Disadvantages of Combining C1 and D Licenses
3 Answers
The disadvantages of combining C1 and D licenses are that the penalty points can only accumulate up to 12 points, and any violations or suspensions for either vehicle type will affect the other driving qualification. Below are the relevant details: 1. Penalty point system after combination: Each driver can only have one and only one driver's license. If the driver's license combines C1 and D permitted vehicle types, regardless of whether the violation occurs while driving a C1-permitted motor vehicle or a D-permitted motor vehicle, the penalty points will be recorded on this combined license. Once the accumulated points reach 12, the driver must undergo training and retake the subject one exam. 2. Annual inspection after combination: D and C1 licenses do not require annual inspections; they only need to be renewed every six years, which is equivalent to an inspection every six years. The second renewal is after 10 years, provided that no scoring cycle in the previous period accumulated 12 points. If there was such an accumulation, the renewal period remains six years. After combination, the 12 points are shared, meaning that points deducted for driving a car or riding a motorcycle are recorded together, totaling only 12 points, not added to become 24 points.
I just got my C1 driver's license and wanted to try getting a D license to drive a bus, but found the training process too exhausting. Driving a bus is completely different from driving a car—the turning radius is larger, braking is more sluggish, and reversing and parking are particularly difficult to control. Learning an additional skill means spending over two extra months reporting to the training ground, waking up early every week to rush to the site, which not only delays work but also affects rest. The cost is another headache—the tuition for a D license is nearly 10,000 yuan, almost half more expensive than the C1, and the budget for fuel and meals is completely wasted. When actually driving, it’s easy to mix up habits, like using a bus’s steering angle in a car and nearly hitting a road sign. I think this kind of combination is completely unnecessary—unless you’re a professional driver who drives buses all day, it’s just creating trouble for yourself and wasting time and money. It’s more practical and worry-free to focus on one license and drive a car well.
As an average car owner, the financial burden of combining C1 and D driver's licenses is particularly heavy. Obtaining my D license cost me nearly 10,000 yuan in training fees, plus examination fees and regular commuting fuel expenses, exceeding my budget by over 2,000 yuan in total. During the training period, I had to spend two days each week at the training site, losing overtime income and disrupting my daily routine. What's more frustrating is that after obtaining the license, I rarely use it—I mainly drive a private car for commuting, and bus driving opportunities come up only a few times a year. My D license now sits idle in a drawer collecting dust. That money could have been used for car maintenance, new tires, or even adding to my travel fund. For families on a tight budget, combining licenses is like adding insult to injury, with a pitifully low return on investment. There's really no need to blindly follow trends—considering actual needs and sticking to just the C1 license is the smartest way to save money.
