Until now, a blanket ban on all supercharged, turbocharged and eight-cylinder vehicles has restricted the type of vehicle a P-plater could drive.

But from August 1, P-platers and their families will have around 6500 more car options to choose from under reforms that redefine high performance vehicles.

Road safety expert Matt Irvine said legislation has finally caught up with new car technology, and it will make life easier for families and young drivers.

He said many modern turbo or supercharged vehicles are now focused on fuel efficiency and safety, rather than speed.

“It encourages us to get young drivers into newer, safer, more fuel-efficient cars,” he said.

“It [the new legislation] better reflects the range of cars available.

“It opens up the options, especially if you’re shopping for a new car.”

Learner driver Leah Pentecost said the change will give her more choices when she buys her first car.

“It makes it more accessible and easier, especially if you’ve got a family car,” she said.

While the legislation was adequate when it was introduced around a decade ago, Mr Irvine said new legislation was needed to match new car technologies.

“The power outputs of cars had a direct relation to crashes,” he said. “Drivers in high-powered cars do crash more times than their peers without high-powered cars.”

Mr Irvine said there are some turbocharged vehicles on the banned list that have lower power and torque than cars P-platers are currently allowed to drive.

He said previous legislation was difficult for P-platers if the family car was on the banned list of high performance vehicles.

“They had to apply for an exemption to drive that car,” he said. “There’s now a lot more cars for P-platers to drive without an exemption.”

Clancy Motors’ Brendon Fush said safety, fuel efficiency, reliability, service and maintenance costs are on top of the list when parents look to buy a car for their son or daughter.

“Within two years, 70 per cent of the Ford range will have access to the EcoBoost range of engines which are all about fuel efficiency as opposed to top-end performance,” he said.

Vehicles that remain banned for P-platers include cars above 130 kilowatts per tonne, and a few models that have performance characteristics that pose a high risk for inexperienced drivers.