Alcohol Limit for Drivers in South Africa, Explained

The alcohol limit for drivers in South Africa is set in section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act. There are two sets of numbers, one for blood and one for breath, and a lower limit for professional drivers. You will need them for the rules section of the learner's licence test, and you will need them for the rest of your driving life. This post gives the current law, what counts as driving, what happens if you refuse a test, and the penalties the Act sets.

The alcohol limit for drivers in South Africa

Specimen	Ordinary driver	Professional driver
Blood	0,05 gram per 100 millilitres or more	0,02 gram per 100 millilitres or more
Breath	0,24 milligram per 1 000 millilitres or more	0,10 milligram per 1 000 millilitres or more

Source: National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996, s 65(2) (blood) and s 65(5) (breath).

Read the words "or more" carefully. The offence starts at the limit, not above it. A blood level of exactly 0,05 is already an offence for an ordinary driver.

The 2012 learner manual gives only the blood limits. The breath limits are in the Act, so learn both.

Who is a professional driver?

A professional driver is someone who drives a vehicle of a class that needs a professional driving permit (PrDP). Under reg 115 of the regulations, that includes anyone driving:

• a goods vehicle heavier than 3 500 kg GVM (gross vehicle mass);
• a breakdown vehicle;
• a bus;
• a minibus heavier than 3 500 kg GVM, or one designed to carry 12 or more people including the driver;
• any vehicle carrying people for reward;
• any vehicle carrying 12 or more people including the driver.

For these drivers the lower limits apply: 0,02 for blood and 0,10 for breath.

What counts as driving under the influence

Section 65 sets out two kinds of offence:

1. Being under the influence. No one may drive on a public road while under the influence of alcohol or of a drug with a narcotic effect (s 65(1)). This offence has no number in it.
2. Being over the limit. No one may drive with blood or breath alcohol at or over the limits in the table (s 65(2) and (5)).

Both offences cover more than driving down the road. They also apply to anyone sitting in the driver's seat of a motor vehicle whose engine is running. Sitting behind the wheel with the engine on, "just to keep warm", is covered by the same section.

Timing matters too. If a blood or breath specimen is taken no more than two hours after the alleged offence and shows a level at or over the limit, the law presumes the level was the same at the time of the offence, unless there is evidence to the contrary (s 65(3) and (6)).

Refusing a blood or breath specimen

The law does not let you refuse a blood or breath specimen (s 65(9)). Refusing is an offence in its own right, and the penalty in the Act is the same as for drunk driving (see below).

If you are detained on suspicion of an alcohol or drug driving offence, two more rules apply until the specimen has been taken (s 65(8)):

• you may not smoke;
• you may not take anything that contains alcohol, unless a doctor tells you to or gives it to you.

There is a related rule after a crash. If you have not yet reported a crash, you may not drink alcohol or take a narcotic drug until you have, unless a doctor tells you to or gives it to you (s 61(1)(g)).

Penalties as the Act states them

Situation	What the Act says
Convicted of driving under the influence, driving over the blood or breath limit, or refusing a specimen	A fine, or imprisonment for up to six years (s 89(2))
First conviction, if you hold a driving licence	Licence suspended for at least six months, unless the court orders otherwise (s 35)
Second conviction	Suspended for at least five years
Third or later conviction	Suspended for at least ten years
Convicted, and you hold no driving licence	You are barred, for those same minimum periods, from obtaining a learner's or driving licence: six months, five years, ten years (s 35)

Under the Act, being addicted to narcotic drugs, or to drinking heavily, also disqualifies a person from getting a learner's or driving licence, or from keeping one (s 15).

This matters to a learner in particular. If you do not yet hold a driving licence, a conviction can keep you from getting one for at least six months, and for years after a second or third offence.

Is there a zero alcohol limit in South Africa?

Not yet. A zero limit is a proposal, not law.

On 15 January 2026 the Minister of Transport announced that the department would start a process to remove the alcohol limits (SAnews). Later reports say a draft bill has gone to the State Law Adviser, with the aim of reaching Cabinet by the end of 2026. That is a step in drafting, not a change in the law. Until Parliament changes section 65 and the change comes into force, the limits in the table above are the law.

For the learner's test, answer from the current law: 0,05 and 0,24 for ordinary drivers, 0,02 and 0,10 for professional drivers.

The safest answer on the road

The limits tell you when you commit an offence. They do not tell you that a smaller amount is safe, and the separate offence of driving under the influence has no number at all. The simplest rule is the one that keeps you clear of both: if you are going to drive, do not drink.

Alcohol and drugs are covered in module 6 of the study guide, and you can check yourself with a free mock test. For the other rules that catch learners out, read why learners fail the K53 test, and for the numbers on speed, see speed limits in South Africa.