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Van driving licence categories: B, C1, towing and hours
A category B car licence covers vans up to 3,500 kg, or up to 4,250 kg for electric and hydrogen vans, and lets you tow a trailer up to 3,500 kg within a 7,000 kg combined limit (GOV.UK, October 2026). Van drivers in Great Britain follow the GB domestic hours rules: no more than 10 hours of driving and 11 hours on duty in a day.
What vans can I drive on a car licence?
If you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997, category B covers vehicles with up to 8 passenger seats and a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 3,500 kg for petrol and diesel, hybrids included (GOV.UK). That takes in almost every panel van and the usual 3.5 tonne Luton.
MAM is the most the vehicle may weigh when loaded, with crew, fuel and goods. A 3.5 tonne Luton has roughly 1,000 kg of payload (hellovans, May 2026), so a heavy job can put it over its MAM before it looks full.
If you passed before 1 January 1997, GOV.UK says you are usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250 kg MAM. View your driving licence information online to see exactly what yours allows.
Can I drive a 4.25 tonne electric van on a car licence?
Yes. Category B covers electric and hydrogen vans up to 4,250 kg MAM. Only zero emission vehicles qualify, so a hybrid stays at 3,500 kg (GOV.UK). The extra 5 hours of training that used to be required was removed by regulations in force from 10 June 2025 (DfT consultation response, November 2025).
The same vans are exempt from operator licensing up to 4,520 kg when used only in Great Britain. DVSA's drivers' hours guidance (updated 1 July 2026) lists zero emission goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and up to 4.25 tonnes as exempt from the assimilated rules in Great Britain, though not in Northern Ireland.
In November 2025 these vans still took the annual heavy vehicle test from their first year. DfT plans to move them to the class 7 MOT, with a first test at 3 years, once legislation is made, so check the current position before you buy one.
When do I need a C1 licence?
Category C1 covers vehicles between 3,500 and 7,500 kg MAM with a trailer up to 750 kg (GOV.UK), which is the licence for a 7.5 tonne removal lorry. C1E adds a trailer over 750 kg, up to 12,000 kg combined.
To add C1, apply for provisional entitlement with form D2 and a D4 medical report filled in by a doctor. DVLA charges no application fee, but the doctor can. You then pass the Driver CPC theory test and the off-road and on-road practical tests; the on-road test is £115 on a weekday with DVSA.
If driving the lorry is the main part of your job, you need the full Driver CPC and 35 hours of training every 5 years to keep it. GOV.UK says driving professionally without it can bring a fine of up to £1,000. A 7.5 tonne lorry also needs an operator licence and a tachograph.
Can I tow a trailer behind my van?
On a category B licence you can tow a trailer with a MAM up to 3,500 kg, provided the van and trailer together do not exceed 7,000 kg MAM (GOV.UK). Category BE covers a 3,500 kg vehicle with a trailer, with the trailer limit set by the date BE was added to your licence.
The licence is only part of the answer for paid work. A van and trailer whose combined plated weights exceed 3,500 kg needs a goods vehicle operator licence. The assimilated drivers' hours rules, with a tachograph, apply where the maximum permissible mass of the vehicle and trailer together exceeds 3.5 tonnes (DVSA guidance).
So a Luton plated at 3,500 kg towing any trailer on a paid job is usually an operator licence and tachograph job, even though your car licence allows the tow.
Which drivers' hours rules apply to van drivers?
Goods vehicles outside the assimilated rules, which covers most vans up to 3.5 tonnes, follow the GB domestic rules in England, Scotland and Wales. You must not drive for more than 10 hours in a day or be on duty for more than 11 hours in any working day (GOV.UK).
For the self-employed, duty time is only time spent driving or doing other work for the vehicle or its load, such as loading. For employed drivers it is all working time. A driver who drives no more than 4 hours on each day of a week is exempt from the 11-hour duty limit for that week.
Weekly written records are needed for vehicles that require an operator licence, on days with more than 4 hours of driving (DVSA guidance, updated 1 July 2026). Most 3.5 tonne van drivers therefore keep no log book for domestic work, but the 10-hour driving limit still applies. Over 3.5 tonnes, van and trailer included, the assimilated rules and a tachograph take over.
Common questions
Can I drive a 3.5 tonne Luton on a car licence?
Yes, if its MAM is 3,500 kg or less and you hold a full category B licence. Keep the load within the payload, because the 3,500 kg limit includes everything on board.
Can I drive a 7.5 tonne lorry on a car licence?
Only if your licence shows C1 entitlement. Drivers who passed before 1 January 1997 often have wider entitlements, so view your driving licence information to check.
Do I need a tachograph in a van?
Not for UK work in a van up to 3.5 tonnes without a trailer. You do for a van and trailer over 3.5 tonnes combined, and, from 1 July 2026, for vans over 2.5 tonnes on paid international work.
Does the 4,250 kg rule cover hybrid vans?
No. GOV.UK limits it to zero emission vehicles, meaning electric or hydrogen. Petrol, diesel and hybrid vans stay at 3,500 kg on a category B licence.