Which licence you need comes down to two things: how old you are, and how powerful a bike you want to ride. Everything else is detail.
Category | Minimum age | What you can ride |
|---|---|---|
CBT | 16 moped, 17 motorcycle | Learner only, L plates, no pillion, no motorways |
AM | 16 | Mopeds up to 50cc, restricted to 28 mph |
A1 | 17 | Up to 125cc and about 15 bhp (11 kW) |
A2 | 19 | Up to about 47 bhp (35 kW), with a power-to-weight limit. No cc limit |
A | 24 direct, or 21 after two years on A2 | Anything |
The law writes these limits in kilowatts, which is why every official source quotes 11 kW and 35 kW. Road tests, dealers and riders talk in bhp. Same limits, different units.
Note the A2 row in particular: there is no engine capacity limit on A2. People assume it caps you somewhere around 500cc and it does not cap capacity at all, which is why some 500s are outside the category and some much larger bikes are inside it.
Start with your age
16. CBT and a moped. That is the whole of it until you turn 17.
17. CBT and a 125 on L plates, or take the A1 test for a full 125 entitlement without plates.
19. A2 becomes available, which is the first licence that puts you on a proper motorcycle.
21. Progressive access to full A, if you have held A2 for two years.
24. Direct access to full A, with no prior motorcycle licence required at all.
Most adult riders take one of two routes. Under 24, that means A2 and then upgrading later. At 24 or over, it usually means going straight to full A, because doing so costs the same in tests as stopping at A2 and gives you every bike.
The route almost nobody takes
Worth knowing before you plan a ladder of licences.
Over five years, only 3,757 riders passed a test in more than one motorcycle category, and just 40 completed the full progression from A1 through A2 to category A, out of 260,670 motorcycle tests conducted in the same period.
Forty people. In five years. The graduated system exists on paper, and in practice riders take the highest category their age allows and stop there, because each step means paying for another set of tests.
The practical lesson is to plan around your age rather than around the ladder. If you are 23 and impatient, waiting a year for direct access will often cost you less than taking A2 now and upgrading later.
Every route needs CBT first
You must hold a valid CBT certificate to ride on a provisional licence during training, and CBT is required before any on-road practice.
It is a day of training rather than a test, you cannot fail it, and the certificate lasts two years. After CBT alone you ride with L plates, carry no pillion and stay off motorways.
The three full licences
A1. Up to 125cc and 11 kW, from 17. Tests taken on a 125. Useful if you are young, want urban transport, or want to drop the L plates and carry a pillion without waiting until 19.
A2. Bikes up to 35 kW with a power-to-weight ratio not exceeding 0.2 kW/kg, and the machine must not have been more than 70 kW before restriction. From 19. This is where most adult riders start, and the restriction rules catch people out when they buy.
Full A. No restrictions. Direct access at 24, or progressive access at 21 after two years on A2.
What the 2026 consultation could change
Worth knowing if you are planning your training, though nothing has changed yet.
The DVSA launched a consultation on 7 January 2026 covering progressive access training rather than repeat testing, plus major updates to the CBT course. It closed on 11 May 2026. The proposals include allowing riders to move up a licence category by completing a training course instead of retaking tests, with testing remaining an option rather than a requirement.
Other proposals under discussion include mandatory theory learning before CBT, changes to the duration and structure of CBT certificates, and updated instructor qualifications. The DVSA is also considering restricting learner riders to automatic machines if that is what they used for their CBT, with extra training needed to upgrade to a manual entitlement.
The driver behind it is a rider-safety problem the government considers serious. Motorcyclists make up around 1 per cent of UK road traffic but account for 21 per cent of road fatalities and 20 per cent of serious injuries, and per billion miles travelled a rider is more than 40 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than a car occupant.
Nothing has changed yet. Responses are still being evaluated and any change would need legislation. If you are ready to train, train.
Buying a bike your licence covers
The licence decides what you may legally ride, and getting it wrong is expensive rather than academic. An A2 holder on a bike that is not A2-compliant is riding without a valid licence for that machine, which usually means riding without valid insurance too.
Before you buy, confirm the bike's power output and kerb weight against the limits for your category. The registered figures matter rather than the seller's description.
FAQs
Do I need CBT if I have a car licence?
Yes, for anything above a moped. A car licence obtained before February 2001 carries some moped entitlement, but a motorcycle needs CBT regardless.
How long does CBT last?
Two years. If you have not passed a full test by then, you retake it. Between March 2023 and March 2025, 77,000 riders renewed CBT courses, making up almost a quarter of all certificates issued in that period.
Can I skip A1 and A2?
Yes, at 24 or over, through direct access. Below 24 you take the highest category your age allows.
Does a full licence in one category cover the others?
Holding A1, A2 or A means you no longer need CBT. Moving up a category currently means sitting the tests for the new one, which is precisely what the consultation is looking at changing.