The short version
- Learner's licence codes
- Three: Code 1, Code 2, Code 3Regulation 99(1)
- Driving licence codes
- Eight: A1, A, B, C1, C, EB, EC1, ECRegulation 99(4)(a)
- Is there a "Code B" learner's licence?
- NoB is a driving licence code
- Most people want
- Code 2The ordinary car and bakkie code
- Motorcycles
- Code 1With or without a side-car, and motor tricycles
- Anything heavier than 3 500 kg
- Code 3
- The dividing masses
- 3 500 kg, 16 000 kg, and 750 kg for a trailer
Two systems, one regulation, endless confusion
Almost everything written about K53 codes on the internet is answering the wrong question, and it is an easy mistake to make, because both lists live in the same regulation.
Regulation 99(1) sets the learner's licence codes. There are three of them and they are numbered: Code 1, Code 2, Code 3. That is the code you choose when you apply for a learner's, and the only thing it decides is which class of vehicle you are being tested and licensed for.
Regulation 99(4)(a) sets the driving licence codes. There are eight and they are lettered: A1, A, B, C1, C, EB, EC1, EC. That is what you end up with after you pass the practical test, and it is the code printed on your card.
So "what learner's code do I need for a car?" has the answer Code 2, not Code B. And "I have a Code 8" is not a learner's licence at all — it is an old driving licence code from before March 1998.
The three learner's licence codes
Regulation 99(1), in full. This is the choice you make on the application form.
| Code | Classes of vehicle it covers | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| Code 1 | A motor cycle, with or without a side-car, or a motor tricycle | 16, or 18 above 125 cc |
| Code 2 | A motor vehicle other than a motor cycle or tricycle with a tare not exceeding 3 500 kg; a minibus, bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass not exceeding 3 500 kg; an articulated vehicle or a vehicle-and-trailer combination whose truck-tractor or drawing vehicle has a gross combination mass not exceeding 3 500 kg; or a tractor | 17 |
| Code 3 | Any motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles other than a motor cycle or tricycle | 18 |
Code 3 is written as a catch-all rather than as a mass band, so it takes in everything Code 2 takes in and everything above it. The ages are from section 15(1)(a) of the Act, not from regulation 99.
The eight driving licence codes
Regulation 99(4)(a). Each code also authorises the codes beneath it, which is the third column. Note which measure each row uses — they are not interchangeable.
| Code | Class of vehicle | Also authorises |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | A motor cycle without a side-car with an engine of 125 cc or less, or electrically propelled | A motor cycle with a side-car, and a motor tricycle, of 125 cc or less; and a pedal cycle with an engine or electric motor |
| A | A motor cycle without a side-car with an engine exceeding 125 cc | A motor cycle with or without a side-car, a motor tricycle, and anything needing an A1 |
| B | A motor vehicle, including a motor home, with a tare not exceeding 3 500 kg; or a minibus, bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass not exceeding 3 500 kg — with or without a trailer whose gross vehicle mass does not exceed 750 kg. Not an articulated vehicle | A tractor, and mobile agricultural or industrial equipment, with or without a trailer |
| C1 | A motor vehicle with a tare over 3 500 kg but not over 16 000 kg; or a minibus, bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass over 3 500 kg but not over 16 000 kg — with or without a trailer whose gross vehicle mass does not exceed 750 kg. Not an articulated vehicle | Anything needing a code B |
| C | A bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass over 16 000 kg, with or without a trailer whose gross vehicle mass does not exceed 750 kg. Not an articulated vehicle | Anything needing a code B or C1 |
| EB | An articulated vehicle whose truck-tractor has a gross combination mass not exceeding 3 500 kg; or a light vehicle (tare not over 3 500 kg, or a minibus, bus or goods vehicle of gross vehicle mass not over 3 500 kg) pulling a trailer whose gross vehicle mass exceeds 750 kg | Anything needing a code B |
| EC1 | An articulated vehicle whose truck-tractor has a gross combination mass over 3 500 kg but not over 16 000 kg; or a vehicle in that same mass band pulling a trailer whose gross vehicle mass exceeds 750 kg | Anything needing a code B, C1 or EB |
| EC | An articulated vehicle whose truck-tractor has a gross combination mass over 16 000 kg; or a bus or goods vehicle over 16 000 kg pulling a trailer whose gross vehicle mass exceeds 750 kg | Anything needing a code B, C1, C, EB or EC1 |
The E codes are the towing codes. The line that puts you in one is the trailer: up to 750 kg gross vehicle mass you stay in B, C1 or C; above 750 kg you move to EB, EC1 or EC.
Tare, gross vehicle mass and gross combination mass are three different things
This is the part that decides which code you need, and the regulation switches between them deliberately within a single row.
Tare is the mass of the vehicle empty — no load, no passengers. It is the measure the regulation uses for an ordinary motor vehicle, including a motor home.
Gross vehicle mass is the maximum the vehicle is permitted to weigh fully loaded. It is the measure used for a minibus, a bus and a goods vehicle, because those exist to carry things and an empty mass would tell you nothing about them.
Gross combination mass is the maximum permitted for the truck-tractor and everything it is pulling, together. It is the measure used for articulated vehicles.
So a code B vehicle is bounded by tare if it is a car and by gross vehicle mass if it is a bakkie carrying goods. Reading all three as "the weight" is how people arrive at the wrong code.
Which driving licence each learner's code leads to
This mapping is derived, not quoted. Section 18(1) of the Act says a driving licence application is for a class of vehicle the driving of which is authorised by your learner's licence, so lining the two class descriptions up gives you this:
| Learner's licence | Driving licence codes it opens | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| Code 1 | A1, A | Motorcycles and motor tricycles |
| Code 2 | B, EB | Cars, bakkies, motor homes, light goods vehicles, light combinations, tractors |
| Code 3 | C1, C, EC1, EC — and everything Code 2 covers | Trucks, buses and articulated combinations |
Code 1 opens both motorcycle codes because regulation 99(1)(a) does not split Code 1 by engine size. What splits it is your age: under 18 you are limited to 125 cc by section 15(1)(a) of the Act.
"Code 8", "Code 10", "Code 14" — the old numbers
People still say these, and they are real, but they are old driving licence codes from before 1 March 1998. Regulation 99(4)(b) converts them when the holder applies to have the licence substituted.
An old code 08 becomes an EB. An old code 10 becomes an EC1. Old codes 11, 13 and 14 become an EC. The old tractor and light-vehicle codes 05, 06 and 07 become a B, and old codes 01 to 04 and 15 become an A1 or an A depending on the engine.
None of those numbers is a learner's licence code, and none of them is something you can apply for today. If someone tells you to get a "Code 10 learner's", what they mean is a Code 3.
The mistake
Applying for the wrong code because you matched a letter to a letter. There is no Code A, B or C learner's licence, and a Code 2 learner's licence is not a "Code B learner's".
There is a second trap worth knowing about. The Department of Transport's own learner-driver manual, in its summary of the codes, describes a Code 3 learner's licence using the Code 2 mass limits — it says neither the tare, gross vehicle mass nor gross combination mass may exceed 3 500 kg. That is a copy-paste slip from the paragraph above it; Code 3 exists for vehicles heavier than that. Regulation 99(1)(c) is what governs, and it says "any motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles other than a motor cycle or tricycle".
You cannot hold a licence for a class you may already drive
Worth knowing before you apply for a second one. Section 15(1)(e) disqualifies you from a licence that relates to a class of vehicle you may already drive under a licence you hold.
Because each driving licence code also authorises the ones beneath it, a code EC holder already covers B, C1, C, EB and EC1 — so there is nothing to add. What you would apply for is a code that reaches something your current one does not.
The code changes one section of the test
Rules of the road and road signs are the same for every class. Vehicle controls is not — regulation 104(2)(a)(iii) ties it to the class you applied for. Take the free readiness test and see how you score by section.
Take the free readiness testCommon questions
What learner's licence code do I need for a car?
Code 2. It covers a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or tricycle with a tare up to 3 500 kg, and a minibus, bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass up to 3 500 kg. There is no "Code B" learner's licence.
Is Code 2 the same as Code B?
They are not the same thing, though they line up. Code 2 is a learner's licence code from regulation 99(1). Code B is a driving licence code from regulation 99(4)(a). A Code 2 learner's licence is what leads to a code B or EB driving licence.
What is a Code 3 learner's licence?
A learner's licence for any motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles other than a motorcycle or tricycle. It is the heavy-vehicle code, the minimum age is 18, and it leads to the C1, C, EC1 and EC driving licences.
What is the difference between code C and code EC?
The trailer. Code C is a bus or goods vehicle over 16 000 kg with a trailer of no more than 750 kg gross vehicle mass, and it excludes articulated vehicles. Code EC is the articulated vehicle itself, or that same truck pulling a trailer over 750 kg.
What is a Code 8 licence?
An old driving licence code issued before 1 March 1998. Regulation 99(4)(b) converts an old code 08 to a code EB when the holder applies to substitute the licence. It is not a learner's licence code and you cannot apply for one now.
Does the learner's test differ by code?
Only in one section. Regulation 104(2)(a) requires the examiner to test the rules of the road, the road traffic signs, and the controls of a vehicle of the class applied for. The first two are common to every code; the controls questions follow your class.
Can I use a Code 1 learner's licence to ride any motorcycle?
The code itself does not distinguish by engine size, but your age does. Under 18 you are limited to a machine of 125 cubic centimetres or less, because anything larger falls under section 15(1)(a)(iii) of the Act, which sets 18 years.
Sources
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(1)"Categories of learner's and driving licences...". Paragraph (a) Code 1, (b) Code 2, (c) Code 3. Paragraph (c) substituted by r. 24(b) of GNR.2116 of 5 October 2001.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(4)(a)The table of driving licence codes A1, A, B, C1, C, EB, EC1 and EC, the class of motor vehicle each pertains to, and the further authorisation each conveys. Substituted by GNR.1113 of 25 November 2010 (as revoked by GN 118 of 2 March 2011) and by GNR.53 of 1 February 2011.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 99(4)(b)The conversion table for licences issued before 1 March 1998: old code 08 to EB, old code 10 to EC1, old codes 11, 13 and 14 to EC, old codes 05, 06 and 07 to B, old codes 01 to 04 and 15 to A1 or A.
- National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 — section 18(1)The holder of a learner's licence applies for a driving licence "to drive a motor vehicle of a class the driving of which is authorised by his or her learner's licence" — the basis for the mapping table on this page.
- National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 — section 15(1)(a) and (e)The minimum ages tied to the class of vehicle, and the disqualification from a licence relating to a class you may already drive.
- National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 104(2)(a)The three areas tested, with sub-paragraph (iii) tying the vehicle controls section to the class applied for.
- South African Learner Driver Manual — Rules of the Road, Department of Transport (v1.00, June 2012)Section 5.1, the official summary of the three learner's licence codes. Its Code 3 paragraph repeats the Code 2 mass limits, which is the slip noted on this page.
Last updated 2026-09-21.