New Zealand · Theory testWhat are the NZ driver licence classes?
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) names them like this:
| Class | Licence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Car licence |
| 2 | Medium rigid vehicle licence |
| 3 | Medium combination vehicle licence |
| 4 | Heavy rigid vehicle licence |
| 5 | Heavy combination vehicle licence |
| 6 | Motorcycle licence |
An L after the number, such as 6L, means a learner licence for that class. An R, such as 1R, means a restricted licence. Some vehicles and services also need an endorsement on top of the right class.
Reading a vehicle’s weight
Every vehicle over 3,500 kg must have a certificate of loading, which is usually on the front windscreen. It gives the gross vehicle mass (GVM) or gross combined mass (GCM). NZTA says that in most cases GVM is the same as gross laden weight (GLW), and GCM the same as gross combined weight (GCW). Don’t go by these weights:
- The unladen or tare weight
- The weight on the road user charges (RUC) distance licence
GLW, GCW and other terms
NZTA defines them like this:
- GLW: the greatest of the manufacturer’s GLW, NZTA’s specified GLW, or the vehicle and its load together
- GCW: the GLWs of the vehicles in a combination, added together
- Combination vehicle: a towing vehicle with one or more trailers or other motor vehicles being towed
- Tare weight: the vehicle without any load
- On-road weight: the vehicle and its load at any particular time
- Zero-emission: powered only by electricity supplied from outside the vehicle, or by a hydrogen fuel cell
Towing a light trailer
A light trailer has a GLW of 3,500 kg or less. On a class 2 or class 4 licence you can tow one behind your rigid vehicle, and you don’t count its weight when you work out a gross combined weight.
Sources: NZTA. Checked November 2026.
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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