The main differences lie in the types of vehicles they allow you to drive and the application requirements. B1 is a passenger vehicle license, while C1 is for small and mini vehicles. Details are as follows: The B1 license permits driving medium-sized buses, defined as those not exceeding 6 meters in length with a passenger capacity of 10 to 19 people. Other vehicle types it covers include C1 (small cars), C2 (small automatic transmission cars), C3 (low-speed trucks), C4 (three-wheeled cars), and M (wheeled self-propelled vehicles). The C1 license allows driving manual and automatic transmission vehicles with up to 9 seats, including small and mini passenger vehicles, light and mini trucks, and light small and mini special-purpose vehicles. Different age requirements for application: The B1 license requires applicants to be between 21 and 50 years old. It cannot be applied for directly; applicants must have 3 years of driving experience and no 12-point penalty records in three consecutive scoring cycles. The C1 license requires applicants to be between 18 and 70 years old and can be applied for directly. According to the "Motor Vehicle Driver's License Business Work Standards" issued by the public security department, driver's licenses are classified into 15 levels: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, C4, D, E, F, M, N, and P. The vehicle types each license permits are as follows: A1 license: Large passenger vehicles. A2 license: Towing vehicles, heavy and medium-sized full trailers, and semi-trailer trains. A3 license: City buses with a capacity of 10 or more passengers. B1 license: Heavy passenger vehicles. B2 license: Heavy and medium-sized cargo vehicles. C1 license: Small and mini passenger vehicles. C2 license: Small and mini automatic transmission passenger vehicles. C3 license: Low-speed cargo vehicles (originally four-wheel agricultural transport vehicles). C4 license: Three-wheeled cars (originally three-wheeled agricultural transport vehicles). D license: Three-wheeled motorcycles with an engine displacement over 50ml. E license: Two-wheeled motorcycles with an engine displacement over 50ml. F license: Motorcycles with an engine displacement of 50ml or less. M license: Wheeled self-propelled machinery vehicles. N license: Trolleybuses. P license: Tramcars. According to Article 19 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law": Driving a motor vehicle requires obtaining a corresponding driver's license. Applicants must meet the driving permit conditions set by the public security department and pass the examination to receive the license. Drivers must operate vehicles within the permitted categories and carry their licenses while driving. As per the reply from the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, driving a vehicle that does not match the permitted category on the license is considered unlicensed driving in nature. Penalties may be lighter than for unlicensed driving, based on the principle of proportional punishment. Therefore, both unlicensed driving and driving a vehicle not matching the permitted category are subject to Article 99 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law": Driving without a valid license, or during suspension or revocation, may result in fines and up to 15 days of detention by traffic authorities.
