Vehicle category
Encyclopedia
A vehicle category classifies a land vehicle for regulatory purposes.
The EU general classification of vehicle categories is:
The table below shows a translation of Vehicle categories to Driving Licence Categories indicating what vehicle class can be driven on which category of licence.
EU classification
In Europe, the classifications for vehicle category are defined by:- Commission Directive 2001/116/ECDirective 2001/116/ECEuropean Commission Directive 2001/116/EC of 20 December 2001, adapts to technical progress Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers...
of 20 December 2001, adapting to technical progress Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers. - Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2002 relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheeled motor vehicles and repealing Council Directive 92/61/EEC.
The EU general classification of vehicle categories is:
- Motor vehicleMotor vehicleA motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s with at least four wheels:- Category M: used for the carriage of passengersAutomobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
- Category M1: no more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat
- more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat:
- Category M2: haves a maximum mass not exceeding 5 tonnes (11,023.1 lb)
- Category M3: haves a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes
- Category N: used for the carriage of goods
- Category N1Light commercial vehicleLight commercial vehicles is a commercial carrier vehicles with a Gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. The formal term within the European Union is Light commercial vehicles. Vehicles which qualify in this category are pickup trucks, vans and 3 wheelers all commercially based goods or...
: having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes (7,716.2 lb) - Category N2Large Goods VehicleA large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
: having a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes (26,455.5 lb) - Category N3Large Goods VehicleA large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
: having a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes
- Category N1
- Category M: used for the carriage of passengers
- Category O: trailerTrailer (vehicle)A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
s (including semi-trailerSemi-trailerA semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of its weight is supported by a road tractor, a detachable front axle assembly known as a dolly, or the tail of another trailer...
s)- Category O1: maximum mass not exceeding 0.75 tonnes (1,653.5 lb)
- Category O2: exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes (7,716.2 lb)
- Category O3: exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 10 tonnes (22,046.2 lb)
- Category O4: exceeding 10 tonnes
- Symbol G: off-road vehicleOff-road vehicleAn off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
s - Special purpose vehicles
EU driving licenses
There are also a different category classification for driver licensing purposes.The table below shows a translation of Vehicle categories to Driving Licence Categories indicating what vehicle class can be driven on which category of licence.
| Vehicle Category | European Driving Licence European driving licence The European driving licence is a driving licence replacing the many driving licence styles already in use in the member states of the European Union. It has the credit card-style with a photograph and possibly a microchip. They were introduced to replace the 110 different plastic and paper driving... | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | B | |
| M2 | B, C1 | For mass over 3.5 tonnes Cat C1 only |
| M3 | C, C1 | For mass over 7.5 tonnes Cat C only |
| N1 | B | |
| N2 | C, C1 | For mass between 7.5 and 12 tonnes Cat C only |
| N3 | C | |
| O1 | B, C, C1, D, D1 | |
| O2 | BE, CE, C1E, DE, D1E | |
| O3 | CE, C1E, DE, D1E | |
| O4 | CE, C1E |
Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, land vehicle categories are defined by the act No. 56/2001 Sb. and the ordinance No. 341/2002 Sb. Categories M (including M1, M2, M3), N (including N1, N2, N3), of-road symbol G of M and N vehicles (M1G, M2G, M3G, N1G, N2G, N3G) and the category O (including O1, O2, O3 and O4) are defined according the EU directive. Moreover there are defined categories:- Category L: light motor vehicles
- Category LM: bicycles with auxiliary motor (volume of cylinder not exceeding 50 ccm, design speed not exceeding 25 km/h)
- Category LA: two-wheeled mopeds (generally, volume of cylinder not exceeding 50 ccm, design speed not exceeding 45 km/h)
- Category LB: three-wheeled mopeds and light four wheelers (generally, volume of cylinder not exceeding 50 ccm or motor power not exceeding 4 kW, design speed not exceeding 45 km/h, mass of empty vehicle not exceeding 350 kg)
- Category LC: motorcycles (two-wheeled, with on or more parameters exceeding the LA category)
- Category LD: motorcycles with sidecars (with on or more parameters exceeding the LB category)
- Category LE: tricars and four wheelers (with on or more parameters exceeding the LB category), four wheelers of mass not exceeding 400 kg (or 550 kg in case of freight vehicle) motor power of four wheeler not exceeding 15 kW
- Category T: forestry and agricultural tractors
- Category T1: standard tractors (a gauge exceeding 1150 mm, mass of empty vehicle exceeding 600 kg, ride height not exceeding 1000 mm
- Category T2: mass of empty vehicle exceeding 600 kg, a gauge less than 1150 mm, ride height less than 600 mm
- Category T3: vehicle mass less than 600 kg
- Category T4.1: ride height more than 1000 mm
- Category T4.2: extra wide tractors
- Category OT1: tractor trailer, maximum mass not exceeding 1.5 tonnes
- Category OT2: tractor trailer, maximum mass exceeding 1.5 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
- Category OT3: tractor trailer, maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 6 tonnes
- Category OT4: tractor trailer, maximum mass exceeding 6 tonnes
- Category S: movable industrial machines
- Category SS: self-propelled industrial machines
- Category SP: trailer industrial machines (SP1 up to 3 tonnes, SP2 up to 6 tonnes, SP3 over 6 tonnes)
- Category SPT: tractor trailer industrial machines (SPT1, SPT2...)
- Category R: other vehicles (contains human-powered and animal-powered vehicles like bicycles and carts, wheelchairs, motor vehicles without carriage body, caterpillar vehicles, one-axle tractors etc.)
See also
- European emission standardsEuropean emission standardsEuropean emission standards define the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in EU member states. The emission standards are defined in a series of European Union directives staging the progressive introduction of increasingly stringent standards.Currently, emissions of...
- Motorised quadricycleMotorised quadricycleQuadricycles are European categories of small four-wheeled motorised vehicles defined by limitations in terms of weight, power and speed.Two categories are defined:*Light quadricycles, category L6e,*and quadricycles, category L7e....
- Truck classificationTruck classificationIn the United States, commercial truck classification is determined based on the vehicle's gross vehicle weight rating . The classes range from 1-8...
- Type approvalType approvalType Approval is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so the requirements for a given product will vary around the world...
- UNECE
- VehicleVehicleA vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
- Vehicle acronyms and abbreviationsVehicle acronyms and abbreviations*A4: 4-speed automatic transmission*A5: 5-speed automatic transmission*A6: 6-speed automatic transmission*ABS: Anti-Lock Braking System*A/C: Air conditioning*AdvHEV: Advanced hybrid*AMT: Automated manual transmission*ATLS: Automated truck loading systems...
- Vehicle regulationVehicle regulation- Existing regulations :Detroit automakers say that CAFE did not work to reduce fuel consumption. They point out that the price of oil was spiking in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at the same time that CAFE was being implemented, and that therefore fuel economy would haveincreased anyway...