Driving Licence Codes

These can cause a great deal of confusion, and in some cases have led people to riding motorcycles when they aren’t licenced.

Starting with some easy ones – 01 & 02. 01 means that you put that you need to wear glasses or contact lenses on your driving licence application. However, the question is often answered incorrectly as it is referring to whether you need them to read a number plate at 20 metres and not do you squint when trying to read cooking instructions on supermarket ready meals.. Generally, it would be best to get this removed if you don’t need it (or have had corrective eye surgery), but in practice it doesn’t really matter. What is important is that you can read a car number plate at 20m. 02 means that you have a hearing or communication aid – again this is not a problem, but is the sort of thing you want to make your insurance company aware.

Code 122 is more complicated. Full UK car licences allow you ride a moped (no more than 49cc and 28mph max speed) as a full licence. This is shown both as a category AM and P – for reasons that are frankly too dull to explain. However, everyone who passed their car test since 2001 is required to take a CBT to validate this entitlement. This is a normal CBT – nevertheless you only need to do it once for the moped. For the 125cc part of the CBT the certificate lasts for 2 years, and then has to be renewed. The code shows that you have a valid CBT certificate for category AM – this will last the lifetime of your driving licence. But if you want to take a motorcycle test you will need a CBT certificate issued in the last 2 years.

And then there is the favourite one – the one that causes all the bother – 79(3) (or sometimes 79(tri)). This code is found on nearly all new full UK car licences next to the nice picture of a motorcycle under category A. Unfortunately, and one might even say predicatably, this has led a lot of people to think that they have been given a motorcycle licence. Some people even go as far as to say that they might have taken a test but can’t remember. A bit like saying you might have done a parachute jump but can’t recall! What the code means is you can drive a three wheeled vehicle, for example a Morgan or Robin Reliant (if you are still living in the 1980’s), as a full licence. It does not mean you can ride a motorcycle.

So, there you are – a quick insight into the arcane world of DVLA’s codes and the absolute mess that is licences in the UK.