Guide

Types of driving licenses in Spain

November 25, 2022

There are a total of 15 driving licenses in Spain, so it is a bit complicated to know what each of them is for. The General Directorate of Traffic grants these driving licenses after passing the corresponding theoretical and/or practical tests, and certifying that the psychophysical aptitudes are possessed. Enter this link if you want to know much more about the procedures for driving licenses in Spain.

Types of driving licenses in Spain. Motorcycles: AM, A1, A2, A

In this first group we include the 4 driving licenses that in the Spanish State give access to motorcycles, mopeds, quadricycles or tricycles. Specifically, these cards issued by the General Directorate of Traffic authorize you to drive the following vehicles:

AM: Mopeds with 2 or 3 wheels and light quadricycles. To be eligible for this card, you must be 15 years old, although until you are of legal age you will not be able to carry passengers.
A1: To have this license you must be at least 16 years old and you can drive motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of up to 125 cubic centimeters, a maximum power of 11 kW and a power-to-weight ratio of 0.1 kW/kg. In addition, this license allows you to drive tricycles with a maximum power motor of 15 kW.
A2: To have this motorcycle license you must be of legal age and you can drive motorcycles with a maximum power of 35 kW and a maximum power/weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg and not derived from a vehicle with more than twice the its potency.
A: Until you are 20 years old you cannot get this driving license, which allows you to carry the rest of the motorcycles and motor tricycles. However, until the age of 21 you will not be able to drive tricycles over 15 kW.

Types of driving licenses in Spain. Cars: B, BTP, B+E.

Next, we explain in detail what types of driving licenses there are in Spain to drive cars. Among them is the most widespread, the B, to drive utility vehicles:

B: Technically, with the B license you can drive cars that do not exceed 3,500 kilos and that are designed to transport a maximum of 8 people, plus the driver, that is, a car. With this driving license you can tow a trailer that does not exceed 750 kilos. A tractor with a trailer of the same characteristics can also be carried with this license, provided that in total they do not exceed 4,250 kilos. Motorized tricycles and quadricycles can be driven with this permit, with the restriction that tricycles with more than 15 kW of power cannot be driven until the age of 21. To obtain the B permit you must be 18 years old.
BTP. This is a professional type permit that can only be used in Spain. It allows driving priority vehicles in urgent service, school transport and public passenger transport in general, as long as it does not exceed 3,500 kilos and the seats are 9 maxima. Read this article if you want to know the requirements to obtain the BTP.
B+E. The “E” always refers to trailers, so that the B+E permit allows vehicles authorized by the B license to be carried with a trailer of up to 3,500 kilos. You have to be 18 years old to get it.

Types of driving licenses in Spain. Trucks and buses: C1, C1+E, C, C+E, D1, D1+E, D, D+E.

This type of driving license refers to heavy vehicles, normally intended for the transport of both goods and people.

C1. If you have this permit, you can carry vehicles of more than 3,500 kilos and up to 7,500 kilos to transport a maximum of 8 people, with a trailer of up to 750 kilos. You have to be of legal age to get it.
C1+E. In this case, you can drive the vehicles authorized by the previous license, but with a heavier trailer, provided that in total it does not exceed 12,000 kilos. With this permit you can also carry sets of coupled vehicles made up of a vehicle authorized by permit B plus a trailer weighing more than 3,500 kilos, provided that in total it does not exceed 12,000 kilos. You have to be at least 18 years old to get it.
C. _ You can take trucks of more than 3,500 kilos with a maximum of 8 passengers and a trailer of up to 750 kilos. You have to be at least 21 years old to get it.
C+E. This type of driving license allows you to drive coupled vehicles in which the tractor is of the type C and the attached trailer weighs up to 750 kilos. You also have to be 21 years old.
D1. It allows to carry up to 16 passengers and the length of the bus cannot exceed 8 meters, with a trailer of up to 750 kilos. The minimum age is 21 years.
D1+E. It is the same as the previous one, but without limitation in the weight of the trailer.
D. With this permit, there is no passenger limitation, but the trailer cannot exceed 750 kilos and you must be 24 years old.
D+E. With this driving license, in addition to the characteristics of the D, trailers of any weight can be towed.