WhatsApp us today and get £250 off your quote
HGVAcademy
Category C

Class 2 HGV licence (Category C)

The rigid lorry licence. It's the traditional first step into HGV driving — but it isn't always the cheapest route to a driving career. Here's what it covers and how it compares.

Class 2 appears on your licence as Category C. It covers rigid goods vehicles over 3,500kg with a trailer of up to 750kg. Plenty of solid, home-every-night driving work only needs Class 2 — but if your goal is the broadest choice of jobs, read the comparison further down before you book anything.

Get a training quoteAsk about Class 2

What can you drive with a Class 2 licence?

  • Any rigid goods vehicle over 3,500kg — 18 tonne and 26 tonne rigids are the common ones
  • A trailer of up to 750kg behind that vehicle
  • 7.5 tonne vehicles and smaller goods vehicles

It does not cover articulated lorries or drawbar trailers over 750kg. For those you need Class 1 (C+E). The licence categories page shows every category side by side.

How to get a Class 2 licence

  1. Hold a full UK car licence and pass an HGV D4 medical
  2. Apply to the DVLA for provisional Category C entitlement (D2 plus D4 forms)
  3. Pass the HGV theory tests and, if driving professionally, CPC Module 2
  4. Complete practical training in a rigid vehicle
  5. Pass DVSA Module 3a (off-road manoeuvres) and Module 3b (on-road driving)
  6. Pass Driver CPC Module 4 for your Driver Qualification Card

The process is identical to Class 1 — only the vehicle you train and test in differs.

How much does a Class 2 licence cost?

There are two parts to the bill: fixed statutory costs and training fees. The statutory side — the D4 medical, theory test fees and DVSA practical test fees — is broadly the same whichever provider you use and whichever class you take. Training fees are where providers differ.

Because Category C and C+E share the same medical, theory tests and Driver CPC, doing Class 2 now and Class 1 later means paying for two courses and two sets of practical tests. Our full cost breakdown, with the current DVSA fees itemised, is in how much an HGV licence costs in the UK.

Class 2 courses are quoted individually depending on your location and how much of the process you've completed — get in touch for a Class 2 price, or build a Class 1 quote online to compare the two properly.

Class 2 or straight to Class 1?

You are allowed to go straight to Class 1 from a car licence. That changes the maths considerably:

  • Straight to Class 1: one medical, one set of theory tests, one Driver CPC, one course. Ends with the entitlement that covers rigids and artics. From £3,500 with us.
  • Class 2 first: lower up-front cost and a slightly easier test, but you'll pay again for training and two practical tests when you upgrade.

Our head-to-head guide, Class 1 vs Class 2: which should you get first?, goes through the trade-offs in more detail.

Already hold Class 2? Upgrading to Class 1

If Category C is already on your licence, the upgrade is straightforward: practical training plus the two DVSA tests. You keep your medical, theory passes and Driver CPC. Our Class 2 to Class 1 upgrade is currently £2,880 and you can price it up online.

Class 2 jobs and pay

Class 2 roles are typically local or regional: supermarket store deliveries, tipper and grab work, refuse, brewery drops, builders' merchants and parcel networks. Many are home every night, which is why plenty of drivers stay on rigids by choice. Pay is generally below Class 1 for equivalent hours, though nights, weekends and overtime move the figure a long way — see the HGV driver salary guide and browse live HGV vacancies.

Frequently asked questions