Tricycle over 15 kW: which licence is required, and from what age?

A motor tricycle with power above 15 kW requires category A from age 21. In Italy, a B holder may also ride it from age 21, but only within Italy. A2 is not the tricycle category: its 35 kW and 0.2 kW/kg limits apply to motorcycles.

The rule for more powerful tricycles

Article 116 separates tricycles by power. A1 covers those up to 15 kW; category A covers those above 15 kW, subject to the age rule in Article 115. For these tricycles, the specific minimum age is 21. Do not confuse this with access to category A for motorcycles: the ordinary motorcycle age is 24, or 20 after at least two years with A2. The 21-year rule applies to a powerful tricycle.

In Italy, Article 125 extends a B licence to tricycles over 15 kW when the holder is at least 21. This is a national entitlement: an Italian B licence does not automatically become an A category valid in every other country. If you cross a border, check the other country’s rules and which European category it recognises for the vehicle. Being 21 does not remove a personal restriction printed on your licence or resolve a mismatch in the vehicle papers.

A2 is not an automatic step for this threshold: A2 covers motorcycles up to 35 kW, with a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg and a restriction on the power of the original version. The 15 kW limit for A1 tricycles and the 35 kW limit for A2 motorcycles apply to different vehicles. To apply the rule, check the recorded power and type-approval category. Engine displacement is not a substitute for kW.

Check the vehicle and where you will ride

A vehicle with three visible wheels is not necessarily a tricycle: it may be an L2e moped, a motorcycle with a sidecar or another tricycle category. Wheel layout, speed and engine characteristics help identify it, but the individual vehicle’s records determine its approval. Find its category and recorded power; if they differ from the CoC or the vehicle has been modified, ask the Motorizzazione to verify it before riding.

For example, a tricycle approved at 16 kW exceeds the A1 limit. To ride it with A, meet the specific age requirement of 21; with B, the same minimum applies in Italy, but that extension does not automatically apply abroad. A tricycle at exactly 15 kW remains within A1’s “not exceeding 15 kW” limit. Quiz Patente Ufficiale offers theory chapters, exam quizzes and mistake review on road rules. Check your personal entitlement and the vehicle against their official documents.

Quiz Patente Ufficiale helps you review motorcycle-category theory and common road rules with chapters, quizzes and mistake review.