Which vehicles a car licence covers

The answer depends on three things: the vehicle’s maximum authorised mass (MAM), whether it is zero-emission, and when you passed your car test. These are the common cases in Great Britain.

Vehicle	Car test passed on or after 1 January 1997	Car test passed before 1 January 1997
3,500kg panel van (diesel, petrol or hybrid)	Yes, category B	Yes, category B
3,500kg Luton or box van	Yes, category B	Yes, category B
4,250kg electric or hydrogen van	Yes, under the zero-emission rule	Yes
4,250kg diesel, hybrid or gas van	No, you need C1	Yes, with your C1
7,500kg lorry or horsebox	No, you need C1	Yes, with your C1 (renew it at 70)
3,500kg van towing a 3,500kg trailer	Yes, with BE, if the van is rated to tow it	Yes, if the van is rated to tow it
17-seat minibus (16 passengers plus driver)	Only as an unpaid volunteer for a non-commercial group, and only if you meet every condition below. Otherwise D1.	Yes, with D1 code 101: unpaid, or paid under a section 19 or 22 permit, but not for fares or profit without one

Category B: up to 3,500kg

A car licence (category B) covers vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM with no more than 8 passenger seats. That includes nearly every panel van, pickup and 3.5 tonne Luton. The figure is the plated maximum, not the weight you happen to be carrying, so a lightly loaded 3.5 tonne Luton is still a 3.5 tonne vehicle. See driving licence categories on GOV.UK.

Electric and hydrogen vans up to 4,250kg

Since 10 June 2025 a full car licence covers zero-emission vehicles up to 4,250kg MAM, or 5,000kg where the extra weight is specialist equipment for disabled passengers. Zero-emission means no combustion engine: battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and gas vans do not count. There is no extra test or training requirement, you can be 17, and your photocard does not change. You can tow up to a 3,500kg trailer as long as the combination stays within 7,000kg, so a 4,250kg van can pull a trailer of up to 2,750kg. The rule does not cover mobile project vehicles such as play buses. Sources: regulation 7(11) of the Driving Licences Regulations, as changed by SI 2025/608, and the GOV.UK guide to driving an electric or hydrogen vehicle.

If you passed your test before 1997

Car licences from tests passed before 1 January 1997 also include:

C1: vehicles from 3,500kg to 7,500kg, with a trailer up to 750kg.
C1E with code 107: a vehicle and trailer up to 8,250kg combined.
D1 with code 101: a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats, not for hire or reward (not to make a profit).

These end at 70 unless you renew them by post with a D2 application and a D4 medical report. The codes are explained on the GOV.UK licence codes page. If you are not sure what your licence includes, view it online.

Towing a trailer

Since 16 December 2021 every car licence in Great Britain includes BE (SI 2021/1450). You can tow a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM behind a vehicle up to 3,500kg, up to 7,000kg combined. If BE on your licence has a valid-from date before 19 January 2013, you can tow any trailer within the vehicle’s towing limits. Either way, the vehicle must be rated to tow the trailer: check the gross train weight on its plate. Heavier combinations need C1E (up to 12,000kg) or CE. See towing with a car on GOV.UK.

Minibuses

With a licence from 1997 onwards, you can drive a minibus with 9 to 16 passenger seats on a car licence only if all of these apply:

you are 21 or over and have held your licence for at least 2 years
you drive voluntarily for a non-commercial body, for social purposes, with no pay beyond out-of-pocket expenses
the minibus is no more than 3,500kg MAM, or 4,250kg if it is zero-emission (750kg more in either case for disabled-passenger equipment)
you do not tow a trailer
if you are 70 or over, you meet the higher medical standards for bus drivers

Otherwise you need D1. If you passed your car test before 1997, your D1 (code 101) also lets you be paid to drive a minibus run under a section 19 or 22 permit; every permit driver must be 21 or over. Fares or profit without a permit need full D1, and the operator usually needs a PSV operator licence. See driving a minibus on GOV.UK and the section 19 and 22 permit guidance.

Operator licences and tachographs over 3,500kg

The licence is not the only rule that changes at 3,500kg. If you use a goods vehicle over 3,500kg, or a van and trailer over 3,500kg combined, for any business, including carrying your own tools, you usually need a goods vehicle operator licence. You do not need one for a trailer under 1,020kg unladen carrying only your own goods, or for a vehicle fuelled entirely by electricity, hydrogen, natural gas or LPG, up to 4.25 tonnes and used only in Great Britain (the regulation and its definition of alternative fuel; GOV.UK’s exemptions page prints this as 4,520kg).

Business use over 3,500kg also usually brings in the assimilated drivers’ hours rules and a tachograph. In a vehicle or combination up to 7,500kg, exemptions include carrying your own tools or equipment within 100km of base when driving is not your main job, non-commercial use, and vehicles running on natural or liquefied gas used within 100km of base. Since 1 June 2026, zero-emission goods vehicles over 3,500kg and up to 4,250kg, including any trailer, are also exempt in Great Britain (DVSA notice).

Where to find the weight

MAM is also called gross vehicle weight or permissible maximum weight. It is on the vehicle’s plate or sticker and in the handbook. The V5C may show it at F.1; if the figures differ, use the plated one. See vehicle weights explained.

Northern Ireland

This tool covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own rules: BE is still a separate test, and its zero-emission allowance (4,250kg, or 5,000kg with disabled-user equipment) started on 1 August 2026 with a two-year licence-holding condition. For towing, check nidirect.

Rules last checked against the official sources on 5 November 2026. This tool gives general information, not advice. If your situation is unusual, check with DVLA before you rely on it.