Motorcycle Licences in Spain Explained: AM, A1, A2, A — and Can Your Car Licence Ride a 125cc?

Published June 2026 · 9 min read

Spain has four motorcycle licence categories — AM, A1, A2 and A — each with its own minimum age and power limit, and each requiring its own theory exam. Separately, if you already hold a Spanish car licence (permit B) and have held it for more than three years, you can ride a 125cc motorcycle (A1-class) inside Spain without taking a motorcycle test — a rule that is still fully in force in 2026.

AM, A1, A2 and A at a glance

The four categories form a ladder. As you move up, the minimum age rises and the power you are allowed to handle increases — from a 45 km/h moped all the way to an unrestricted superbike. Here is exactly what each one lets you ride, based on current DGT classification.

A few details worth fixing in your memory, because they appear on the theory exam:

• AM is the moped licence. The vehicle is capped at 50cc and a construction speed of 45 km/h. It is the only category you can start at 15.
• A1 covers motorcycles up to 125cc and up to 11 kW (about 15 hp), with a power-to-weight ratio no higher than 0.1 kW/kg. Both limits matter — a 125cc bike that exceeds 11 kW is not A1.
• A2 is defined by power, not displacement: a maximum of 35 kW (about 47 hp) and 0.2 kW/kg. A bike that has been de-restricted from more than double that power does not qualify.
• A removes all limits. Note one extra restriction: until age 21, an A holder may not drive powerful motor tricycles exceeding 15 kW.

The A2-to-A progression and the two-year rule

There are two ways to reach the unrestricted A licence, and most riders take the cheaper one.

Progressive route: if you already hold A2 and have held it for at least two years, you can upgrade to A from age 20. You do not repeat the full process — you take a short additional training course or a practical test, depending on the route your autoescuela follows, rather than starting from scratch. This is why most riders climb the ladder rather than jump.

Direct route: if you have no prior A2, you can sit the full A licence process directly, but only from age 24. You still pass the theory and practical exams that the category requires.

The same progressive logic applies lower down the ladder: holding A1 for two years can shorten the path to A2. The system is deliberately designed to reward experience, so getting onto a smaller bike early and progressing upward is usually faster and less expensive than waiting to take a big licence cold.

Riding a 125cc on a car (B) licence: the rule today

This is the question most expats actually ask, and the answer in 2026 is a clear yes — with conditions. If you hold a Spanish permit B (the ordinary car licence) and you have held it for more than three years, you are automatically authorised to ride an A1-class motorcycle — that means up to 125cc, up to 11 kW, and a power-to-weight ratio no higher than 0.1 kW/kg. You do not take a separate motorcycle theory or practical exam to do this.

The key boundary is geographic. This is a domestic Spanish authorisation only. It is granted by Spanish law under an option that EU rules leave to each member state, so it does not travel with you. If you ride your 125 across the border into France, Italy, Portugal or anywhere else, the local rules apply, and your Spanish car licence generally does not entitle you to ride there. Some countries have their own B-to-125 schemes; others, such as Greece, do not recognise the Spanish car licence for a 125 at all. Treat the allowance as something that stops at the Spanish border.

• You need permit B held for more than 3 years — counted from the date the B licence was issued, not your age.
• The machine must stay within A1 limits: 125cc, 11 kW, 0.1 kW/kg. A bike above those limits requires a real A1 or higher licence.
• The authorisation is valid in Spain only.

The 2026 change: a proposed mandatory course — not yet law

You may have seen headlines saying that from 2026, car-licence holders will have to complete a training course before they can ride a 125. It is important to be precise here, because the rule is widely misreported.

As of June 2026, this requirement is a proposal, not in force. It forms part of a planned reform of the General Traffic Regulation (Reglamento General de Circulación), which is still going through the legislative pipeline and has not been published in the BOE (Spain's official gazette). Until that happens, nothing changes: a B licence held for three years still lets you ride a 125 in Spain with no course required.

The DGT's stated intention, modelled loosely on the French system, is a course of roughly seven hours — a few hours of theory plus practical riding time — aimed at car drivers who have never been trained on two wheels. Two points are consistently emphasised in the official messaging:

• The course, if it becomes law, would be non-retroactive. Riders already using a 125 on a B licence when the rule enters force would be exempt automatically — they would not have to go back and take it.
• No firm entry-into-force date has been confirmed. Estimates point to 2026, but no date has been published in the BOE, so any specific deadline you see quoted should be treated as speculation.

For exam purposes and for real-world planning, hold both ideas at once: the current rule (B + 3 years = ride a 125 in Spain, no course) is what applies today, and the seven-hour course is a future possibility that has not yet been enacted.

Who would be grandfathered, and why it only matters inside Spain

If and when the course requirement is enacted, the people who already ride a 125 on their car licence are expected to be protected. "Grandfathering" simply means the new obligation would apply going forward to people who want to start, not backward to those who have already been riding legally. That is the DGT's stated plan, and it is the standard way Spain phases in this kind of change.

Remember that all of this — the current B-to-125 allowance and any future course — is a feature of Spanish law. It does not change what you can ride abroad. A British, Irish or other EU expat who swaps to a Spanish licence inherits the Spanish rules inside Spain, including the 125 allowance after three years, but loses nothing and gains nothing extra for riding in other countries, where their entitlement is governed by that country's law.

Each category has its own theory exam

One thing trips up newcomers: the motorcycle licences are not a single test. AM, A1 and A2 each have their own theory exam, with question banks tuned to the vehicle and the situations a rider of that class will face — visibility, road positioning, protective equipment, weather, and the specific signs and priority rules that affect two-wheelers. The full A licence is normally reached by progression from A2, so it does not usually involve repeating the whole theory test.

The good news for anyone who already passed the car (B) theory exam is that the structure is familiar: multiple-choice questions, a tight time limit, and a strict cap on errors. The content overlaps heavily with the permit B syllabus — signs, speed limits, right-of-way, alcohol limits — but adds motorcycle-specific material. If you are moving from a car licence to A1 or A2, you are not starting from zero; you are extending knowledge you already have.

That overlap is exactly where focused practice pays off. Drilling the motorcycle-specific questions on top of the shared road-rules base is the fastest way to walk into the exam confident rather than guessing — and it is far cheaper than a failed attempt and a re-booking.

What to do next

Decide which licence actually matches the bike you want. If you only need a 125 for city commuting and you already hold a Spanish car licence with three years behind it, you may not need a motorcycle licence at all today. If you want more power, pick A1 or A2 now and use the two-year progression rule to reach A later for the least cost. Whichever path you choose, the theory exam is the first gate — and it is the one you have the most control over through preparation.