Vehicle Categories and Their Classification (Descriptions)

Not all vehicles are subject to the same driving requirements. Mopeds, motorcycles, passenger cars, trucks, and buses differ not only in their purpose but also in the requirements set for drivers, which is why separate driving categories are established for each group of vehicles.

The vehicle category determines the age at which a person can start learning to drive, the exams they must pass, and the vehicles they will be able to drive in the future. Therefore, it is important to understand not only the most popular categories, such as A or B, but also their differences and place in the overall driving category system.

This article will review the main vehicle categories valid in Lithuania, their descriptions, minimum age requirements, and key features worth knowing when planning to obtain a driver's license.

Vehicle Categories

Different car categories and their classifications are presented below.

​​Motorcycle, Moped, Quadricycle Categories

AM – mopeds and light quadricycles with an engine capacity not exceeding 49 cm3.

Minimum age – 15 years.

A1 – motorcycles with an engine capacity greater than 50 cm3 but not exceeding 125 cm3 and power not exceeding 11 kW. Also, tricycles with power not exceeding 15 kW.

Minimum age – 16 years.

A2 - motorcycles with power not exceeding 35 kW, power-to-weight ratio not exceeding 0.2 kW/kg, and not derived from a vehicle more than twice as powerful.

A – motorcycles with or without a sidecar.

Minimum age – 18 years. The right to drive motorcycles with power greater than 25 kW or a power-to-weight ratio greater than 0.16 kW/kg, and motorcycles with a sidecar with a power-to-weight ratio exceeding 0.16 kW/kg, is granted only with at least two years of experience driving motorcycles with lower specifications) or 21 years.

B1 – tricycles and quadricycles.

Minimum age – 16 years.

Passenger Car Categories

B – cars with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 3,500 kg and up to 8 seats excluding the driver. These cars can be combined with a trailer with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 750 kg or a combination with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 3,500 kg, and the trailer's maximum permissible mass not exceeding the car's unladen mass.

Minimum age – 18 years.

BE – combinations of a category B car and a trailer with a maximum permissible mass over 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years.

Truck, Tractor Unit Categories

C1 – vehicles not classified under D1 and D categories with a maximum permissible mass of 3,501–7,500 kg. These vehicles can be combined with trailers with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years.

C – vehicles not classified under D1 and D categories with a maximum permissible mass greater than 3,500 kg. These category vehicles can be combined with trailers with a maximum permissible mass up to 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years (only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting goods as prescribed by law) or 21 years.

C1E – combinations of C1 category vehicles and trailers with a maximum permissible mass greater than 750 kg. The maximum permissible mass of these combinations must not exceed 12,000 kg, and the trailer's maximum permissible mass must not exceed the vehicle's unladen mass.

Minimum age – 18 years.

CE – combinations of C category vehicles and trailers with a maximum permissible mass greater than 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years (only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting goods as prescribed by law) or 21 years.

Bus Categories

D1 – vehicles designed to carry passengers with more than eight but not more than sixteen seats excluding the driver. These vehicles can be combined with trailers with a maximum permissible mass up to 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years (only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting goods as prescribed by law) or 21 years.

D – vehicles designed to carry passengers with more than eight seats excluding the driver. These vehicles can be combined with a trailer with a maximum permissible mass up to 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years (to carry passengers on regular routes not exceeding 50 km, and only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting passengers as prescribed by law), 21 years (to carry passengers on regular routes not exceeding 50 km, or only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting passengers as prescribed by law) or 23 years.

D1E – combinations of D1 category vehicles and trailers with a maximum permissible mass from 750 kg. The maximum permissible mass of these combinations must not exceed 12,000 kg, and the trailer's maximum permissible mass must not exceed the vehicle's unladen mass and is not used for carrying passengers.

Minimum age – 18 years (only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting goods as prescribed by law) or 21 years.

DE – combinations of D category vehicles and trailers with a maximum permissible mass from 750 kg.

Minimum age – 18 years (to carry passengers on regular routes up to 50 km, and only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting passengers as prescribed by law), 21 years (to carry passengers on regular routes up to 50 km, or only upon obtaining initial professional qualification for transporting passengers as prescribed by law) or 23 years.