Driving Entitlement

The Questions

1) What do the various categories of driving licence entitlement mean?

2) What happens to my driving entitlements when I reach 70?

3) I have recently replaced my licence and find some of my previous entitlements have been lost: why - and what can I do about it?

4) What kind of large (or unusual) vehicles can I drive on a normal car licence?

5) How do I go about getting the licence necessary to drive additional categories of vehicle?

The Answers

1) What do the various categories of driving licence entitlement mean?

This is not a straightforward question to answer as codes and categories have changed over time. Before 1990, entitlements were arranged in “groups”.There was another distinct watershed on 1 January 1997 when the current category system was introduced as part of the EU harmonisation process, and further changes
(that will not alter existing entitlements) are due by 2013 when UK has to give effect to the Third Directive on Driving Licences. Full details of previous groups, categories and entitlements can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing
The table below is a summary of current categories. Additional “vocational” licences are required for categories shown in bold

2) What happens to my driving entitlements when I reach 70?

At age 70, driving licences expire and must be renewed every three years thereafter. From 1998, new drivers have been required to pass additional tests for categories B+E, C1, C1+E, D1 and D1+E but existing holders of a general car licence at that date were effectively given ‘grandfather’ rights to the new categories until renewal. These ‘grandfather’ rights, however, are not renewed automatically, so if you wish to retain them after 70, you must ask to do so and will need to provide a medical certificate with the renewal request. (A medical certificate is not required for categories B + E alone).

3) I have recently replaced my licence and find some of my previous entitlements have been lost: why - and what can I do about it?

In some cases, previously held entitlements have been dropped either when renewing at age 70 (see previous question) or when notifying a change of address.  In other cases, the loss of entitlement is usually related to motorcycles and almost invariably results from the holder failing to submit their pass certificate within the relevant time period.  At one time, this had to be done within 10 years of the test pass but this generous period of grace was subsequently reduced first to three years and is now two years.  If an applicant can provide an old licence showing that an entitlement was valid and properly notified, DVLA will reinstate it.  Otherwise, there is no option but to submit to a new test.

4) What kind of large (or unusual) vehicles can I drive on a normal car licence?

At the time of writing, the holder of a full category B licence may drive the following vehicles without seeking further qualification:

steam vehicles;**

goods vehicles made before 1960 used unladen;

buses or coaches over 30 years old carrying no more than 8 passengers;

road construction machinery, digging machines & engineering plant;

works trucks;

tractors & agricultural vehicles;

certain breakdown vehicles.

This is not an exhaustive list and distance restrictions apply in some cases.  Full details at www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing

**FBHVC strongly recommends that anyone contemplating driving a steam vehicle should consider one of the training courses available from the National Traction Engine Trust

5) How do I go about getting the licence necessary to drive additional categories of vehicle?
Visit the Driver Standards Agency website at www.dsa.gov.uk for full details of the training and testing procedures to qualify to drive vehicles of categories outside your existing entitlement.