In the UK, there are different ages you need to be to legally drive different types of vehicles, and vans are no different.
Unfortunately, where the age to drive a car or motorbike is quite easy to define, the age at which you can drive different types of vans are not. Thankfully, we’ve put a guide together to help make van-driving ages a little clearer. Here’s mustard.co.uk’s guide to van legislation and driving a van.
Light commercial vehicles
In the UK, if you hold a Full UK driving licence you can drive a Category B vehicle, often classified as a Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV). This means you are legally able to drive conventional, rigid-axle vans or a pick-up which weighs up to 3.5 tonnes. This also entitles you to have up to eight passenger seats.
LCVs are the normal kind of vans you see on UK roads, like the Ford Transit or the Mercedes Sprinter, for example.
Related: When does a car become a van?
Minibus
A minibus is classified as a van when it seats between nine and 16 passengers. However, because there are potentially more people on board and therefore more potential risk, you will need to check that you are covered by your van insurance policy.
In most cases, you can drive a minibus with passengers from the age of 21. You can, however, drive a minibus at the age of 18 if there are no passengers on board.
Related: Different types of van explained
Vehicles weighing over 3500kgs
You can drive a large vehicle that weighs more than 3500kgs (3.5 tonnes) if you are aged 21 or over.
You can drive vehicles weighing over 3500kg (3.5 tonnes) from the age of 18 if you have a Full UK driving licence and have passed a Driver Certificate of Competence (CPC) qualification.
Once you’ve worked out whether you can legally drive a van or minibus, mustard.co.uk can help you get online insurance quotes in minutes:
