Vehicle category

2 EU classication

A vehicle category classies a land vehicle for regulatory

purposes.

See also: UNECE

UNECE categories

In Europe, the classications for vehicle category are

based in UNECE standards and dened by:[4]

Information from Consolidated Resolution on the

Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3),[1] Revision 2.[2]

Commission Directive 2001/116/EC 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 typeapproval of motor vehicles and their trailers.[5]

Some categories has further sub classes. See Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles
(R.E.3)[2] for further information.
Vehicles in the table listed within parentheses are examples of the vehicle in that category, e.g. (Bus).

1.1

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.[6][7]

Category Notes

[1] A vehicle of category M, N or O for conveying passengers

or goods and for performing a special function for which
special body arrangements and/or equipment are necessary.

The EU general classication of vehicle categories is:[8]

Motor vehicles with at least four wheels:

[2] A special purpose M1 category vehicle constructed to include accommodation space.

Category M: used for the carriage of passengers

[3] Vehicle intended for the protection of conveyed passengers and/or goods and complying with armour plating antibullet requirements.

Category M1: no more than eight seats in

addition to the driver seat (mainly, cars)
more than eight seats in addition to the
driver seat (buses):
Category M2: having a maximum
mass not exceeding 5 tonnes (11,000
lb)
Category M3: having a maximum
mass exceeding 5 tonnes

[4] Motor vehicle of category M intended for the transport of

sick or injured people and having special equipment for
such purpose.
[5] Motor vehicle intended for the transport of deceased people and having special equipment for such purpose.
[6] A power-driven vehicle, either wheeled or track laying,
which has at least two-axles, whose function depends essentially on its tractive power, and which is specially designed to pull, push, carry or actuate certain implements,
machines or trailers intended for use in agriculture or
forestry. Such a tractor may be arranged to carry a load
(E.g.: Forwarder) and attendants.

Category N: used for the carriage of goods

(trucks):
Category N1: having a maximum mass
not exceeding 3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb)
Category N2: having a maximum mass
exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding
12 tonnes (26,000 lb)
Category N3: having a maximum mass
exceeding 12 tonnes

[7] Any mobile machine, transportable industrial equipment

or vehicle with or without body work, not intended for the
use of passenger- or goods-transport on the road, in which
an internal combustion engine is installed.
[8] O-road vehicles are considered to be the vehicles of categories M and N.

Category O: trailers (including semi-trailers)

[9] Symbols M and N may be combined with symbol G. For

example, a vehicle of category N1 which is suited for oroad use may be designated as N1G.

Category O1: maximum mass not exceeding

0.75 tonnes (1,700 lb)
1

5 SEE ALSO
Category O2: exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not
exceeding 3.5 tonnes (7,700 lb)
Category O3: exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 10 tonnes (22,000 lb)
Category O4: exceeding 10 tonnes
Symbol G: o-road vehicles
Special purpose vehicles

EU driving licenses

There are also a dierent category classication 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.

Category LE: tricars and four-wheelers (with

one 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

National classication of EU
countries

4.1

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, land vehicle categories are dened 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 dened
according to the EU directive. Moreover, there are dened 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 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 humanpowered and animal-powered vehicles like bicycles
and carts, wheelchairs, motor vehicles without carriage body, caterpillar vehicles, one-axle tractors
etc.)

5 See also

Category LC: motorcycles (two-wheeled, with

one or more parameters exceeding the LA category)

Bus classication

Category LD: motorcycles with sidecars (with

one or more parameters exceeding the LB category)

European emission standards

Car classication

Motorised quadricycle

3
Truck classication
Type approval
UNECE
Vehicle
Vehicle acronyms and abbreviations
Vehicle regulation

References

[1] Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles

(R.E.3)".
[2] ECE/TRANS/WP.29/78/Rev.2: Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3)" (PDF).
[3] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?
uri=OJ:L:2013:060:0052:0128:EN:PDF
[4] Scadplus: Technical Harmonisation For Motor Vehicles. Europa.eu. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
[5] EUR-Lex - 32001L0116 - EN. Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
[6] Directive 2002/24/EC - Automotive - Enterprise and Industry. Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
[7] EUR-Lex - 32002L0024 - EN. Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
[8] ACEA - European Automobile Manufacturers Association (PDF). Acea.be. Retrieved 2012-04-09.

External links
49 C.F.R. 571.3, U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards, Denitions

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Vehicle category Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_category?oldid=716644849 Contributors: Wtshymanski, Woohookitty,

Chris the speller, Fmountford, J, ShelfSkewed, Cydebot, Tkynerd, Z22, Typ932, Nopetro, Yobot, Ehsnils, John of Reading, Donner60,
Diamondland, Trilectric, KLBot2, Biletsky Volodymyr, Spaghettij, Lagoset and Anonymous: 7

8.2

Images

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0