Fastest P-plate legal cars - Six of the quickest options

What is the fastest P-plate legal car in Australia?

There’s no hard and fast winner when it comes to what is the fastest legal p-plate car, as each state has differing rules about what is allowed.

But really, what is ‘fast’? Because there’s fast in a straight-line and then there’s quick. The difference being that one talks only about a 0-100km/h sprint time and the other talks about the overall surefootedness, handling and power delivery.

Despite talking about fast cars for P-platers, this article is not a recommendation for speeding or reckless driving. To quote Spiderman’s Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility"!

What are P-plates and what is their purpose?

P-plates show that a user is on a provisional licence and there are two levels for each state, except in the NT – Red P-plates (Provisional 1 or P1) and Green P-plates (Provisional 2 or P2). The provisional status just means there are restrictions to the licence and those restrictions can be found here.

Even if you are travelling out of state, your provisional licence still falls under the regulations of your licensing state, or home state.

Why do P-plate drivers have restrictions on what and how they can drive?

For safety, folks. Provisional drivers are often the youngest drivers on the road and that means they’re some of the most vulnerable due to their lack of on-road experience.

In 2022, the 17–24-year old age group had the highest fatality rate per 100,000 people in Australia.

Fig 1: sourced from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) website.

What are the rules in different Australian states and how do they differ?

Are performance models like the Toyota GR Supra or the Audi S3 P-plate legal?

For the NT, ACT, Tasmania and WA, there are no vehicle restrictions for new drivers, so here you can go for gold. However, the rest of the states each adopt a similar set of rules governing provisional licence holders with some variations.

In Qld you’re allowed to drive a high-performance vehicle if you hold a P1 or P2 provisional licence with an automatic licence condition or if you are learning to drive a vehicle with manual transmission with an appropriately qualified supervisor.

It’s less about the max horsepower for P-platers and more about a power-to-weight ratio.

For every other state, you’re fairly safe in your vehicle choice if the power to tare mass ratio is not greater than 130kW per tonne, the vehicle doesn’t have a modified engine that needs to be approved by an engineer and isn’t classed as high performance (eg, V8s).

If your car meets the 130kW/t power-to-weight requirement it is most likely to be on the approved list. You can check out whether your car is approved via your governing transport bodies website like the NSW Transport website or Queensland Transport.

The power-to-weight ratio is calculated with the following formula:

(max power output kW ÷ tare mass) x 1000 = kW/t.

So, if your vehicle has a max power output of 147kW and a tare mass of 1238kg, your power-to-weight ratio is 118.7kW/t and is okay to drive on a provisional licence.

Some P-platers may be able to get an exemption for a high-powered model if they can prove that they are in a special circumstance, like requiring the vehicle for work purposes.

How do these restrictions apply to fast cars? Are there penalties?

If you’re a provisional licence holder in a state with restrictions and are caught driving a vehicle that is restricted for your licencing level heavy penalties can apply.

In NSW, you will cop a $682 fine and be issued seven demerit points which means you will lose your licence on both the P1 and P2 level.

In Queensland, you get a $483 fine and three demerit points.

In South Australia and Victoria, you won’t get demerit points but will still get a fine. In SA it is set at $324, but in Victoria it’s a whopping $1975.90 for the 24/25FY!

What are the fastest P-plate cars?

Now we get into the crux of it, as in ‘what cars can I drive on my Ps?’ This is not a list of the fastest cars in Australia or the best P-plate legal cars available. However, these are some of the most popular and fastest P-plate legal cars overall (in no particular order).

Special shout out to my nephew, who very kindly approved the list.

2020 Toyota 86 GTS

Priced between $25,600 - $32,600

The 86 is the car you get when you can’t get into a Supra but still want those Fast & Furious vibes! In fact, a 2012 version featured in F9. It’s gorgeous, handles well and has serious on-road cred with its 147kW/205Nm outputs.

It can do a 0-100km/h straight sprint in 7.6 seconds and is P-plate approved Australia-wide with its 118.7kW/t ratio.

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Priced from $59,990 MSRP

Fun, compact and drives like a mean hot-hatch with its 180kW/370Nm outputs. You can park it anywhere, nimbly zip across traffic and older models still look as good as the current version. These have a 'cult status'.

It can do a 0-100km/h straight sprint in 6.3 seconds and while banned in Victoria, this is P-plate approved everywhere else with its 125.1kW/t ratio.

2021 Subaru BRZ TS

Priced from $24,050 - $34,150

Similar to the Toyota 86, this is a great looking sports car that is P-plate approved Australia wide with its 121.1kW/t ratio.

Producing up to 152kW/212Nm in outputs, it’s fun without being overwhelming and has proven itself to be a long-term favourite for its style and handling abilities.

It can do a 0-100km/h straight sprint of 7.4-seconds.

2017 Holden Commodore SV6 Sedan

Priced between $19,000 to $52,900

A sedan that is beloved by everyone… well, at least those who ‘go for Holden’! This is a solid car that grips the road, corners well and has the rumbly 3.6L V6 engine that petrolheads love to hear. It still sports a classically mean shape and produces up to 210kW/350N in outputs.

It can do a 0-100km/h straight sprint in 6.7-seconds and is P-plate approved Australia wide with its 128.0kw/t ratio.

2014 Ford Falcon XR6 Sedan

Priced between $10,000 - $25,488

If you didn’t love the Holden SV6, then you loved the Falcon XR6. A little wilder with its power delivery through the back wheels but an otherwise popular choice because of its 4.0L in-line six-cylinder engine that produces up to 195kW/391Nm.

It can do a 0-100km/h straight sprint in 7.8 seconds and is P-plate approved Australia wide with its 114.5kW/t ratio.

Image sourced from Wikipedia Commons (author is Jeremy from Sydney, Australia).

2002 Nissan 200SX S15 Manual

Priced from $40,000 - $64,999

This is the car that got me into cars and subsequently led me to the 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (Paul Walker may have helped in this regard, as well). This is still a hot-looking sports car and is a blast to drive with its 0-100km/h straight sprint time of 7.0-seconds and 147kW/265Nm outputs.

This model is banned in South Australia but approved everywhere else with its 119.0kW/t ratio.