Driving licence categories explained (B, BE, C1, D1)
Published
A UK driving licence isn't a single permission — it is a list of categories, each covering a class of vehicle, and each held either as full or provisional entitlement. Most licence surprises in fleets come from a driver assumed to hold a category they don't.
Car and light vehicle categories
| Category | Covers |
|---|---|
| B | Cars and vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM (maximum authorised mass), up to 8 passenger seats |
| BE | Category B vehicle towing a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM |
| B1 | Light vehicles/quadricycles up to 550kg (unladen) |
| B auto | Category B restricted to automatic transmission (code 78) |
Since 16 December 2021, all full category B holders may tow a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM — DVLA adds BE to the record automatically when the photocard is renewed, so a recent check may show BE on a driver who never took a towing test.
Motorcycle and moped categories
| Category | Covers |
|---|---|
| AM | Mopeds up to 45km/h |
| A1 | Motorcycles up to 125cc / 11kW |
| A2 | Motorcycles up to 35kW |
| A | Any motorcycle |
Lorry (LGV) categories
| Category | Covers |
|---|---|
| C1 | Vehicles 3,500–7,500kg (with trailer up to 750kg) |
| C1E | C1 with a heavier trailer (combined up to 12,000kg) |
| C | Vehicles over 3,500kg (trailer up to 750kg) |
| CE | Category C with a heavier trailer |
Bus and minibus (PCV) categories
| Category | Covers |
|---|---|
| D1 | Minibuses, 9–16 passenger seats |
| D1E | D1 with a heavier trailer |
| D | Any bus with more than 8 passenger seats |
| DE | Category D with a heavier trailer |
Grandfather rights: the 1997 line
Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 automatically hold C1 and D1 (with restriction code 101 — not for hire or reward) plus C1E and D1E up to 8,250kg. Drivers who passed on or after that date hold neither and must take a separate test to drive a 7.5-tonner or minibus. In a mixed-age workforce this is the single most common entitlement gap: the long-serving driver can legally take the 7.5t truck, the younger driver committing the same journey is unlicensed.
Restriction codes
Categories carry numeric codes that qualify them — for example 01 (eyesight correction required), 78 (automatics only), 101 (not for hire or reward), 79(3) (tricycles). A category is only half the answer; the codes against it are the other half.
What employers should take from this
Match the vehicle to the category actually held, per driver, from the DVLA record — not from what the driver remembers. A licence check lists every category with its provisional/full status, valid-from and valid-to dates, and restriction codes. For minibuses and 7.5-tonners in particular, assume nothing about drivers who passed after 1997, and re-check on a sensible schedule — categories lapse on medical grounds and photocard renewals more often than people expect.