What category A covers
Category A entitles you to ride a motorcycle and to drive category AM vehicles. It is the only one of the three motorcycle categories that places no limit on the vehicle - not on engine capacity, not on power, not on the power-to-weight ratio.
Below it sit two categories with limits: A1 is a motorcycle up to 125 cm³ and up to 11 kW with a power-to-weight ratio up to 0.1 kW/kg, while A2 raises the ceiling to 35 kW with a ratio up to 0.2 kW/kg, provided the motorcycle was not created by modifying a vehicle of more than twice its power.
Category A from what age - two routes
Age for category A has two thresholds, and this is the most practical thing to know about it. By default it is 24. If, however, you have held category A2 for at least two years, the threshold drops to 20.
The route “A2 at 18, A at 20” therefore finishes four years earlier than waiting on age alone.
A separate threshold applies to three-wheeled motorcycles over 15 kW: you may ride one from 21, provided you hold a category A licence. That is an age requirement, not a limit on the scope of the category itself.
- Route through age
- 24, with no further conditions
- Route through A2
- 20, with category A2 held for at least 2 years
- Three-wheeled motorcycle over 15 kW
- 21, while holding a category A licence
What the exam material covers in category A
The paper is built exactly as in any other category: 20 basic questions and 12 specialist ones, 25 minutes in total.
The specialist part covers category A, so it deals with situations specific to riding a two-wheeler. Categories A1, A2 and A have separate pools of specialist questions - preparing for A2 does not stand in for preparing for A.