Canberra learners face the fastest-rising driver's licence costs in the nation, paying a record price increase for freedom despite practising on roads with far less traffic and complexity than other capital cities.
The increased financial commitment was no guarantee of success, with nearly half of Canberra learners failing their driving tests.
An analysis by EzLicence revealed that between 2024 and 2026, the total cost of getting a full licence in the ACT surged by 5.3 per cent.
The total cost, which included six driving lessons and licensing fees, jumped from $853 in 2024 to $898.61, marking the highest percentage price increase recorded across the nation.
Lesson costs in the capital remained moderate, averaging $84.76 an hour. By comparison, Canberra lessons were cheaper than Adelaide's national peak of $121.47, though regional hubs like Bendigo offered better affordability at $74.84.
The standard licensing pathway took up about 1.8 per cent of the annual median earnings for local residents aged 20 to 24, equivalent to about a week of full-time pay.
Those who chose to learn in a manual car faced an additional cost, as six manual lessons cost $566.31 compared with $489.16 for an automatic, an increase of $77.15.
Despite the growing financial investment required to prepare, the territory's practical test pass rate between 2021 and 2025 averaged just 53.4 per cent.
Finding a professional instructor also proved difficult for local families because instructor availability in the capital sat at just 1.99 hours per 10,000 young residents.
While this was lower than parts of Sydney that recorded about five hours of available instruction, it still managed to outpace the inner-city centres of Sydney at 1.23 hours, Brisbane at 0.78 hours and Melbourne at a low of 0.77 hours.
South Australian suburbs heavily outmatched the capital on instructor access, sweeping the top availability rankings nationwide.
The financial and logistical hurdles created a paradox for local youth, given that the increased driver's licence cost occurred in one of the safest and least complex driving environments in the country.
While the territory featured these learner-friendly road conditions and infrastructure, it was held back by a lower access and success score of 56.43.
The ACT earned an overall index score of 79.42 out of 100, ranking it the third most learner-friendly location in the nation behind only regional Victoria's Greater Bendigo and Greater Geelong.
The high ranking was underpinned by a driving environment score of 92.31, which was the second highest in Australia. The low fatal crash rates among young drivers of 7.0 per 10,000 residents and reliable traffic speeds averaging 44.8kmh on weekdays and 48.1kmh on weekends also added to the score.
The capital also achieved a near-perfect environment complexity score of 98.16, cementing its status as the least complex capital city environment for learners.
With a mere 6.4 schools and 1.3 enforcement cameras per 100 square kilometres, Canberra drivers were spared the high-pressure, stop-and-start conditions in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide.
The findings showed that while Canberra stood out as a high-quality driving environment with strong safety and low road complexity, it remained a more difficult place to secure a pass and find an instructor than the nation's top-ranked regional cities.
