What is a land motor vehicle?

A land motor vehicle is a machine motorized, designed for to run on the ground (off rails) and intended for transport persons, goods or other vehicles.

This definition encompasses a wide variety of vehicles, divided into multiple categories according to their use, their size or their function.

Passenger and commercial vehicles

• Passenger cars (VP)
• Light commercial vehicles (LCV)
• Trucks and trucks
• Motorhome

2 and 3 motorized wheels

• Mopeds (≤ 50 cm³ or ≤ 45 km/h)
• Light motorcycles (≤ 125 cm³)
• Motorcycles (all cylinders)
• Scooters
• Motorized tricycles

Quads and similar machinery

• Light quads (≤ 50 cm³ or ≤ 45 km/h, ≤ 350 kg empty)
• Heavy quads (other approved quads)
• Side-by-side vehicles (Ssv) or motorized buggys

Light 4-wheeled vehicles

• Carts (without license) / light quadricycles
• Heavy motor quadricycles

Motorized special gear

• Agricultural vehicles (e.g. tractors, harvesters)
• Forestry vehicles
• Public works equipment (construction machinery)
• Cleaning, snow-clearing equipment

Motorized public transport

• Buses, coaches
• Minibus
• Trolleybus (electric vehicles guided by catenary, without rail)

Priority vehicles or vehicles of general interest

• Ambulances, police vehicles, gendarmerie, customs, firefighters
• Winter service vehicles (salt washers, snow plows)
• Military vehicles (apart from specific exemptions)

When a vehicle is considered to be a land motor vehicle, it shall follow the following rules:

• It must be insured, even if he doesn’t drive
• It must be registered (have a
• They may need to have a roadworthiness test
• He must respect the rules of the road
• It may be affected by environmental rules (e.g. Crit'Air vignette).