The quadricycle is a European Union vehicle category for four-wheeled

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are oft ...

s, which allows these vehicles to be designed to less stringent requirements when compared to regular cars. Quadricycles are defined by limitations in terms of weight,

engine power Engine power is the power that an engine can put out. It can be expressed in power units, most commonly kilowatt, pferdestärke (metric horsepower), or horsepower. In terms of internal combustion engines, the engine power usually describes the ' ...

and speed. There are two categories of quadricycles: light quadricycles (L6e) and heavy quadricycles (L7e).

History

The quadricycle classification was officially created in 1992, when the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

published Directive 92/61/EEC which decreed that quadricycles fell into the same category as

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typ ...

s. In 2002, Framework Directive 2002/24/EC then refined this definition by distinguishing between light and heavy quadricycles (L6e and L7e categories). The framework for drivers licences of light quadricycles in the EU was released in 2006, with Directive 2006/126 (the third

Driving Licence A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

directive). This directive applies the same requirements for light quadricycles as for mopeds. This directive includes a recommendation to specify a minimum driving age of 16 years, although the age limit actually varies between 14 and 18 years between countries.

Categories

Light quadricycles (L6e)

Light quadricycles (L6e) are defined by Framework Directive 2002/24/EC as: "motor vehicles with four wheels whose unladen mass is not more than 425 kg,REGULATION (EU) No 168/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
dated 15 January 2013 not including the mass of the batteries in case of electric vehicles, whose maximum design speed is not more than 45 km/h, and: # whose engine cylinder capacity does not exceed 50 cm³ for spark (positive) ignition engines, or # whose maximum net power output does not exceed 6 kW in the case of other (e.g. diesel fuelled)

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...

s, or # whose maximum continuous rated power does not exceed 6 kW in the case of an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...

. These vehicles shall fulfill the technical requirements applicable to three-wheel mopeds of category L2e unless specified differently in any of the separate directives".

Heavy quadricycles (L7e)

2018 Aixam Crossline Premium GT CVT 600cc Front

Quadricycles (L7e), also referred to as Heavy quadricycles, are defined by Framework Directive 2002/24/EC as motor vehicles with four wheels "other than those referred to (as light quadricycles), whose unladen mass is not more than 450 kg (category L7e) (600 kg for vehicles intended for carrying goods), not including the mass of batteries in the case of electric vehicles, with a design payload not more than 200 kg (passenger) or 1000 kg (goods), and whose maximum net engine power does not exceed 15 kW. These vehicles shall be considered to be motor tricycles and shall fulfil the technical requirements applicable to motor tricycles of category L5e unless specified differently in any of the separate Directives".

Country-specific legislation

Finland

The age limit for quadricycles is 15, while it is 18 years for cars in general.

Moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typ ...

s have been traditionally popular in Finland among youth, and quadricycles have been introduced into the same niche. There is a licence category called AM-121, introduced in 2013, separately for quadricycles, although M-class (

) licenses issued before 2013 qualify as well. Higher categories of licences (A1, A and B) automatically qualify for quadricycles, but age limits of A1, A and B are 16, 18 and 18, respectively. Some have been concerned about the danger that quadricycles' low speed poses to other traffic. Over the past decade, Finland has been considering replacing quadricycles with cars with speed limiters; this topic became controversial in February 2017 after the in

Sastamala Sastamala () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Pirkanmaa region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water, making it the largest municipality in the Pirkanmaa region in terms of area. The ...

Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa (; sv, Birkaland; la, Birkaria, link=no), also known as ''Tampere Region'' in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme an ...

, Finland.

France

In France, small cars which are classified as Voiture Sans Permis (''vehicle without licence'') can be driven without a

driving licence A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

. Certain quadricycles can be driven on a "road safety certificate" category of drivers licence, which is available to people 14 years or older. The quadricycle must be speed limited to and have a petrol/diesel motor up to or be electric powered up to . Paragraph 4

United Kingdom

In the UK before October 2000, a person who passed a motorcycle test was automatically granted a full sub-category A1 licence, allowing them to drive a lightweight car (an unladen weight of or less), a motor quadricycle or a motor tricycle. Since 2000 these small cars have been split in two different classifications, light and heavy quadricycles. A Light quadricycle a micro car with less than 6kw of power and no more than unladen mass is not more than 425 kg can be driven on a full bike licence anything more powerful and more heavy requires a full car licence must be obtained to legally drive such a vehicle on the UK roads.

References

{{Reflist, 2

Quadricycle Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels. In 1896 Henry Ford named his first vehicle design the "Quadricycle". it ran on four bicycle wheels, with an engine driving the back wheels.Brinkley, David, ''Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His ...

* Quadricycle Quadricycles