Step 1. The big picture
In one sentence…
Study the regulations specific to the A2 licence: the limits of the authorised vehicle, requirements for carrying a passenger and load, and safety rules specific to motorcycles on urban and interurban roads. Knowing what you can ride and under what conditions avoids many exam mistakes.
Step 2. The syllabus
2.1What the A2 licence authorises
The A2 licence authorises motorcycles up to 35 kW (47 hp) of power, with a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg, and also includes the vehicles permitted with A1 and AM.
- You must know the technical limits of power and power-to-weight ratio that define your class, because they're the reference the exam uses to decide whether a vehicle is authorised.
- Excess power or a non-permitted derivative makes riding unauthorised even if the vehicle looks similar to one you can ride.
- Equivalences or upgrades between licences don't remove the need to respect the exact category of vehicle you're riding at any given moment.
2.2Age and access to the licence
The minimum age for the A2 licence is 18, a requirement that distinguishes it from the A1 and that's worth being clear on in the exam.
- If you already hold the A1 with two years' seniority, you only need to pass the practical test to obtain the A2, without repeating all the training from scratch.
- After two years' experience with the A2, and once you meet the age requirement, you can access the full A licence by completing the regulated access course; it is not obtained through a practical test alone.
2.3From the A2 to the A licence
The A2 is the intermediate step towards the A licence, so its regulations are best understood as a stage within the progression of motorcycle licences.
- Being able to access the A licence afterwards doesn't mean you can already ride higher-power motorcycles: until you obtain it, you remain limited to the A2 category.
- Confusing what the A2 authorises with what the A will authorise later is a typical error the exam uses to set traps.
2.4Passengers, load and conditions of use
A passenger may only travel when the vehicle is fitted for it and the seat, footrest and approved helmet conditions are met.
- A motorcycle with a sidecar remains a motorcycle for category purposes: apply the A2 technical limits and check that the registration permits passenger transport.
- The load must be well secured and within the authorised overhang; a motorcycle isn't a vehicle designed to carry weight in just any way.
- A badly distributed load alters balance and braking, so its correct securing is a matter of both legality and real safety.
2.5The rule applied to safety
The law requires permanent control of the vehicle and maximum caution towards vulnerable road users; on a motorcycle, any sudden or badly anticipated manoeuvre is paid for sooner.
- In town, correct positioning within the lane and reading junctions and opening doors early are part of the regulations applied to safety.
- Access limits, speed and specific signage on certain sections must be respected with special rigour when riding on two wheels.
2.6Riding on the road
On the road, knowing the speed limit isn't enough: you must adapt your pace, line and distance to visibility, road surface and your real braking capacity.
- With more power available than on the A1, the temptation to accelerate too much is greater, so the regulations insist on prudence and permanent control.
- Keeping a visible position within the lane and an adequate distance gives you margin to react to what other drivers do.
2.7How the regulations come up in the exam
The motorcycle-specific test includes questions on the regulations applied to motorcycles, within a 20-question exam with a maximum of 2 errors and around 20 minutes.
- Many questions set what your licence authorises against what a higher class authorises, aiming to make you confuse the two.
- If in doubt, go back to the technical limits of your category and the passenger and load requirements, which are the basis of almost all the answers.
Step 3. Key points
If you only have a minute before the exam, revise this.
- 1.Relate licence, power and authorised motorcycle category in the A2.
- 2.Remember the limits of 35 kW and a 0.2 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio.
- 3.Keep in mind the minimum age of 18 for the A2 licence.
- 4.Know that with an A1 held for two years you only need the practical test.
- 5.Know when a passenger can travel and under what conditions.
- 6.Control the load and overhang within what's authorised.
Step 4. Exam traps
Mistakes the DGT uses again and again on this topic.
- Confusing equivalences between licences with a general authorisation for any motorcycle.
- Thinking a small, badly secured load doesn't affect legality or safety.
- Believing the A2 already authorises the higher-power motorcycles of the A licence.
- Confusing the power-to-weight ratio of the A2 with that of the A1.
- Assuming a small excess of power still falls within the A2 category.
Step 5. Quick check
Four real exam questions on what you have just read.
The A1 licence also authorizes you to drive:
Step 6. Frequently asked questions about motorcycle rules
- As a general rule, to obtain A1 or A2 you must pass in theory:
- A common theory test and a specific theory test. Under the official test scheme, A1 and A2 require a common theory test and a specific one, except where regulatory exemptions apply.See full question
- If you obtain a class A1 or A2 driving licence, can you drive special agricultural vehicles with that licence?
- No. No. A1 and A2 cover their motorcycle categories and do not by themselves authorise self-propelled special agricultural vehicles. Those vehicles require B or, where its regulatory conditions are met, an LVA licence. Article 5.9 requires B in all cases if ordinary mass or dimension limits are exceeded or the maximum design speed exceeds 45 km/h.See full question