New European driving licence directive

Good news for everyone who drives with a trailer: the European Parliament has approved an amendment to the driving licence directive, which means that in the future you will be allowed to do more with only a category B driving licence. This change is especially interesting for anyone driving heavier vehicle combinations, for example with a large trailer or with an electric vehicle as the towing vehicle.

The European driving licence directive for trailers therefore creates new possibilities for drivers who want to combine practical transport with modern, alternatively powered vehicles.

More weight, more freedom

The most important change is that, with a category B driving licence, you will soon be allowed to drive a vehicle up to 4,250 kg instead of the current 3,500 kg. This also opens up new possibilities for driving with a trailer. Think of situations in which you want to tow a heavier trailer with a van or car powered by an alternative drivetrain, such as electric or hydrogen.

For many users, the European driving licence directive for trailers could therefore make daily transport more flexible, especially when heavier electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles are used.

What changes for trailers?

• Driving a fully or partly alternatively powered vehicle up to 4,250 kg with a trailer will become possible with a category B driving licence when the combined weight is above 4,250 kg and below 5,000 kg. In this case, additional training and/or a test will be mandatory, as determined by the Member States. Alternative propulsion includes electric, hydrogen, CNG, LNG and LPG, among others. In practice, this will mainly apply to electric and hydrogen-powered vans. This change will come into force after two years.
• Driving a fully or partly alternatively powered vehicle above 3,500 kg and below 4,250 kg with a trailer of up to 3,500 kg will become possible after having held a category BE driving licence for two years. In this case, no additional training and/or test will be mandatory. This change will also come into force after two years.
  These changes show why the European driving licence directive for trailers is relevant for professionals, companies and private users who work with heavier trailer combinations.

What has not changed

• For driving a vehicle with a maximum weight of 3,500 kg, the category B driving licence continues to apply. The vehicle may be combined with a trailer of up to 750 kg.

If the trailer is heavier than 750 kg, but the weight of the total combination remains below 3,500 kg, the category B driving licence continues to apply.

• If the trailer is heavier than 750 kg but not more than 3,500 kg, and the combined weight is not more than 4,250 kg, additional training and/or a test is mandatory. At the moment, this is known as the B+ driving licence.
• For driving a vehicle with a maximum weight of 3,500 kg and a trailer of up to 3,500 kg, the category BE driving licence remains mandatory.