's immediate family.
If you are under 21, you may not drive from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., with or without a supervisor.
Zero alcohol, zero drugs, no hand-held devices or headphones, and one offence with demerit points brings a one-month suspension.
Next step: practise on the free Prince Edward Island Class 7 practice test. It is in English only.

PEI Stage 1 rules: common questions

What if my drive home runs past 1 a.m.?

If you are under 21, you must stop driving at 1:00 a.m. Stage 1 has no exemption from the night rule, not even for a trip home with your supervisor beside you. Plan late trips so that you finish driving before 1 a.m. You may drive again from 5:00 a.m., with your supervisor beside you.

Do I need the L decal when I drive a different car?

Yes. The decal must be on any vehicle you drive, so move it from your usual car to the windshield of the other one. If the decal is still on another vehicle, or you cannot get a replacement, for example on an evening or a weekend, the booklet says you may put a temporary paper decal on the windshield.

Will one phone ticket suspend my Stage 1 licence?

Yes. Holding or using a hand-held device while driving carries 5 demerit points, and a conviction for any offence with demerit points suspends a Stage 1 licence for one month. You also pay a fine of $500 to $1,200 (CAD), and your minimum time in Stage 1 before the Stage 2 licence grows by 30 days.

What is the fine if I drive without a supervisor?

The Highway Traffic Act sets a fine of $500 to $2,000 (CAD) for a permit holder who drives alone or with a person the law does not allow. Outside a driving-school lesson, a person who has held a licence for less than four years, or whose licence class does not cover your vehicle, cannot be your supervisor.

I am 25 and just got my instruction permit. Which Stage 1 rules apply to me?

All of them except the night rule. The Graduated Driver Licensing program applies to all new drivers, at any age. From 21, you may drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. You still need a qualified supervisor beside you, only their immediate family in the back, zero alcohol and drugs, no hand-held devices or headphones, and the L decal.