If you hold a full car driving licence (category B), it may be possible for you to apply for provisional entitlements in a higher category. There are also circumstances that will upgrade a lower category on your licence if you pass the driving test in a higher category.

Motorcycles

Category	Description	Minimum age
P	Scooters with an engine size of up to 50 cc and a maximum speed of up to 50 km/h	16
A1	Light motorcycles with an engine size of up to 125 cc and a power output of up to 11 kW (14.6 bhp)	17
A	Medium-sized motorcycles up to 25 kW (33 bhp) and a power to weight ratio of up to 0.16 kW/kg	17
A	Motorcycles with a sidecar and a power to weight ratio of up to 0.16 kW/kg	17
A	Any size motorcycle, with or without a sidecar if you have completed the large motorcycle Direct Access Scheme	21*

*You can ride a large motorcycle at any age two years after passing a test on a medium-sized motorcycle.

Three or four wheeled light vehicles

Category	Description	Minimum age
B1	Motor tricycles, quadricycles and three or four wheeled vehicles with an unladen weight no more than 550 kg	17*

*Age 16 if you are currently getting Disability Living Allowance at the higher rate (mobility component).

Cars or light vans, with or without trailers

The term maximum authorised mass (MAM) means the total weight of the vehicle plus the maximum load it can carry safely.

Category	Description	Minimum age
B	Motor vehicles with a MAM of up to 3,500 kg, no more than eight passenger seats, with or without a trailer - weighing no more than 750 kg	17*
B	As category B but with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle	17*
B auto	As category B with automatic transmission	17*
B+E	As category B but with a heavier trailer that isn't covered in the descriptions for category B	17

*Age 16 if you are currently getting Disability Living Allowance at the higher rate (mobility component).

Example of category B with a trailer weighing over 750 kg: Motor vehicle with an unladen weight of 1,500 kg and a maximum weight of 2,000 kg towing a fully loaded trailer with a weight of 1,500 kg – total weight 3500.

Example of category B+E: Motor vehicle with a MAM up to 3,500 kg towing a trailer of any weight over 750 kg.

Medium sized vehicles with or without trailers

Category	Description	Minimum age
C1	Vehicles weighing between 3,500 kg and 7,500 kg, with or without a trailer - weighing no more than 750 kg	18*
C1+E	As category C1 but with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 12,000 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle	21*, **, ***

*Age 17 if you are a member of the armed services.

**Age 18 if you got your driving licence before 10 September 2009 and the weight of the vehicle and trailer together is under 7,500 kg.

***You can drive C1+E category vehicles at age 18 if one of the following apply:

• you have passed your driving test and Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) initial qualification
• you are learning to drive or taking a driving test for this category or Driver CPC initial qualification
• you are taking a national vocational training course to get a Driver CPC initial qualification
• you had your driving licence before 10 September 2009 - you must take the CPC periodic training within five years of this date

Example of category C1+E: A vehicle with an unladen weight of 6,000 kg and a maximum weight of 7,500 kg pulling a fully loaded trailer with a weight of 4,500 kg – total weight 12,000 kg.

 

Large vehicles, with or without trailers

Category	Description	Minimum age
C	Vehicles over 3,500 kg, with a trailer up to 750 kg	21*, **
C+E	As category C but with a trailer over 750 kg	21*, **

*Age 17 if you are a member of the armed services.

** You can drive these vehicles at age 18 if one of the following apply:

• you have passed your driving test and Driver CPC initial qualification
• you are learning to drive or taking a driving test for this category or Driver CPC initial qualification
• you are taking a national vocational training course to get a Driver CPC initial qualification
• you had your driving licence before 10 September 2009 - you must take the CPC periodic training within five years of this date

Minibuses, with or without trailers

Category	Description	Minimum age
D1	Vehicles with a minimum of nine and a maximum of 16 passenger seats, with or without a trailer - weighing no more than 750 kg	21*, **, ***
D1+E	As category D1 but with a trailer over 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 12,000 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle	21*, **, ***

Buses, with or without trailers

Category	Description	Minimum age
D	Any bus with more than eight passenger seats, with a trailer up to 750 kg	21*, **, ***
D+E	As category D but with a trailer over 750 kg	21*, **, ***

*Age 17 if you are a member of the armed services.

** You can drive these vehicles at age 18 if one of the following apply:

1) You are learning to drive or taking a PCV test or Driver CPC initial qualification

2) Having passed a PCV driving test and Driver CPC initial qualification, you can drive under any of the following conditions:

• driving on a regular service where the route doesn’t exceed 50 km
• not engaged in the carriage of passengers
• driving a vehicle of a class included in sub-category D1

3) Having passed a PCV test before 10 September 2008 and driving under a bus operator's licence, or minibus permit, or community bus permit and any of the following conditions:

• driving on a regular service where the route doesn't exceed 50 km
• not engaged in the carriage of passengers
• driving a vehicle of a class included in sub-category D1

***Age 20 after passing a PCV driving test and Driver CPC initial qualification.

For further advice you can contact the Driving Standards Agency by phoning 0300 200 1122.

Other categories

Category	Description	Minimum age
F	Agricultural tractors	17*
G	Road rollers	21**
H	Tracked vehicles	21***
K	Mowing machine or vehicle controlled by a pedestrian	16

*Age 16 for tractors less than 2.45 metres wide, it must only pull trailers less than 2.45 metres wide with two wheels, or four close-coupled.

**Age 17 for small road-rollers with metal or hard rollers, they must not be steam powered, weigh more than 11,690 kg or be made for carrying loads.

***Age 17 if the MAM of the tracked vehicle doesn’t exceed 3,500 kg.

http://www.direct.gov.uk