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Vehicles you can drive and how old you must to drive them
In general, the
minimum ages for driving on British roads are 16 years for invalid carriages and
mopeds, 17 years for agricultural or forestry tractors, small vehicles and motorcycles,
and 21 years for medium/large sized vehicles, minibuses and buses.
The basic licence allows you to drive most cars but if you wish to drive vehicles
not covered by your current licence, you will need Driver Training in the appropriate
catagory.
Listed below are
vehicle category descriptions for driving tests passed after 1 January 1997 and
the minimum ages for driving them. All weights refer to maximum authorised mass
(MAM) unless stated otherwise.
Motorcycles
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Mopeds
with an engine capacity not exceeding 50cc and a maximum design speed not exceeding
50km/h |
P |
16 |
| Light
motorcycles with a cubic capacity not exceeding 125cc and a power output not exceeding
11kW (14.6bhp) |
A1
|
17
|
| Motorcycles
up to 25kW(33bhp) and a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg. Motorcycle
combination with a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.16kW/kg |
A1
|
17
|
| Any
size motorcycle with or without a sidecar |
A
|
21*
|
* Age 21 or 2 years
from the date of standard A test pass
|
3 or 4 wheeled
light vehicles
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Motor
tricycles / quadricycles, 3 or 4 wheeled vehicles with an unladen weight not exceeding
550kg |
B1
|
17*
|
Cars
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Motor vehicles
with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than 8 passenger seats with a
trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer,
where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer
does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle |
B
|
17*
|
|
Automatic
cars
|
| As cars, but with
automatic transmission |
B
Automatic
|
17*
|
|
Cars
with trailers
|
| Combinations
of vehicles consisting of a vehicle in category B and a trailer, where the combination
does not come within category B |
B+E
|
17
|
*Age 16 if you are
currently getting Disability Living Allowance at the higher rate (mobility component)
Medium sized vehicles
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Lorries between
3500kg and 7500kg with a trailer up to 750kg |
C1
|
18*
|
|
Medium
sized vehicles with trailers
|
|
Lorries
between 3500kg and 7500kg with a trailer over 750kg - total weight not more than
12000kg (if you passed your category B test prior to 1.1.1997 you will be restricted
to a total weight not more than 8250kg)
|
C1+E
|
21*
|
*Age 18 if combination
weight is under 7500kg
Large vehicles
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Vehicles over
3500kg with a trailer up to 750kg |
C
|
21*
|
|
Large
vehicles with trailers
|
| Vehicles
over 3500kg with a trailer over 750kg |
C+E
|
21*
|
*Age 17 if member
of armed forces
*Age 18 if member of the young drivers scheme
Minibuses
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
|
Vehicles
with between 9 and 16 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg
|
D1
|
21*
|
|
Minibuses
with trailers
|
|
Combinations
of vehicles where the towing vehicle is in subcategory D1 and its trailer has
a MAM of over 750kg, provided that the MAM of the combination thus formed does
not exceed 12000kg, and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass
of the towing vehicle
|
D1+E
|
21*
|
Buses
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Any bus with more
than 8 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg |
D
|
21*
|
|
Buses
with trailers
|
|
Any
bus with more than 8 passenger seats with a trailer over 750kg
|
D+E
|
21
|
*Age 17 if member
of armed forces
*Age 18
a) while learning
to drive or taking a passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) test
b) after passing
a PCV test when:
- driving on a regular
service where the route does not exceed 50km
- driving a PCV
constructed to carry no more than 16 passengers
- the vehicle is
operated under a public service vehicle (PSV) operator's licence or permit
c) not engaged
in the carriage of passengers
Other categories
| Description |
Category |
Minimum age |
| Agricultural
tractors |
F
|
17*
|
|
Road
rollers
|
G
|
21**
|
|
Tracked
vehicles
|
H
|
21
|
|
Mowing
machine or vehicle controlled by a pedestrian
|
K
|
16
|
|
Mopeds
|
P
|
16
|
*Age 16 for tractors
less than 2.45m wide. It must only pull trailers less than 2.45m 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 11.69 tonnes or be made for carrying loads
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