From 6 July 2009, drivers issued with a probationary licence on or after 1 July 2007 may (upon receiving an exemption) drive some lower performance turbocharged or supercharged vehicles. The definition of a lower performance turbocharged or supercharged vehicle is a vehicle with 6 cylinders or less that is:
- turbocharged or supercharged with a power to weight ratio of less than 100kW per tonne
- turbocharged or supercharged with a power to weight ratio between 100kW and 125kW per tonne and that is considered to be a family type vehicle (4 seats or more) rather than a sports type vehicle. A family type vehicle is a sedan, station wagon or hatch normally used to carry families/passengers with 4 or more seats and are equipped with child restraint anchorages. A family type vehicle does not include a sports car (two door coupe).
The probationary vehicle database contains a searchable list of vehicles that probationary drivers may and may not drive. Please refer to this database before seeking an exemption to drive a lower performance turbocharged/supercharged vehicle.