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Staging

If you passed your driving test on or after 1 January 2024 and you want to learn to drive a larger vehicle, you may be able to apply for the higher category. Once you have obtained provisional entitlement on your driving licence you can take the test in that category. For example, a driver must hold a full car licence (category B) before being able to apply for a provisional licence to drive a lorry, minibus or bus.

This is known as staging and will apply from the smallest to the largest vehicles.

The table below shows the full licence that needs to be held before you can apply for provisional entitlement in the higher categories.

* Provisional entitlement granted automatically with full B licence

Upgrading

If you pass your test for a larger vehicle category, in certain circumstances a lower category will be upgraded. This does not apply, however, to a driver who has already passed a test which involves trailer entitlement for a larger or equivalent vehicle.

The table below provides an indication of the vehicle category held, the higher vehicle category that has been passed and the vehicle category that will be upgraded as a result of the test passed.

• Vehicle categories explained

As a general guideline: