May 13, 2026 · Daniel Reid

OMVIC CPD FAQ: renewal dates, pass marks, fees, retakes, and grandfathered registrants (2026)

OMVIC CPD launches July 1, 2026 for renewals. Fee, 80% pass mark, 90-day window, retakes, and grandfathered registrant rules answered for Ontario dealers.

Written by Daniel Reid. Reviewed by a DealerPrep subject-matter expert before publication.

OMVIC’s CPD program is now live, and from July 1, 2026 onward it gates every Ontario dealer and salesperson registration renewal at an 80% pass mark. Roughly 8,000 dealers and 30,000 salespeople in Ontario now have a recurring exam tied directly to their right to trade vehicles. The questions about how it works are stacking up faster than the official FAQs cover them.

This page collects the questions we keep seeing on RedFlagDeals, Reddit, and dealer-facing forums about CPD and the parallel MVDA Key Elements requirement for grandfathered registrants. If you want the visual overview with scenario-driven fee tables and a renewal timeline, the CPD overview page is where to start; this page is the deeper Q&A reference. Every number traces back to OMVIC’s own CPD program page for the general rules and the dealer bulletin for grandfathered registrants for the pre-2010 carve-out, cross-checked against the UCDA CPD FAQ. Last verified May 13, 2026.

How OMVIC’s CPD program works

Continuing Professional Development is OMVIC’s first regulator-mandated continuing-education program for already-registered dealers and salespeople in Ontario. It runs separately from the entry-level Automotive Certification Course delivered by Georgian College. That one is the one-time price of admission to the industry; CPD is the recurring renewal toll. Both exist because the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act treats consumer-protection competence as a continuing professional standard, not a moment-in-time hurdle.

Mechanically, CPD lives on OMVIC’s REVS portal as a series of self-paced modules with an open-format assessment at the end. The portal opens 90 days before each registrant’s individual renewal date. Once you pass the assessment at 80%, OMVIC adds a CPD pass to your registration record and the renewal proceeds. Miss the deadline and the registration auto-expires until reinstated, which means no trading, no signing deals, and no holding yourself out as a registered dealer or salesperson.

The questions below cover the program at the level of detail dealers and salespeople actually need: when, how much, how often, what counts, and what happens if you do not finish in time.

Quick facts

CPD launched April 1, 2026 on OMVIC’s portal.
Required for every registration renewal dated on or after July 1, 2026.
Dealers renew CPD every year. Salespeople every two years.
80% to pass. Unlimited retakes on REVS, the standard CPD assessment.
$99 per CPD cycle, no GST or HST. Roughly 4 to 6 hours of content.
90-day window opens before your renewal date. Self-paced.
Working camera required on the device you use.
Registrants from before January 1, 2010 may also owe the MVDA Key Elements Course ($202.86, separate test).

When does OMVIC CPD start?

CPD went live on OMVIC’s portal on April 1, 2026. The enforcement date is July 1, 2026: every license renewal dated on or after that day requires a passing CPD result before OMVIC will process the renewal. Renewals dated June 30, 2026 or earlier follow the old rules for one last cycle.

The platform OMVIC built for CPD is branded REVS, which stands for Raising Excellence in Vehicle Sales. Official documentation uses “CPD” and “REVS” interchangeably. For grandfathered registrants (more on this below), there is a second requirement on top of REVS.

Do I have to do CPD if my renewal is before July 1, 2026?

No. A renewal dated on or before June 30, 2026 is processed under the prior rules, with no CPD required. The CPD obligation falls on your next renewal after that. A dealer with a June 2026 renewal renews once without CPD and then sees the requirement at the June 2027 cycle. A salesperson with a June 2026 renewal renews twice without CPD before facing CPD at the June 2028 cycle.

The dates that matter are your renewal dates, not your registration anniversary or any other internal date.

When does my 90-day CPD window open?

REVS becomes available on OMVIC’s portal 90 days before your renewal date. A dealer whose registration renews September 15 sees the REVS module on June 17. A salesperson renewing November 1 sees it on August 3.

The 90-day rule is firm. You cannot start REVS earlier, even if you are ready to write it. Plan around that constraint: the realistic window to complete and pass is about 80 days, leaving roughly 10 days of buffer for processing or a retake. Grandfathered registrants who also owe the MVDA Key Elements Course should start that course separately, five months before renewal (see grandfathered section).

What is REVS?

REVS is OMVIC’s name for the standard CPD content and assessment. It runs entirely inside OMVIC’s portal under your registrant login. The format is self-paced learning modules followed by an open-format assessment. The full cycle is approximately 4 to 6 hours on average for the modules plus the assessment time.

Where the older Automotive Certification Course is a one-time, course-and-test combo delivered by Georgian College, REVS is recurring, in-house at OMVIC, and lives on the same portal you already use for licence administration.

How much does OMVIC CPD cost?

$99 per CPD cycle, with no GST or HST applied. That is the only fee for REVS, and it includes unlimited retakes within the cycle. The fee is paid through OMVIC’s portal when you start the module.

Grandfathered registrants who also need the MVDA Key Elements Course pay a separate $202.86 to Georgian College for that course. The Georgian fee covers one attempt at the Key Elements test. If you do not pass, you re-register and pay $202.86 again. The two fees are independent: passing Key Elements does not exempt you from the $99 REVS fee.

How long does CPD take?

OMVIC publishes the time estimate at 4 to 6 hours on average for the REVS content and assessment combined. The portal is self-paced and saves your progress, so you can split the work across multiple sessions. Most registrants will finish it in one or two evenings.

The 90-day window in which the content is available to you is generous. There is no per-session timer. The pressure is the calendar, namely your renewal date.

What is the pass mark for OMVIC CPD?

80%. The same threshold applies to REVS, the MVDA Key Elements Course, and the entry-level Automotive Certification Course. The Automotive Certification Course and the MVDA Key Elements Course pass marks moved from 75% to 80% effective January 1, 2026; REVS launched at 80% on April 1, 2026 with no prior 75% version. The 75% pass mark still appears in older third-party study materials and on some informal sources. For any test written on or after January 1, 2026, the 80% mark is the live rule.

Can I retake CPD if I fail?

REVS allows unlimited attempts inside your $99 cycle. There is no waiting period between retakes. Failing the assessment unlocks the content review so you can re-read the module before retesting. You should still plan ahead: a failed attempt on the day before your renewal still leaves you without a current registration if you do not pass that same day.

The MVDA Key Elements Course works differently. Your $202.86 registration covers one test attempt. If you fail, you re-register and pay the fee again. Plan to write Key Elements well before your renewal date, since a re-register cycle (registration, study window, second test) takes weeks.

Is OMVIC CPD open-book?

The REVS assessment uses an open-format design that lets you reference the in-module materials while you write. You are not permitted to bring external materials beyond the course content. That is the same model Georgian College uses for the MVDA Key Elements test, where candidates write with the course manual at hand.

Open-book reflects the practical reality of looking up sections of the regulation while working. You still need to know where to look, and that requires reading the modules first.

Can I do CPD on my phone?

Yes. OMVIC built REVS to work on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. The platform is browser-based, not an app, and it runs on iPhone, iPad, and Android. The certificate of completion downloads as a PDF for your HR or compliance file.

For the assessment specifically, OMVIC recommends a Windows-based computer with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. You can still use a phone and OMVIC will not lock you out. The recommendation is about reliability. A hardware glitch on a phone during a timed assessment is harder to recover from than the same glitch on a laptop.

Why does CPD need a working camera?

OMVIC requires a working camera on the device you use for REVS. The camera supports identity verification and assessment integrity for the cycle. This is consistent with how regulated continuing education programs across Ontario (real estate, insurance, accounting) handle remote testing.

A desktop without a webcam will not work for the assessment, even though it would otherwise be the most reliable device. A phone, tablet, or laptop with a built-in camera covers the requirement.

What does the CPD test cover?

OMVIC has not published a public syllabus for REVS, but coverage in trade media at the rollout indicates the first two CPD years focus on the foundations: OMVIC’s mandate, MVDA compliance, ethics and professionalism, all-in pricing rules, mandatory disclosures, and advertising standards. Future years will introduce new modules.

REVS year one centres on the Code of Ethics and the General Regulation, plus the all-in pricing and disclosure rules that drive most discipline cases. If you have a recent OMVIC bulletin in your inbox about disclosure or advertising, the content of REVS sits on the same line.

Salesperson CPD vs dealer CPD: what is different?

Same portal, same $99 fee, same 80% pass mark. The frequency is the gap that matters: dealers complete CPD every year, salespeople every two years. A dealer in steady operation goes through 10 CPD cycles in a decade; a salesperson in the same period goes through five.

OMVIC has not publicly differentiated REVS content by registrant type. The modules are calibrated to your registration class on the portal, so the assessment you see is the one OMVIC has set for that class. Treat the dealer cycle as the more frequent one, plan for the recurring time and fee, and bake the cost into your dealership’s annual training line.

Why grandfathered registrants get an extra step

A subset of Ontario dealers and salespeople registered before January 1, 2010 and never completed either the updated OMVIC Automotive Certification Course or its abbreviated cousin, the MVDA Key Elements Course. The original certification curriculum that those registrants took (or, for some, did not take because no course was required at the time) is a different syllabus from what new registrants have learned for the past sixteen years.

To bring grandfathered registrants onto the current curriculum, OMVIC requires them to pass the MVDA Key Elements Course through Georgian College before they can even start REVS. It is not a punishment; it is a back-fill. The course is shorter than the full Automotive Certification Course (40 questions in 60 minutes versus 60 questions in 90 minutes), but it covers the same modern MVDA framework as the entry-level course, scaled down. Once Key Elements is done, the grandfathered registrant joins the standard CPD cycle.

I am grandfathered (registered before January 1, 2010). What do I do?

You owe two separate requirements before your first renewal on or after July 1, 2026.

First, the MVDA Key Elements Course, delivered by Georgian College. It is a self-study course with a 40-question, 60-minute, open-book test. The pass mark is 80% (raised from 75% on January 1, 2026). The fee is $202.86 and includes one attempt. You have 12 weeks from registration to write and pass. OMVIC’s bulletin recommends registering with Georgian College at least five months before your renewal date so Key Elements can be written, marked, and processed in time.

Second, REVS. Once Key Elements is done, you complete REVS on OMVIC’s portal in the standard 90-day window before your renewal, with the standard $99 fee.

A grandfathered registrant is defined as someone who registered before January 1, 2010 and has never completed either the updated Certification Course or the MVDA Key Elements Course since then. Older OMVIC course versions taken before 2010 do not count.

I just got licensed this year. Do I still do CPD?

Yes. CPD is tied to your renewal date, not your registration history. A salesperson who passed the Automotive Certification Course in March 2026 and has a first renewal date in March 2028 must complete REVS before that 2028 renewal. A dealer registered in April 2026 with a renewal date in April 2027 must complete REVS before that 2027 renewal.

There is no exemption for new entrants. The Automotive Certification Course you took to register is the one-time entry requirement. REVS is the recurring renewal requirement on top of it.

My renewal is in October. When should I start?

For a renewal dated October 15, REVS opens on OMVIC’s portal on July 17 and closes the day before your renewal. The practical recommendation is to start within the first two weeks of the window. That leaves five to seven weeks of buffer for any rewrite, plus a margin for portal issues or processing delays.

If you are grandfathered, the timeline starts earlier. For an October 15 renewal, register for the MVDA Key Elements Course with Georgian College in mid-May. That gives you five months to write Key Elements, get it marked and processed by Georgian, then complete REVS in the standard 90-day window.

Is OMVIC CPD the same as the original Automotive Certification Course?

No. They are different programs, different operators, different rules.

The Automotive Certification Course is the one-time entry requirement for new dealers and salespeople. It is delivered by Georgian College, runs across a 12-week self-study window, uses a 60-question, 90-minute, open-book test, with an 80% pass mark (raised from 75% on January 1, 2026). You take it once, before you register with OMVIC.

CPD (REVS) is the recurring renewal requirement. It is delivered by OMVIC directly on their portal, runs in a 90-day window before each renewal, uses an open-format assessment based on the year’s REVS modules, and has an 80% pass mark. Dealers take it every year, salespeople every two years.

ACC qualifies you to register. CPD is what every working dealer or salesperson does each year or two to keep that registration current.

Is UCDA continuing education enough to satisfy CPD?

No. UCDA’s Frontline training programs and continuing education seminars are valuable industry education and many dealers use them. They are not a substitute for OMVIC’s REVS. CPD must be completed on OMVIC’s portal under your registrant account, and time spent on UCDA modules does not transfer credits.

Treat UCDA programs as supplementary. If you are a UCDA member and you want a richer education habit, use both. If you are choosing one, REVS is the one OMVIC checks before your renewal.

What happens if I do not pass CPD before my renewal date?

Your registration will not be renewed. OMVIC’s own wording is direct: “If your required education is not completed before your renewal date, your registration will not be renewed and will automatically expire. You will not be permitted to trade in motor vehicles until your registration is successfully reinstated.”

You cannot sell, lease, broker, or hold yourself out as a registered dealer or salesperson on the lapsed date. Reinstatement requires passing CPD and processing through OMVIC. There is no informal grace period. The renewal date is the hard line.

What CPD changes for the Ontario auto industry

Ontario becomes the second Canadian province where motor vehicle dealers and salespeople face regulator-mandated continuing education tied to their right to trade. British Columbia’s Vehicle Sales Authority has run an annual continuing-education module for licensed salespeople for years; OMVIC’s CPD is Ontario’s analogue, covering both salespeople and dealers. For roughly 38,000 dealer and salesperson registrants in the province, the day-to-day shifts in measurable ways.

Renewal becomes a project with a deadline, not a clerical action. The renewal date used to be a single fee and a yes/no. It is now a 90-day study window that ends in a graded assessment. Dealerships with rotating staff will need to track each salesperson’s renewal-and-CPD calendar the way regulated brokerages already track real-estate agents’ continuing education.

Compliance training shifts from optional to load-bearing. Industry programs such as UCDA Frontline, Carfax workshops, and dealership-led training have always been available; they were also skippable. CPD is not skippable. The dealerships that already had a training habit absorb the change easily. The dealerships that did not now have a $99-per-cycle line item plus the time cost baked into every renewal.

OMVIC’s enforcement posture is likely to harden. A regulator who has just put every registrant through annual or biennial ethics-and-disclosure training has a stronger position the next time an all-in-pricing violation lands on its desk. “I did not know” becomes a much less plausible defense once the registrant has signed off on REVS’s all-in-pricing module within the last year or two.

How should I prepare?

Three practical habits, sized for the 4-to-6-hour scope of REVS.

Block out one two-hour session to read through the modules without testing. Treat it as briefing reading, not exam study. Note the section numbers that come up in the questions OMVIC asks at the end of each module, and pull those sections in the MVDA, the Code of Ethics regulation, and the General Regulation. The assessment leans on the underlying law.

After the reading session, set aside one hour to write the assessment. Open-format design rewards registrants who have actually read the modules and can find the right section quickly, not registrants who plan to read everything in real time.

For deeper preparation between cycles, daily-format practice on the same topic clusters (ethics, all-in pricing, disclosure, advertising, contracts) is what closes the gap between memorising a rule and understanding it. DealerPrep’s practice categories drill these clusters with citation-linked questions; the compliance feed covers real OMVIC enforcement cases on the same rules. Both are free to read on the web.

Sources

DealerPrep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OMVIC, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, or Georgian College. This page is a study reference; only OMVIC issues the CPD credential.

← All posts