A2 practical test: what engine size and power must the motorcycle have?

For the A2 practical test, MIT requires a combustion motorcycle without a sidecar, with at least 250 cc, rated power from 20 to 35 kW, and a power-to-weight ratio no greater than 0.2 kW/kg. The test vehicle has both a minimum and maximum power requirement, plus a maximum ratio; it must meet all of them.

Requirements for an A2 combustion motorcycle

To take the A2 practical test on an internal-combustion motorcycle, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) specifies a motorcycle without a sidecar, with engine displacement of at least 250 cc, rated power of at least 20 kW but no more than 35 kW, and a power-to-weight ratio no greater than 0.2 kW/kg. These conditions apply together. A 250 cc motorcycle producing 19 kW is below the power minimum; one producing 40 kW exceeds the maximum; and a 30 kW motorcycle can still be unsuitable if its ratio is above 0.2.

The MIT page allows a 5 cc tolerance below the minimum displacement, so the threshold can be 245 cc. That tolerance applies to displacement, not minimum or maximum power or the power-to-weight ratio. Do not treat 20 kW as approximate: it is the minimum rated power for the test motorcycle, while 35 kW is the ceiling. The ratio is expressed in kW/kg; it is not engine size or a percentage. Check approved rated power rather than a seller’s peak-power figure.

These requirements apply to the motorcycle used for the test; they do not authorise you to ride every motorcycle that meets them. After obtaining A2, a motorcycle must have no more than 35 kW, a ratio no greater than 0.2 kW/kg and must not be derived from a version producing more than twice its power. The original version and type approval therefore also matter. Do not confuse the old 400 cc test requirement in earlier circulars with the current MIT page, which gives 250 cc and records the amendment made by circular 30724/2020.

Check the figures in the documents

Before booking, request the registration document for the test motorcycle and compare its A2 category, displacement, rated power, the mass used for the ratio and the ratio itself. MIT asks applicants to state the test motorcycle’s technical data in the application. If the document does not show the ratio, ask the driving school or Motorizzazione which technical evidence it accepts; do not calculate it using a mass chosen from a sales page.

For example, a combustion motorcycle without a sidecar with 300 cc, 25 kW and a ratio of 0.18 kW/kg is within the stated thresholds if those are its approved values and the configuration is accepted. A 300 cc, 25 kW motorcycle with a ratio of 0.21 kW/kg is not. If the test uses an automatic motorcycle, MIT says code 78 will be recorded and your riding will be limited to automatic vehicles. Quiz Patente Ufficiale helps you review motorcycle-category theory through chapters, exam quizzes and mistake review; it does not select or certify the test motorcycle.

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