Licence Classes Explained: MCWOG, MCWG, LMV and Transport

Your driving licence lists one or more classes of vehicle, printed as short codes such as MCWOG, MCWG or LMV. You may drive only the classes shown. Driving any other class counts as driving without a valid licence, which also puts your insurance at risk. This article explains what each class means, who can get it, and how to add a class to your licence.

What the law says

• no one may drive a motor vehicle in a public place without a licence that covers that vehicle (Section 3 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988). Driving without one carries up to 3 months in prison, a ₹5,000 fine, or both (Section 181; Rule 20);
• Section 10(2) lists the classes a licence can cover: motor cycle without gear, motor cycle with gear, adapted vehicle (which replaced "invalid carriage" in 2019), light motor vehicle, transport vehicle, road-roller, and motor vehicle of a specified description (such as e-rickshaws and e-carts); and
• Section 4 sets the minimum ages: 16 for a motorcycle of up to 50 cc (with a parent's written consent), 18 for other non-transport vehicles, and 20 for transport vehicles.

The classes, one by one

MCWOG: motor cycle without gear

Gearless two-wheelers: most scooters and mopeds. Some licences show a separate 50 cc class for riders aged 16 and 17, who may ride only gearless motorcycles of up to 50 cc.

MCWG: motor cycle with gear

Two-wheelers with a gearbox and clutch: most motorcycles. An MCWOG licence does not cover a geared motorcycle. If you ride both a scooter and a geared motorcycle, make sure both classes are on your licence (Rule 15).

LMV or LMV-NT: light motor vehicle (non-transport)

Private cars, jeeps, SUVs and similar vehicles used for personal purposes. There is no separate class for automatic cars: an LMV licence covers manual and automatic (see Driving an automatic car).

LMV-TR and transport vehicles

A transport vehicle is one used to carry goods or passengers for hire or reward, such as a taxi, an auto-rickshaw or a goods carrier. In November 2024 a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court held, in Bajaj Alliance General Insurance v. Rambha Devi, that a person with an LMV licence may drive a transport vehicle whose gross vehicle weight does not exceed 7,500 kg without a separate transport endorsement. Heavier transport vehicles, such as trucks and buses, need a transport licence (often printed as TRANS, HGMV, HPMV or HTV on older licences). Commercial drivers may still need a badge or other permission from the State, and taxi and bus operators set their own requirements, so check with your RTO (Rule 17).

E-rickshaw and e-cart

Battery-operated three-wheelers for passengers (e-rickshaw) or goods (e-cart) have their own licence classes (Rule 22).

Adapted vehicle

Since 2019, a person with a disability can get a licence for a vehicle adapted to their needs, as a separate class (Rule 34).

How to read your licence

• the classes are printed with the date from which each is valid. Some licences also show a separate validity date for transport classes, which usually have to be renewed more often;
• you can see the same details in DigiLocker or mParivahan, which are valid at a police check (Rule 30); and
• if a class you passed the test for is missing, contact your RTO before you drive that vehicle.

Adding a class to your licence

1. apply on the Sarathi Parivahan portal for a learner's licence for the new class. If you already hold a driving licence, you may not need to take the learner's test again; check the portal for your State;
2. practise with L-plates and a supervisor who holds that class, for at least 30 days (Rule 20);
3. pass the driving test in a vehicle of the new class; and
4. the RTO adds the class to your existing licence; your licence number stays the same.

You can often apply for more than one class together, for example a motorcycle with gear and a light motor vehicle, and take both tests.

Common mistakes

Remember