After it first surfaced as a proposal back in 2022, South Australia’s supercar licence scheme is now officially in service. According to Drive, an online course for drivers of “ultra high-powered vehicles” (UHPV) has now been launched by the South Australian Government, and all supercar owners will need to pass the test if they wish to continue driving their cars from 1 December 2024 onwards.
The online course, costing AUD61 (approx. RM192), will take an estimated 30–45 minutes to complete, after which the driver will be subjected to a test. Once passed, the driver can then apply for a new ‘U-class’ licence, which will cost an additional AUD20 (approx. RM63). Drivers must have held a regular car or heavy vehicle licence for at least three years to be eligible for a U licence.
According to the amendment to the Motor Vehicles Regulations 2010 made in 2022, the South Australian Government determines an UHPV as a vehicle with a power-to-weight ratio of at least 276 kW per tonne (375 hp/1,000 kg), with a gross vehicle weight of less than 4.5 tonnes. Approximately 200 models are believed to fall into the UHPV category, with buses and motorcycles exempt from the new regulations.
By the letter of the regulations, cars like the Ferrari Roma and 296 GTB – the latter with a power-to-weight ratio of 451 hp/1,000 kg – most definitely falls under the UHPV category, but the Purosangue does not, despite its V12 engine’s performance.
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Curiously, most EVs also do not fall under the UHPV categorisation, despite their mind-boggling performance – The new Tesla Model 3 Performance has a power-to-weight ratio of 276 hp/1,000 kg, and the record-breaking Porsche Taycan GT only tips the scale at 345 hp/1,000 kg (although its 1,019 hp momentary peak power output does bring it past the benchmark).
As South Australia is the first and currently only state to implement the UHPV licence, visitors from other regions can still drive their ultra high-powered vehicles in South Australia using their interstate licence. However, they can still receive a fine of AUD5,000 (approx. RM16k) and six demerit points if they’re found to have disabled safety systems in their UHPV, including autonomous emergency braking and stability control.
The latter is courtesy of a new raft of driving laws that were introduced in South Australia alongside the U licence regulations, as a result of the death of 15-year-old Sophia Naismith who was tragically struck and killed by an out-of-control Lamborghini Huracan.
Among which, if a driver crashes while in sports mode or with traction control disabled, and that incident causes death or serious harm, the driver will now be charged with an “aggravated offence” which comes with new harsher penalties, including seven years of jail time plus “at least three years” of driving disqualification.
