New B1 licence proposed: what it means for Risk 1 and Risk 2

Short answer

What is B1?

B1 would be a Swedish national licence category for a new kind of car that the inquiry calls a restricted passenger car (begränsad personbil). One reason is the A-tractor, a car rebuilt as a tractor. Today it can be driven on an AM licence or a tractor licence from 15, and the inquiry is not sure that is compatible with the Driving Licence Directive.

• Weight: no more than 2.5 tonnes in total.
• Seats for the driver and at most one passenger.
• Speed: built for no more than 45 km/h or technically limited to it.
• Registered as a restricted passenger car in the vehicle register.

The car may not be driven on motorways or expressways and must keep as far to the right as possible, preferably on the hard shoulder. With B1 you may carry one passenger but no trailer. The licence also includes AM, so class I mopeds and moped cars are covered. A-tractors up to 2.5 tonnes would in future require B1 or B.

What B1 would require

• Age: at least 15 but under 21. The Driving Licence Directive says 16, and 15 requires prior approval from the European Commission.
• A learner permit, just as for B. Read the learner permit in Sweden.
• Risk education before the test.
• A theory test and a driving test with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket).
• Residence in Sweden, or studies here for at least six months.

The licence would have a two-year probation period and stop being valid on your 21st birthday. The inquiry puts the basic cost at around SEK 3,500–4,000, and many will probably also need lessons at a driving school to pass the test.

A separate risk education course for B1

Risk education for B1 would be a single part, with roughly the same content as Risk 1: alcohol, drugs, fatigue and other risky behaviour. It would also be adapted to young drivers and to the car, for example the risks of tampering with the car's speed. The course must be completed before any part of the driving test.

Nothing like Risk 2 is proposed. The skid pan is largely about high speed and slippery surfaces, and the inquiry finds that much of it loses its relevance when the car cannot go faster than 45 km/h.

When you later go for a B licence

Under the proposal, only the practical part, Risk 2, would be needed for a B licence if you

• got B1 after a driving test in Sweden,
• are under 26 and
• have never held a B licence.

This also applies if B1 has expired because you turned 21. If B1 has been revoked you must take Risk 1 again. The probation period from B1 does not count towards B.

So Risk 2 has to be done before the B driving test whether or not you have held B1. Read more about the skid pan in What happens on Risk 2?

Practice driving from 15

Anyone going for B1 would be allowed to practise privately from 15, with a supervisor who meets the same requirements as for B. Practice can take place in a restricted passenger car or in an A-tractor of up to 2.5 tonnes. At a driving school, practice could start three months earlier, at 14 years and 9 months. What applies to private practice today is in Private practice driving 2026.

November 2029 at the earliest

The inquiry finds that B1 cannot be introduced before 26 November 2029 and wants the changes for A-tractors and tractors to come at the same time. If you hold an AM licence, a motorcycle licence or a tractor licence issued no later than 25 November 2029, you could keep driving A-tractors of up to 2.5 tonnes on it until 26 November 2032, as long as you have held the licence without a break.

The memorandum is an interim report. The inquiry is due to deliver its final report by 16 July 2027.

If you already have a B licence

The same memorandum proposes that from 26 November 2027 a B licence should also cover vehicles with a gross weight of up to 4.25 tonnes that run wholly or partly on alternative fuels. This requires that you have held B for at least two years and that the licence was issued in an EEA country. Motorhomes are not included.

Frequently asked questions