What kind of driver's license is required for a 13-seater yellow-plate vehicle?
2 Answers
13-seater yellow-plate vehicles can be driven with a B1 license. Below are the relevant details about the B1 driver's license: 1. Eligible vehicle types: A B1 license allows driving "medium-sized passenger vehicles" (medium-sized passenger carriers) and small cars. According to the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China," in China, passenger vehicles with 8 or more but fewer than 19 seats are classified as medium-sized passenger vehicles. Small cars refer to vehicles with a total weight of 4.5 tons (inclusive), seating capacity (excluding the driver) of fewer than 9 people, or a vehicle length under 6 meters. 2. Application requirements: The applicant must be at least 150 cm tall, have uncorrected or corrected visual acuity of at least 5.0 on the logarithmic visual acuity chart, no red-green color blindness, and be able to distinguish the direction of sound sources with each ear at a distance of 50 cm from a tuning fork.
Once I drove a friend's yellow-plate Jinbei van for an outing. That vehicle could seat 13 people, and I later learned that a B1 driver's license is required to legally operate it. A regular car license (C1) only covers vehicles with up to 9 seats—any passenger vehicle exceeding this number requires a license upgrade. To obtain a B1 license, you must first have two years of experience with a C1 license and pass additional tests, including reversing and road exams. Driving these medium-sized vehicles offers better visibility but also larger blind spots, making turns and parking more challenging than with smaller cars. If caught driving without the proper license, traffic police can impose severe penalties—fines, points deducted, and even insurance claim denials in case of accidents. I recommend practicing in an open area before driving larger vehicles to get familiar with their handling for safer operation. Regular maintenance checks, such as tire pressure, are also essential to ensure smooth travels. Avoid taking risks for convenience—getting a proper B1 license is the right way to go.
