How many seats can a B2 license drive? What is the maximum number of seats allowed?
4 Answers
B2 driver's license has the same driving scope as C1 driver's license for passenger vehicles, which means vehicles with 9 seats or fewer, specifically small passenger vehicles. Here is the relevant introduction to the B2 driver's license: 1. Vehicle types: After upgrading from B2 to B1, you can drive medium-sized passenger vehicles with 10-19 seats, heavy and medium-sized trucks, as well as C1, C2, C3, C4, and M vehicle types. In fact, the vehicle types allowed for B1 and B2 are quite similar. If you upgrade to an A2 license, you can drive tractors, including heavy and medium-sized full-trailer and semi-trailer vehicle combinations. To upgrade, you must have held a B2 license for at least three years, have no record of full penalty points in the two most recent scoring cycles before application, and meet the age requirement of being between 24 and 50 years old. 2. Registration requirements: You can directly apply for a B2 license if you are at least 20 years old. However, if you already hold a C license and want to apply for a B2 license, you must have held the C license for at least one year without any penalty points during that year to be eligible. When applying, you first need to apply for an upgrade at the vehicle management office, fill out an application form, submit your ID card and physical examination form, and provide the original copy of your current driver's license. After submitting these documents, you can begin the theoretical and practical driving tests.
I just got my B2 driver's license last year and specifically inquired about this at the DMV. According to regulations, a B2 license only allows driving passenger vehicles with up to 9 seats, so a 9-seat business van is perfectly fine. However, be aware that some seemingly similar vehicles might have 10-seat versions, which would require a B1 license to operate. As for trucks, my 4.2-meter cargo truck only has two seats in the cab, but the DMV doesn't regulate the number of seats in cargo vehicles - they mainly focus on cargo compartment dimensions and load capacity. For daily family use, a 9-seater is more than enough for taking the whole family on trips.
Over the years as a driving instructor, the most common question from students is what vehicles a B2 license can drive. Simply put, passenger vehicles can have up to 9 seats—anything beyond that falls under medium-sized buses requiring a B1 license. For trucks, there's no seat limit, but they must be registered as goods vehicles. I always remind my students to avoid passenger vehicles with more than 9 seats, like 12-seater vans such as the Transit—getting caught driving one would mean a license mismatch. Also, some pickup trucks can squeeze three or four people in the back, but if registered as goods vehicles, the seat count doesn’t apply as a passenger standard—though overloading will still get you fined.
My courier company operates over twenty trucks, all driven by B2 license holders. Our daily logistics 4.2-meter trucks typically have only two or three seats in the cab, with the focus being on cargo capacity. Once, the company purchased a 9-seat Jinbei van for deliveries that could also carry passengers, which a B2 license holder could legally drive. For vehicles exceeding 9 seats, we simply rent them, as upgrading to a B1 license is too cumbersome. Remember: Blue-plate vehicles usually fall under C1 or B2 licenses if they have 9 seats or fewer, while those exceeding 9 seats require yellow plates and higher-level licenses.
