A vehicle category classifies a land

vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...

or trailer for regulatory purposes.

UNECE categories

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is an intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Econom ...

Information from Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3), Revision 6. Some categories have further sub classes. See Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3) for further information. Vehicles in the table listed within parentheses are examples of the vehicle in that category, e.g. (

Bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

Category notes

EU classification

In the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, the classifications for vehicle category are based on

UNECE The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is an intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Econ ...

standards and defined by: * Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles. * Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles. The EU general classification of vehicle categories is: * Two- or three-wheel vehicles and

quadricycles A quadracycle (also spelled quadricycle) is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadcycle, pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle amongst other terms. Quadracycles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into ...

: ** Category L1e: light two-wheel powered vehicle *** Category L1e-A: powered cycle *** Category L1e-B: two-wheel moped ** Category L2e: three-wheel moped *** Category L2e-P: three-wheel moped designed for passenger transport *** Category L2e-U: three wheel moped designed for utility purposes ** Category L3e: two-wheel motorcycle *** sub-categorized by performance: **** Category L3e-A1: low-performance motorcycle **** Category L3e-A2: medium-performance motorcycle **** Category L3e-A3: high-performance motorcycle *** sub-categorized by special use: **** Category L3e-A1E, L3e-A2E or L3e-A3E: enduro motorcycle **** Category L3e-A1T, L3e-A2T or L3e-A3T: trial motorcycle ** Category L4e: two-wheel motorcycle with side-car ** Category L5e: powered tricycle *** Category L5e-A: tricycle (mainly designed for passenger transport) *** Category L5e-B: commercial tricycle (utility tricycle exclusively designed for the carriage of goods) ** Category L6e: light quadricycle *** Category L6e-A: light on-road quad *** Category L6e-B: light quadri-mobile **** Category L6e-BU: light quadri-mobile for utility purposes (utility vehicle exclusively designed for the carriage of goods) **** Category L6e-BP: light quadri-mobile for passenger transport (vehicle mainly designed for passenger transport) ** Category L7e: heavy quadricycles *** Category L7e-A: heavy on-road quad **** Category L7e-A1: A1 on-road quad **** Category L7e-A2: A2 on-road quad *** Category L7e-B: heavy all terrain quad **** Category L7e-B1: all terrain quad **** Category L7e-B2: side-by-side buggy *** Category L7e-C: heavy quadri-mobile **** Category L7e-CU: heavy quadri-mobile for utility purposes (utility vehicle exclusively designed for the carriage of goods) **** Category L7e-CP: heavy quadri-mobile for passenger transport (vehicle mainly designed for passenger transport) *

Motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on railway track, rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such ...

s with at least four wheels: ** Category M: used for the carriage of passengers ***Category M1: no more than eight seats in addition to the driver seat (mainly,

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

s) ***more than eight seats in addition to the driver seat (

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

es): ****Category M2: having a maximum mass not exceeding ****Category M3: having a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes **Category N: used for the carriage of goods (

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

s): *** Category N1: having a maximum mass not exceeding *** Category N2: having a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding *** Category N3: having a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes *Category O: trailers (including

semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer (vehicle), trailer without a front axle. The combination of a semi-trailer and a tractor truck is called a ''semi-trailer truck'' (also known simply as a "semi-trailer", "tractor trailer", or "semi" in the United Sta ...

s) **Category O1: maximum mass not exceeding **Category O2: exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not exceeding **Category O3: exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding **Category O4: exceeding 10 tonnes *Symbol G:

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle (ORV), also known as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle or adventure vehicle, is a type of transportation specifically engineered to navigate unpaved roads and surfaces. These include trails, forest roads, and ...

s *Special purpose vehicles

European driving licenses

There is also a different category classification for

driver licensing A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, car ...

purposes. The table below shows a translation of Vehicle Categories to European Driving Licence Categories, indicating which vehicle class can be driven with which category of licence.

Country-specific classifications

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 to 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 one or more parameters exceeding the LA category) ** Category LD: motorcycles with sidecars (with one or more parameters exceeding the LB category) ** 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 ** 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.)

Philippines

Motor vehicles in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

follow UNECE standards and are defined in

Department of Transportation and Communications The Department of Transportation (DOTr; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation systems as effective instruments for national re ...

(DOTC) Department Order No. 2010-32, which was issued on September 8, 2010. Initially adopted only for gasoline and diesel motor vehicles, classifications for electric vehicles were added through

Land Transportation Office The Land Transportation Office (LTO; ) is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation (Philippines), Department of Transportation responsible for all land transportation in the Philippines. Functions of the LTO ...

(LTO) Administrative Order No. 2021-039, issued on May 11, 2021, which also added subcategories for L1 and L2 electric vehicles covering

e-bike An electric bicycle, e-bike, electrically assisted pedal cycle, or electrically power assisted cycle is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fa ...

s and

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...

s. As of 2024, the Category L classifications were simplified through the issuance of LTO Administrative Order No. VDM-2024-044, which removed the Personal Mobility Scooter and Electric Kick Scooter categories and the sub-classifications of L1a, L1b, L2a, and L2b. * Electric Mobility Scooter: two, three, or four-wheeled electric vehicle, maximum speed not exceeding and powered by less than 300 W * Category L ** Category L1: two-wheeled electric, diesel, or gasoline vehicle, maximum speed not exceeding ** Category L2: three-wheeled electric, diesel, or gasoline vehicle, maximum speed not exceeding ** Category L3: two-wheeled electric, diesel, or gasoline vehicle, maximum speed exceeding ** Category L4: three-wheeled asymmetrical electric, diesel, or gasoline vehicle, maximum speed exceeding , electric variants with maximum curb weight exceeding and powered by at least 1000 W ** Category L5: three-wheeled symmetrical electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle, maximum speed exceeding , electric variants with maximum curb weight exceeding and powered by at least 1000 W ** Category L6: four-wheeled electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle, maximum speed not exceeding , electric variants with maximum curb weight exceeding and powered by up to 4000 W ** Category L7: four-wheeled electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle, maximum speed not exceeding , electric variants with maximum curb weight exceeding and powered by up to 15000 W * Category M ** Category M1: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle with not more than 8 passenger seats, gasoline and diesel variants with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding , electric variants with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding ** Category M2: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle with more than 8 passenger seats, gasoline and diesel variants with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding , electric variants with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding ** Category M3: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle with more than 8 passenger seats, gross vehicle weight exceeding * Category N: ** Category N1: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle carrying goods with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding ** Category N2: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle carrying goods with a gross vehicle weight from ** Category N3: electric, gasoline, or diesel vehicle carrying goods with a gross vehicle weight exceeding * Category O: ** Category O1: articulated gasoline or diesel vehicle with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding ** Category O2: articulated gasoline or diesel vehicle with a gross vehicle weight from ** Category O3: articulated gasoline or diesel vehicle with a gross vehicle weight exceeding

References

External links

* , U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Definitions {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2018

Category Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...

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