Roundabouts keep traffic moving and cut down on serious crashes at intersections, but they're also one of the things learner drivers find hardest. The rules are simple once you know them, and most mistakes come down to three things: not giving way properly, being in the wrong lane, or forgetting to indicate. This guide covers the NSW rules and the habits our instructors teach so you can drive through any roundabout with confidence, including on your driving test.
The golden rule: give way to vehicles already in the roundabout
When you approach a roundabout, you must slow down or stop to give way to every vehicle already in it. That includes vehicles on your right, and vehicles that entered from your left or from directly opposite. Once you're in the roundabout, the vehicles waiting to enter must give way to you.
Traffic in NSW travels clockwise around a roundabout, so most of the vehicles you need to watch for will be coming from your right.
Indicating and lane choice
Turning left
- Indicate left as you approach.
- Use the left lane, unless road markings show otherwise.
- Keep indicating left until you've left the roundabout.
Going straight ahead
- You don't need to indicate on approach.
- You can use any lane, unless arrows mark a lane for turning only.
- Indicate left just before you exit, if it's practical. On a small single-lane roundabout, there may not be time to do this safely.
Turning right or doing a U-turn
- Indicate right as you approach.
- Use the right lane, unless road markings show otherwise.
- Keep indicating right while you go around, then indicate left before you exit, if it's practical.
Stop indicating as soon as you've left the roundabout.
Multi-lane roundabouts
On roundabouts with two or more lanes, follow the arrows painted on the road and any signs. Choose your lane early, before you reach the roundabout, so you don't need to change lanes inside it. If you must change lanes, indicate, check your mirrors and blind spot, give way to vehicles in the lane you're moving into, and only cross a broken white line, never an unbroken one.
Be careful when a vehicle is beside you. A driver in the right lane may be turning right, or going straight and exiting across your path, so hold back rather than racing them to the exit.
Cyclists, pedestrians and large vehicles
- Cyclists are entitled to use a full lane. On a multi-lane roundabout they may use the left lane to turn right, and must give way to vehicles leaving the roundabout. Watch for a cyclist waiting in the left lane.
- Pedestrians: you don't have to give way to pedestrians when you turn at a roundabout unless there's a pedestrian crossing, but you must still take care not to hit them. Expect people crossing near the exits.
- Trucks and buses often need more than one lane to get around. Give them plenty of room and don't drive beside them in the roundabout.
Step by step: driving through a roundabout
- Plan early. Read the signs and road markings, decide where you're going and get into the right lane well before the roundabout.
- Indicate left or right on approach if you're turning.
- Slow down and look right. Judge the speed and position of vehicles already in the roundabout.
- Give way, stopping at the line if you need to. Don't stop if the way is clear; hesitating unnecessarily can cause a rear-end crash.
- Enter when there's a safe gap, at a steady speed.
- Exit: check your left mirror and blind spot, indicate left if it's practical and watch for pedestrians.
Common mistakes on the driving test
- Not giving way to a vehicle already in the roundabout.
- Stopping when the way is clear, or entering too slowly and holding up traffic.
- Being in the wrong lane for the direction you're going.
- Forgetting to indicate on approach, or leaving the indicator on after you exit.
- Entering too fast to stop if a vehicle appears from the right.
- Not checking for cyclists and pedestrians at the exit.
Your testing officer is watching for safe, decisive driving. Slow down early, look well ahead and commit when there's a safe gap.
Frequently asked questions
Who has right of way at a roundabout in NSW?
You must give way to every vehicle already in the roundabout, including vehicles on your right and vehicles that entered from your left or from directly opposite. Once you're in the roundabout, vehicles waiting to enter must give way to you.
Do you indicate when going straight through a roundabout?
You don't need to indicate on approach when going straight ahead. Indicate left just before you exit, if it's practical. On a small single-lane roundabout there may not be time to do this safely.
Which lane do you use to turn right at a roundabout?
Use the right lane, unless road markings show otherwise. Indicate right as you approach, keep indicating while you go around, then indicate left before you exit if it's practical.
Do you have to give way to pedestrians at a roundabout?
You don't have to give way to pedestrians when you turn at a roundabout unless there's a pedestrian crossing, but you must still take care not to hit them. Expect people crossing near the exits.
Practise with a professional instructor
The best way to become confident at roundabouts is to practise them at different times of day, from quiet single-lane roundabouts to busy multi-lane ones. Our instructors each hold a NSW driving instructor licence and a Working With Children Check, and they'll take you to the roundabouts near your test centre so there are no surprises on test day.
If you're under 25, each hour with a licensed NSW driving instructor counts as 3 hours in your log book, for up to 10 hours of lessons. That's up to 20 bonus hours.
See our driving lesson prices or book a Driving Test Package with Prestige, Sydney's multi-award-winning driving school.