What license do you need to drive an ATV in 2021?

Features of the ATV

An ATV is a four-wheeled type of motor vehicle designed for driving on dirt roads and off-road. It is especially popular with hunters, fishermen and farmers. This all-terrain vehicle is distinguished by increased maneuverability, maneuverability, ease of operation, low fuel consumption and a compact size that facilitates its storage.


ATV is a four-wheeled type of motor vehicle.

Depending on the level of equipment, ATVs are able to overcome a variety of obstacles (slides, mud, streams, wetlands). They travel on ATVs even in conditions of almost complete absence of roads. Additionally, a trailer can be attached to them and used as a traction vehicle.

When driving an ATV on roads, you must follow the established traffic rules. You should also remember that you can operate an ATV with an internal combustion engine with a volume of more than 50 cm³ only if the rider has a vehicle registration and a driver’s license.

What category of license is required to drive an ATV?

According to the same Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 796 of June 12, 1999, to drive an ATV you need a license for a tractor driver of category “A I”.


What category of license is required to drive an ATV?

To obtain them, you must contact an organization such as Gostekhnadzor. In this case, the owner of the vehicle must provide a self-propelled vehicle passport (PSM). This document provides basic information about the ATV.

It is Gostekhnadzor that is responsible for registering vehicles with PSM, so even if the driver has a driver’s license issued by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, he will still have to register a license for an ATV at Gostekhnadzor. The only exception is ATVs with a vehicle title. In this case, the license issued by the State Traffic Inspectorate will also be valid.

By the way, the license to drive an ATV is also valid for this type of equipment such as a snowmobile.

Do you need a license for a 50cc ATV?

Battery-powered electric ATVs have become especially popular in the last decade. These models belong to the category of children and teenagers; they are used, as a rule, for moving over rough terrain or local areas without going onto the road. In this case, the supervisory authorities do not have any questions and registration of rights to a children’s ATV is not required.


ATV 50cc

It’s a completely different matter if the all-terrain vehicle is equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) with a displacement of up to 50 cubic meters. Previously, owners of such ATVs could drive onto the roadway even without a driver's license. However, the resulting increase in cases of traffic violations and accidents led to changes in the current legislation. In particular, articles 25 and 26 of Federal Law No. 196 specified a new category “M”, which regulated access to driving quadricycles and mopeds.

By the way, do not confuse the quadricycle with ATVs. These are two different types of vehicles. Their differences are as follows:

  1. The ATV is designed for off-road travel. Quadricycles travel on public roads. Often their weight is limited to 400 kg.
  2. A PSM (self-propelled vehicle passport) is issued for an ATV, while a quadricycle has a PTS (technical vehicle passport).
  3. To drive ATVs, you need a license of category “A I” or “M” (for internal combustion engines with a volume of less than 50 cm³). To drive a quadricycle, you must obtain a driver's license of category “B1” or “M” (for light quadricycles).
  4. The practical part of passing exams for the license of category “A I” is usually limited to the demonstration of skills in a training ground. When taking the “B1” category, it is mandatory to travel in the city.
  5. A driver’s license, which gives the right to drive most models of ATVs (except those with a PTS), is obtained from Gostekhnadzor, while category “B1” licenses are obtained from the State Traffic Inspectorate.

ATVs with an internal combustion engine with a volume of less than 50 cm³ are equated to light quadricycles and mopeds, so you must obtain an “M” license to drive them.

Do you need a license for a 125-200cc ATV?

A license is also required for an ATV with an engine with a displacement of 125-200 cm³. Everything is clear here. In this case, Gostekhnadzor or the State Traffic Inspectorate can issue a driver’s license of category “A I”. It all depends on the availability of PTS. If you do not have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, the traffic police inspector has the right to issue a fine or even tow the ATV to a parking lot.

Why an “AI” category tractor driver’s license? Again, we return to RF Regulation No. 796 dated June 12, 1999, which states that all all-terrain vehicles must be registered by the owner. And all registered vehicles require a driver's license.

And one moment. Many people confuse categories “A I” and “A1”. The first one is issued for driving mopeds, ATVs and snowmobiles. The second is needed for traveling on light motorcycles.

Summarize

  • A license is required to drive an ATV, snowmobile, or tricycle;
  • To obtain a license for an ATV, snowmobile, or all-terrain vehicle with open category A in a certificate issued by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, you must pass an exam at Gostekhnadzor and receive a tractor driver’s license.
  • What license is needed for a tricycle depends on the size and power of the vehicle;
  • If you have category A in your driver's license, then you have the right to drive a quadricycle and tricycle with a motorcycle seat, but to drive these vehicles with a car seat, take the exam at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate and receive a category B1 driver's license.
  • It is important not to confuse an ATV with a quadricycle. They require completely different driver's licenses;

Fine for driving an ATV without a license in 2021

According to federal legislation, driving a vehicle without a driver's license is punishable by a fine in the amount of 5,000 to 30,000 thousand rubles (Article 12.7, Part 1 of the Administrative Code).


Where can I get a license for an ATV?

The driver’s lack of documents for the ATV, including confirmation of its state registration, is a gross violation and may lead to the seizure of the vehicle and its placement in a impound lot.

Responsibility for driving without rights

According to Art. 12.7 of the Administrative Code, for driving a vehicle of any category without the appropriate license, a citizen will be charged a fine of 5 to 15 thousand rubles. In addition, for a repeated violation of the same article, traffic police officers have the right to confiscate the equipment and place it in a penalty area. And a person will be able to get his iron horse back only after full payment of all material penalties from the traffic police.

Based on this, the conclusion follows - it is better to find out what licenses are needed to drive an ATV in advance, without getting your hopes up by trying to hide from the traffic police. After all, this will result in larger expenses. Having issued a certificate of the appropriate category, you will not have to be afraid of traffic police inspectors and expose yourself to danger when escaping from pursuit.

Requirements for ATV drivers

Clause 11 of the RF PP No. 796 dated June 12, 1999 sets out the basic requirements for applicants for a driver’s license.

Only persons are allowed to take the exams:

  • over 16 years of age;
  • have successfully passed a medical examination;
  • who have completed professional training in all-terrain vehicle driving courses.

If any of these conditions are not met, the applicant will not be allowed to take the exams.

List of documents

To obtain a driver's license, the applicant must prepare the following list of documents:

  1. Application on your own behalf for the issuance of a driver's license.
  2. Passport.
  3. Certificate of completion of a medical examination (confirming admission to exams).
  4. Driver's license of other categories (if available).
  5. Receipt for payment of state duty.
  6. Two photographs on 3x4 matte paper.

An applicant may be denied a medical certificate if he is diagnosed with the following diseases:

  • endocrine disorders;
  • epilepsy;
  • motor dysfunctions;
  • hepatitis;
  • mental disorders;
  • hearing and vision impairment;
  • alcohol and drug addiction.

When paying the state fee, you must decide in advance on the type of license form. A driver's license issued on paper will cost 500 rubles, and on a plastic form – 2,000 rubles.

Where and how to get a license for an ATV?

The issuance of a driver's license with the right to drive four-wheeled motor vehicles is carried out by the State Technical Supervision Authority.

To do this you will need:

  1. Take a training course.
  2. Prepare the necessary documents.
  3. Pass a medical examination and receive a certificate.
  4. Confirm your right to drive an ATV by successfully passing the test.

Documentation

A package of documents that should be submitted to Gostekhnadzor to obtain the right to drive an ATV:

  • application for issuance of a certificate;
  • passport;
  • certificate of passing a medical examination:
  • driver's license (if available);
  • tractor driver's license or other permission to drive self-propelled vehicles (if previously obtained);
  • receipt for payment of state duty;
  • photographs measuring 3 x 4 cm, made on matte paper, in the amount of 2 pieces (with the exception of automated production in the Gostekhnadzor authorities).

How is the exam going?

There are two ways to register for the exam:

  • Contact the State Technical Supervision Authority at your place of registration or residence in person.
  • Submit an online application through the State Services portal.

In the latter case, a receipt for payment of the fee and an invitation to the exam are sent to the user’s personal account. Even before the exam, you must provide the inspection with original documents and 2 photographs.

The exam takes place in accordance with the pre-approved schedule. Within the prescribed period, the applicant brings a passport and a certificate of medical examination.


Exam

The exam for obtaining a license to drive an ATV takes place in two stages: theoretical and practical. At the first stage, it is checked how the candidate has mastered the theory, namely:

  • basics of safe vehicle control;
  • Traffic Laws;
  • the influence of factors (risks) that provoke emergency situations, as well as their consequences and ways to prevent them;
  • design features of self-propelled vehicles;
  • rules for providing first aid in cases of road accidents;
  • types of administrative, criminal and other liability for traffic violations.

The exam card contains 28 questions. Of these, 8 questions relate to the topic “Basics of operating a self-propelled vehicle,” the remaining 20 to traffic rules, first aid and the design of an all-terrain vehicle. You are allowed to make one mistake in the first part and no more than two in the second. Moreover, if you fail the exam, you are allowed to retake it no earlier than 2 weeks later.

If the candidate has a valid driver's license, there is no need to take the theory test. An unsatisfactory grade in the theoretical part does not allow the candidate to take the internship.

The practical part of the exam to obtain a driving license is sometimes carried out in two stages. First at the training ground, then in real traffic conditions. The candidate must consistently follow all the instructor’s commands and demonstrate to him the skills of maneuvering, reversing, climbing, braking and “snake”.

What do ATV and snowmobile licenses look like?

The appearance of the document for driving these types of self-propelled transport differs from those rights issued by the traffic police.

It also has two sides - left and back, which contain the following information:

  1. On the front side there is:
  • name of the document and its unique code;
  • Full name of the owner of the rights, his date and place of birth in accordance with the passport;
  • location;
  • owner's personal signature;
  • name of the Gostekhnadzor body that issued the document, inspector’s signature and seal;
  • date of issue and validity period;
  • photograph of the copyright owner.
  1. The reverse side reflects all the names and categories of vehicles, the right to drive which is confirmed by this document. A corresponding mark is placed next to the permitted category. Special notes may be indicated below the table. The document code is repeated below.

Driving license category "B"

If you have a category “B” license, the owner of an ATV can only drive it if the engine displacement is limited to 50 cubic meters. In other cases, the driver is required to have a category “A I” driver’s license. To obtain it, the candidate only needs to pass the practical part of the exam and undergo a medical examination.

To summarize, it is worth noting: firstly, ATVs belong to the class of self-propelled vehicles, are registered with Gostekhnadzor and their operation requires obtaining an “AI” category driver’s license. Secondly, a license for an electric ATV with an engine less than 50 cc is not needed. But only on the condition that it is not used on public roads.

Driving on ATVs without a license or vehicle registration is punishable by heavy fines and the removal of equipment to an impound lot. Therefore, before purchasing a reliable steel friend, it is worth finding out all its technical characteristics and the resulting nuances of vehicle design.

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