Driving licence categories and codes explained
The back of a UK photocard licence is a table of letters, dates and numbers that most people have never read. It tells you exactly what you are allowed to drive, since when, until when, and under what conditions, and because insurers and the police read it, it is worth understanding. This guide decodes it.
Category letters: what you can drive
The categories follow a European system, so they are the same across the UK and the EU. The ones that matter for most drivers:
B is a car. Formally, a vehicle up to 3,500kg with up to eight passenger seats. It also lets you tow a trailer up to 750kg, or a heavier one provided the combined weight stays under 3,500kg. If you passed your test in an automatic, the entry shows code 78 next to it and you may only drive automatics.
BE is a car towing a heavier trailer, up to 3,500kg on the trailer. Since December 2021, everyone who holds a category B licence automatically gets BE entitlement, and the government has scrapped the separate towing test. Your licence may not show the entitlement until you renew it, but you still have it. Our guide to towing rules covers the weights.
AM, A1, A2 and A are mopeds and motorcycles in ascending order of engine size and power. A car licence gives you AM (moped up to 50cc) and, after a CBT course, provisional A1 entitlement.
C1 is a vehicle between 3,500kg and 7,500kg, which covers larger motorhomes, horseboxes and small lorries. Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 have it automatically; anyone who passed later has to take a separate test.
D1 is a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats. The same pre-1997 rule applies.
f, k, l, n, p, q are tractors, mowing machines, electric vehicles, road rollers, mopeds and small tractors, which come with a car licence and which almost nobody uses.
On the photocard the categories are listed on the back with a start date, an end date, and any codes. The front shows only a summary of the categories you hold.
The 1997 divide
If you passed before 1 January 1997 your licence carries C1, C1E, D1 and D1E entitlements, meaning you can drive a 7.5 tonne lorry, a minibus, and tow behind either, without further tests. These are called grandfather rights. They last until you are 70, at which point you have to prove medical fitness to keep them, and many people quietly lose them at their first over-70 renewal without noticing.
If you passed on or after that date, your car licence covers B and BE only. Driving a 7.5 tonne motorhome on a post-1997 licence is driving without a licence, with the same penalties as any other licence offence and, in practice, no insurance.
Information codes
The numbers in the codes column are restrictions or notes. The common ones:
| Code | Meaning |
| 01 | Eyesight correction: you must wear glasses or contact lenses to drive |
| 02 | Hearing or communication aid |
| 78 | Restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission |
| 79 | Restricted to vehicles conforming to the specification in brackets |
| 96 | Category B with a trailer above 750kg where the combination exceeds 3,500kg but not 4,250kg |
| 101 | Not for hire or reward (attached to some D1 entitlements) |
| 115 | Organ donor |
| 118 | Start date is for the earliest entitlement |
| 122 | Valid on successful completion of a CBT course |
Code 01 is the one that bites. If it is on your licence and you are stopped without glasses, or you fail the roadside eyesight test, the police can revoke the licence at the roadside. Code 78 is the other: driving a manual on an automatic-only licence is an offence and invalidates your insurance.
Provisional versus full
A provisional licence is green, a full one is pink. A provisional lets you drive the categories shown only with a supervisor, L plates, and insurance that names you as a provisional driver; our guide to learner driver rules covers the conditions. A full licence for B lets you drive alone, and once you pass in one category the provisional entitlements for related categories, such as A1 after a CBT, sit on the same card.
Dates, renewals and keeping it valid
A photocard licence is valid for ten years. The expiry date is on the front, at line 4b, and it is a different date from the category expiry dates on the back, which run to your 70th birthday. Driving on an expired photocard is an offence with a fine of up to £1,000, even though your entitlement to drive continues. Renewal costs £14 online.
You must update the address within days of moving; there is no fee, and the fine for not doing it is up to £1,000. Our guide to updating your driving licence covers changes of name and address. Insurers also cross-check the address on your licence against the address on your policy, which can help them detect fronting.
At 70, you must renew your licence every three years and complete a medical self-declaration. You must also tell the DVLA about certain medical conditions at any age, and the DVLA lists many conditions that drivers need to declare. If you fail to declare one, you could face a fine of up to £1,000 and risk invalidating your insurance.
Checking what your licence says
The paper counterpart was abolished in 2015, so the photocard no longer shows points or convictions. DVLA’s online service shows everything: categories, codes, penalty points, and the dates. It also generates a check code that insurers and hire companies ask for. Our guide to the DVLA licence check walks through it, and the digital driving licence covers the app version being rolled out through the GOV.UK Wallet.
Insurers ask for the licence type, the year you passed, and any codes, and they price on them. An automatic-only licence, an eyesight code, or a short licence-held period each move the premium, alongside factors like your occupation; see how your job title affects car insurance for the last of those.
Frequently asked questions
What does category B mean on a driving licence?
A car or light van up to 3,500kg with up to eight passenger seats, plus a trailer up to 750kg.
Can I drive a van on a car licence?
Yes, up to 3,500kg gross weight, which covers almost all panel vans. Above that you need C1.
Can I drive a 7.5 tonne lorry on a car licence?
Only if you passed before 1 January 1997 and still hold C1. Otherwise no.
What does code 78 mean?
Automatic transmission only. You cannot drive a manual car on that entitlement.
Can I drive a motorbike on a car licence?
A moped up to 50cc (category AM) without a test, and a 125cc motorcycle with L plates after completing a CBT.
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