Do you need a 3-year or a 5-year driving record in Ontario?
Almost always the 3-year. It is the most popular Ontario driver record, the one commonly used for employment, and it covers the same three years of convictions the standard Ontario auto insurance application asks about.
The 5-year driver record is one of Ontario’s longer-term records, alongside the extended and complete records. Ontario describes them as records for when someone needs more detail, a longer period, or a record for legal reasons, and says that most of the time people need one of the common records instead.
There is a third document with five years in it, and it causes most of the mix-ups: the CVOR Driver Abstract, a record of one driver’s commercial driving in Ontario. If a carrier asked you for five years, start there.
For a job, an insurance quote, a rental or a rideshare sign-up, the 3-year driver record is the document to send.
What is the difference between the 3-year and 5-year driving record?
Mainly the Criminal Code part. Both show your licence details, your demerit point total and three years of Highway Traffic Act convictions; the 5-year record extends Criminal Code convictions, suspensions and reinstatements to five years, and it comes by mail only.
| What it covers | 3-year driver record | 5-year driver record | CVOR Driver Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convictions | Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code, past 3 years | Highway Traffic Act, past 3 years; Criminal Code, past 5 years | Safety-related convictions while driving commercial vehicles in Ontario, up to 5 years |
| Suspensions and reinstatements | Past 3 years, plus active fine suspensions | Highway Traffic Act, past 3 years; Criminal Code, past 5 years | Current licence status shown |
| Demerit point total | Yes | Yes | No |
| Licence details | Name, licence number, date of birth, class, expiry, status, conditions and endorsements | The same identification details | Name, licence number, class, conditions, expiry, status and medical due date |
| Inspections | No | No | Yes, from commercial driving in Ontario |
| Collisions | Not listed among its contents | Not listed among its contents | Those linked to a safety-related conviction |
| Your home address | Not shown | Not shown | Not listed among its contents |
| Who can order it | Anyone with the driver's licence number | The driver, a lawyer or a Canadian law enforcement agency | The general public |
| How you receive it | Here: a PDF by email, instantly after payment | By mail only, to the Ontario address on file | Here: a PDF by email, instantly after payment |
| Usually asked for by | Employers, insurers, rental and rideshare companies | Legal matters, or anyone who needs a longer period | Trucking and bus companies hiring or reviewing drivers |
| Available on this site | Yes, $39.99 | No | Yes, $39.99 |
Without a Criminal Code driving conviction, such as impaired driving, from four or five years ago, the 5-year record lists the same convictions as the Ontario drivers abstract, so the 3-year record is the one to get.
What does the 5-year driving record show that the 3-year does not?
Criminal Code convictions, suspensions and reinstatements from four and five years ago. On Ontario’s own descriptions, that is the only extra: Highway Traffic Act history, the demerit point total and your licence details match the 3-year record.
- 3 yearsHighway Traffic Act convictionsThe same window on both records
- 5 yearsCriminal Code convictionsOn the 5-year record only
- 2 yearsDemerit points countFrom the offence date, so the total matches
- 10 yearsCriminal Code convictions keptAt least, on your full MTO record
What the extra two years can add
- A Criminal Code driving conviction from four or five years ago, such as impaired driving or dangerous driving
- Suspensions and reinstatements under the Criminal Code from the same period
What they do not add
- Speeding, careless driving or any other Highway Traffic Act conviction older than three years
- More demerit points: the total is the same on both
- Collisions
- Your home address
Why have a longer record at all? Because the Ministry of Transportation keeps more than any 3-year record shows. Criminal Code driving convictions stay on a driver’s full record for at least 10 years. The extended and complete records go back as far as the history is available, and of the personal driver records, only the complete record lists collisions.
Wondering whether an older conviction still shows? The guide on how long convictions stay on your record walks through the timing. For anything inside the last three years, order your driving abstract online and read it for yourself.
Who asks for a 3-year record, and who wants five years?
Employers, insurers, rental and rideshare companies usually ask for the 3-year record. Five years comes up in two places: trucking and bus companies, who mean the CVOR Driver Abstract, and legal matters, where a longer-term or certified record may be needed.
| Who is asking | Record they usually mean | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Car insurer or broker | 3-year driver record | The standard Ontario application asks for every conviction from the last 3 years. Claims history is a separate check of insurance industry data, not a driver record. Some also ask for your driver's licence history, a separate record of licence renewals and class changes with no convictions. |
| Employer hiring for a driving job | 3-year driver record | Many employers ask for a record issued within the last 30 days. |
| Rideshare, delivery or car rental company | 3-year driver record | Follow the exact wording in their sign-up or rental steps. |
| Trucking or bus company | CVOR Driver Abstract, sometimes with the 3-year record | Ministry guidance tells carriers to get a driver abstract when they hire and at least once a year after that. |
| Lawyer or court matter | Ask: it may be a longer-term or certified record | A certified record carries a Ministry of Transportation seal and is typically needed only for legal reasons. |
| Licensing office in another province | Whatever is on their checklist | Some ask for original documents or a specific letter rather than a standard driving record. |
| You, checking your own record | 3-year driver record | It shows your current demerit point total and three years of convictions and suspensions. |
Notice who is missing from the rows that need a longer record: insurers and everyday employers. For convictions, the standard insurance application looks back three years. If either one writes “five years”, ask for the document by name before you order anything.
More detail for each case: drivers abstracts for insurance, drivers abstracts for employment and your driving record when you move out of Ontario.
Commercial drivers: is the five-year record you need the CVOR Driver Abstract?
If a carrier wants five years of your commercial driving, yes. The CVOR Driver Abstract covers up to five years of your driving in commercial vehicles in Ontario: convictions, inspections and collisions linked to a safety-related conviction, plus your licence status, class, conditions and medical due date.
3-year driver record
- Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code convictions from the past 3 years
- Your demerit point total
- Suspensions and reinstatements from the past 3 years
- No inspections
CVOR Driver Abstract
- Up to five years, in commercial vehicles in Ontario
- Safety-related convictions and inspections
- Collisions linked to a safety-related conviction
- Licence status, class, conditions and medical due date
- No demerit point total
The two overlap less than most drivers expect. A speeding conviction in your own car goes on the 3-year record but not the CVOR Driver Abstract. A roadside inspection in a tractor-trailer shows on the CVOR abstract but not the 3-year record. That is why some carriers ask for both.
Check the medical due date while you are at it. If your medical report is not received by that date, a commercial licence is downgraded to Class G.
CVOR Level 1 and Level 2 abstracts are different again: they describe a carrier, not one driver. The CVOR abstract vs driver abstract comparison sorts out all three, and the CVOR Driver Abstract page shows what yours contains.
How can you tell which record you were asked for?
Go by the exact words in the request. No number of years, or three years, means the 3-year record. CVOR or commercial means the CVOR Driver Abstract. Certified, complete or licence history each point to a different document again.
| If the request says | It most likely means | Available here |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers abstract, driver record, driving record or MVR | 3-year driver record | Yes, $39.99 |
| 3-year or uncertified driver record | 3-year driver record | Yes, $39.99 |
| CVOR abstract, CVOR Driver Abstract or commercial driver abstract | CVOR Driver Abstract | Yes, $39.99 |
| Five years, with nothing about commercial driving | Ask whether they mean the 5-year driver record or the CVOR Driver Abstract | The CVOR Driver Abstract, yes. The 5-year driver record, no |
| Certified | A certified copy with a Ministry seal | No |
| Licence history or driving experience | Driver's licence history: licence dates and class changes, no convictions | No |
| Complete record, or collisions | Complete driver record, the only personal driver record that lists all collisions (for commercial driving, the CVOR Driver Abstract lists collisions linked to a safety-related conviction) | The complete record, no. The CVOR Driver Abstract, yes |
A 3-year record will not stand in for five years of personal history if that is truly what someone needs. A request that just says “abstract” is not asking for five years, though, and the certified vs uncertified guide covers the other word that changes what you need.
How do you get the right record today?
Match the wording to the record, then order it. The 3-year driver record and the CVOR Driver Abstract are both available here for one price, paid once, and each arrives by email instantly after payment. Occasional delays can occur.
Read the request word for word
No number of years, or three years, means the 3-year record. Commercial or CVOR means the CVOR Driver Abstract.
Have your licence card in front of you
Your Ontario licence number is on the front of the card: 15 characters, one letter followed by 14 digits. Type it exactly.
Fill in one short form
Then pay through secure checkout. No account and no subscription.
Open the PDF in your inbox
Save it, print it or forward it to whoever asked. Many insurers and employers ask for a record issued within the last 30 days, so a fresh copy is the safe choice.
To send an employer, insurer or rental company what they asked for, get your driving record online for $39.99. It arrives in your inbox instantly after payment. Commercial drivers can order the five-year CVOR Driver Abstract the same way for $39.99.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a 5 year drivers abstract in Ontario?
Ontario has a separate 5-year driver record, but it is mailed only, to the address on file, and it is not offered on this site. The five-year record available here is the CVOR Driver Abstract for commercial drivers ($39.99, paid once). Most people asked for an abstract need the 3-year record.
Is a 3 year abstract enough for car insurance in Ontario?
Usually. The standard Ontario auto insurance application asks for every conviction from the last 3 years, which is the window the 3-year record covers. If your insurer names a different document, follow its wording.
Does the 5-year driver record show older speeding tickets?
No. On both records, Highway Traffic Act convictions such as speeding go back three years. The extra two years on the 5-year record apply only to Criminal Code convictions, such as impaired driving.
Is my demerit point total different on the 5-year record?
No. Both records show your current demerit point total, and points count for two years from the offence date, so the number is the same on either. The CVOR Driver Abstract has no demerit point total at all.
Can an employer order my 5-year driving record?
The 5-year record can be ordered by the driver, a lawyer or a Canadian law enforcement agency. The 3-year record is different: anyone can order it with your licence number, and it is the record most commonly used for employment.
My trucking company wants a five-year abstract. Which one is that?
If they want your commercial driving, that is the CVOR Driver Abstract: up to five years of convictions, inspections and collisions linked to a safety-related conviction while you drove commercial vehicles in Ontario. Some carriers ask for the 3-year record as well, so check the exact name on the request.
How far back does a 3-year driving record go?
Three years for convictions, suspensions and reinstatements, under both the Highway Traffic Act and the Criminal Code. Demerit points count for two years from the offence date, so a conviction can still be listed after its points have expired.
Does a 5-year driving record show accidents?
Collisions are not listed among the contents of either the 3-year or the 5-year driver record. Of the personal driver records Ontario describes, only the complete driver record lists collisions.
Sources: Contents of the 3-year driver record, the 5-year, extended and complete driver records and the driver’s licence history, and who may order each: Ministry of Transportation of Ontario driver record descriptions. CVOR Driver Abstract: Ministry of Transportation CVOR abstract descriptions and the MTO Commercial Vehicle Operators’ Safety Manual. Demerit points and how long Criminal Code convictions stay on a driver’s record: the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Commercial medical reports: Ontario medical, vision and hearing standards for commercial drivers. Insurance: the standard Ontario auto insurance application (OAF 1).