Am I allowed to do private practice driving in Norway?
Yes — you can do private practice driving in a car from age 16. For class B you can start private practice from 16, and you need no theory test to begin. The accompanying driver must be at least 25 and have held a licence in the same class continuously for 5 years. If you are under 25, you must first have taken the basic traffic course; if you are 25 or older, you are exempt from parts of it. The car must show a red L sign at the rear and have an extra mirror for the accompanying driver, and weigh at most 3,500 kg. Here is what people miss: the accompanying driver counts as the driver and carries the legal responsibility — if the conditions are not met, the trip is driving without a valid licence, with a fine and loss of the right to drive.
📋 The rules
- Private practice from 16 (class B)
- Accompanying driver must be at least 25
- Must have held a licence in the class for 5 years
- The car must show a red L sign at the rear and extra mirror
- Under 25: must first take the basic traffic course
🔓 Exceptions
- No theory test is required to begin private practice driving
- Learners of 25 and over are exempt from parts of the basic course
- A qualifying EU/EEA accompanying driver counts if 5 years' continuous licence can be documented
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Practice driving without meeting the conditions counts as driving without a valid licence, and it can bring a fine and loss of the right to drive. The point people overlook is who it hits: the accompanying driver is legally the driver and bears the responsibility, so an accompanying driver who is under 25, or who has held the licence for less than 5 years, puts their own licence at stake — not just the learner's future one. Without a red L sign at the rear or an extra mirror the trip is not lawful practice either, and a learner under 25 who has not taken the basic traffic course cannot start at all.
📎 Official sources
- Road Administration · Practice driving →
- Road Administration · Accompanying driver →
- Driver Training Regulation · Lovdata →
❓ Frequently asked
From what age can I do practice driving?
From 16 for class B. You need no theory test to begin private practice driving, but if you are under 25 you must first have taken the basic traffic course — and the accompanying driver must meet their own age and licence requirements.
What requirements apply to the accompanying driver?
The accompanying driver must be at least 25 and have held a licence in the same class continuously for 5 years. A qualified EU/EEA accompanying driver counts if the 5 continuous years can be documented, and they count as the driver throughout.
Must I take a course before starting?
If you are under 25, you must first take the basic traffic course. If you are 25 or older, you are exempt from parts of it, but neither of you needs to have passed the theory test to start practising.
What must the car have?
The car must show a red L sign at the rear and an extra mirror for the accompanying driver, and it can weigh at most 3,500 kg. Without the sign or the mirror the trip is not lawful practice, and it then counts as driving without a valid licence.
Who is responsible during practice driving?
The accompanying driver counts as the driver and bears the legal responsibility. If the conditions are not met, the trip counts as driving without a valid licence, and that can bring a fine and loss of the right to drive — for the accompanying driver, not just the learner.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I do practice driving norway”
- “practice driving 16 years”
- “accompanying driver 25 5 years”
- “basic traffic course”
- “l sign practice driving”
- “accompanying driver requirements”