How to check whether a novice driver may use a car by its plate

Enter the registration plate in the official Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport checker to see whether the car falls within novice-driver limits. Read the result alongside the date you obtained your licence: since 14 December 2024, category B limits are 75 kW/t and, for M1 cars, 105 kW for three years. Earlier licences were subject to a one-year regime with different thresholds.

Enter the plate, then check your licence date

Open the Ministry’s “Check novice-driver vehicle limits” service and type the vehicle’s plate as instructed. The result concerns the data associated with that vehicle, so it must be considered for the person who will drive it. First establish when you obtained category B. For licences issued from 14 December 2024, restrictions last three years and combine a 75 kW/t ratio with a 105 kW maximum for M1 vehicles. Earlier licences followed the preceding one-year regime: 55 kW/t for combustion vehicles, 65 kW/t including battery mass for electric or plug-in cars, plus a 70 kW cap for M1.

Imagine two people asking to drive the same car. One obtained category B on 10 December 2024 and the other on 20 December. The vehicle model alone does not settle the question: the applicable time-based regime differs. The three-year period is counted from the licence issue date, not from the calendar year or the date the car was bought. By October 2026, the earlier one-year limit will normally have expired for the first person.

For a plug-in hybrid, compare the vehicle documents

The Automobile Portal warns that the plate check may be inaccurate for some plug-in hybrid vehicles. In those cases, consult the official registration document and type-approved technical data. Do not rely on a dealer’s brochure or a headline peak-power figure. For an M1 vehicle under the current regime, both the power-to-tare ratio and the absolute power ceiling matter.

If the plate is not recognised, the online result conflicts with the document, or you are unsure which value applies, do not infer eligibility from the automated result alone. Ask the competent Motor Vehicle Office or a qualified professional to interpret the vehicle data. Keep a note of the result, but remember that compliance depends on the applicable law and the official vehicle data. An accompanying person only affects the limits if they meet the legal requirements for an instructor.

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