What category C covers
Category C entitles you to drive a motor vehicle with a maximum authorised mass over 3.5 tonnes, other than a bus, a combination of such a vehicle with a light trailer, and category AM vehicles.
Below it sits category C1, capped at 7.5 tonnes. The only difference between them is the mass of the vehicle: C1 stops at 7.5 tonnes, C has no upper limit.
Category C from what age - and when the threshold drops to 18
The rule is 21. The threshold drops to 18 for people who have obtained the initial driver qualification provided for professional drivers in road transport legislation.
That reduction does not follow from the driving exam itself - it is a separate procedure, taken if you intend to carry goods for a living. If category C is for private use, the standard threshold applies.
- General rule
- 21
- With the initial driver qualification
- 18
- Category below
- C1 - over 3.5 t and up to 7.5 t, from 18
Category C and trailers - when you need C+E
Category C on its own covers a combination with a light trailer. A heavier trailer requires category C+E, which entitles you to drive a category C vehicle together with a trailer or trailers.
Category C+E is available from 21, or from 18 with the initial driver qualification - the same as category C itself. It has no theory part of its own; no category with the “+E” suffix does, so the tests you sit are those for the base category.