Overview

The DriveON program is Ontario’s digital-based program for vehicle safety and emissions inspections. It replaced the old paper-based Motor Vehicle Inspection Stations (MVIS) program, which ended on March 31, 2025. DriveON facilities and technicians are the only ones allowed to conduct:

Apply to be a DriveON centre

You can apply online to have your facility join the DriveON program.

Successful applicants will be onboarded into the DriveON program and can purchase necessary equipment through the DriveON portal.

What you need before applying

To register your facility as an accredited DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centre (VIC), you will need:

  • current MVIS station number (for existing MVIS facilities only)
  • Tax Compliance Verification (TCV) certificate and number
  • business number
  • one of the following:
    • certificate of registration
    • profile report
    • articles of incorporation
    • master business licence
  • banking information (account, transit, branch numbers)
  • business insurance certificate with listed coverages

For more information on DriveON registration:

Check the status of your application

You can check the status of your application online.

The statuses are:

  • Application preparation in progress:Your application requires updates. Please log in to the DriveON portal and complete all required fields of your application and submit.
  • Waiting for ministry to approve the contract:Your application has been submitted and is awaiting review.
  • Application is MTO user approved:Your application has been conditionally approved and is awaiting final approval. We are currently experiencing a large volume of applications and are working on processing them as quickly as possible.
  • VIC is in readiness process:Your application has been approved by the Ministry of Transportation and is awaiting readiness approval by the DriveON program vendor (Parsons).
  • Active:Your application has been approved and you can now conduct inspections using your DriveON equipment.

Insurance

The VIC owner requires the following coverage on their Certificate of Insurance:

  1. commercial general liability of not less than $3 million per occurrence on property damage, bodily injury and personal injury
  2. standard garage liability of not less than $3 million per occurrence on property damage and bodily injury (the certificate must specifically list “garage” for this coverage; it is not required for inspection centres with a test class of “fleet”)
  3. legal liability for damage to customer vehicles while in custody and control of not less than $200,000 for collision and not less than $300,000 for specified perils or comprehensive coverage
    • For a Mobile VIC, only if applicable, the additional automobile insurance for any vehicle used to transport the emissions testing equipment, with a limit of not less than $3 million for third-party property damage and bodily injury.
  4. Add "His Majesty the King in right of Ontario as represented by the Minister of Transportation, 87 Sir William Hearst Avenue, Suite 211, Toronto, ON M3M 0B4.”
    • This statement must show in both the certificate holder and additional insured on the insurance certificate as an Additional Insured in respect of the commercial general liability coverage described in (a) above. VICs shall provide to the ministry upon request certificates of insurance evidencing the types and amounts of insurance required by this article and a copy of the insurance policy.

Note: If any required coverage is covered by the umbrella form, it must be specifically stated by relating it to the required coverage.

Register to be a DriveON technician

To perform safety or emissions inspections in Ontario you must be a registered DriveON technician. To join the program you must:

  1. have a valid Certificate of Qualification with Skilled Trades Ontario that is active and ensures all fees have been paid. To check this information, you can:
  2. register as a technician on the DriveON portal
  3. complete the mandatory online training, which is available on the portal free of charge

Inspection requirements and standards

DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centres and technicians must follow specific inspection procedures and apply the equipment and performance standards set out in Ontario’s DriveON inspection directives:

  • Directive Schedule 1 — Emissions Inspections Procedures and Emissions Equipment & Performance Standards for Commercial Heavy Diesel Vehicles
  • Directive Schedule 2 — Inspection Procedures and Equipment & Performance Standards for Issuance of Safety Standards Certificates, Annual Inspection Certificates with Stickers and Semi-Annual Inspection Certificates with Stickers for Heavy Duty Vehicles
  • Directive Schedule 3 — Inspection Procedures and Equipment & Performance Standards for Issuance of Safety Standards Certificates for Passenger / Light Duty Vehicles
  • Directive Schedule 4 — Inspection Procedures and Equipment & Performance Standards for Issuance of Safety Standards Certificates for Motorcycles including Motor Tricycles
  • Directive Schedule 5 — Inspection Procedures and Equipment & Performance Standards for Issuance of Structural Inspection Certificates.

Facility owners, operators and technicians should also be familiar with:

Criteria for specific inspections

The following inspection criteria must be used to determine if a vehicle meets the minimum standards to pass an inspection:

  1. Emissions testing for commercial heavy duty diesel vehicles: Directive Schedule 1
  2. Commercial vehicles (trucks and trailers), buses, school purposes vehicles and accessible vehicles: The National Safety Code 11 Part B "Periodic Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspections"(begins on page 46)
    • Ontario modifications to NSC Standard 11B: Directive Schedule 2.
  3. Passenger vehicles: Passenger/Light Duty Vehicle Inspection Standard and Directive Schedule 3.
  4. Motorcycles except motorcycles with two front wheels: Directive Schedule 4.
  5. Motorcycle with two front wheels: Directive Schedule 4.
  6. Salvage motor vehicles: Directive Schedule 5.

Only the registered inspecting technician can perform and sign off on safety inspections using the inspection tablet, after confirming that the vehicle meets the minimum mechanical fitness requirements.

Contact us

If you have questions, please contact the Vehicle Inspection Centre assistance line by: