AM licence: mopeds and 50cc scooters from age 16

What category AM covers

AM is defined by numbers rather than by shape. A moped is a two-wheeled machine of up to 50cc with a power output no greater than 4kW and a maximum design speed of 45km/h. Small three-wheelers of up to 50cc and 4kW fall in the same category, as do light quadricycles with an unladen weight up to 350kg. Passing AM also gives you category Q automatically, which covers the smallest two and three-wheelers limited to 25km/h.

The design speed is the part that matters day to day. A 50cc restricted to 28mph is at home on urban roads with 30mph limits and thoroughly out of place on a 60mph A road. Plan your route before you buy, and be realistic about whether your commute has a fast section you cannot avoid.

Riding at 16: CBT first

The practical route for a 16-year-old is short. Apply for a provisional driving licence, which you can do from 15 years and 9 months, so the paperwork can be sitting ready for your birthday. Then complete Compulsory Basic Training, a one-day course covering machine control, road positioning and at least two hours of riding in real traffic.

With the CBT certificate you can ride a moped on the road on L plates for two years. You may not carry a passenger and you may not use motorways. That is enough for most 16-year-olds, and many never go beyond it before they turn 17 and move up to a 125.

What the full AM test adds

Taking the full AM test means passing the motorcycle theory test and then both practical modules on a moped. Module 1 is the off-road manoeuvring test, taking about 20 minutes and covering the slalom, figure of eight, slow ride, U-turn, controlled stop, emergency stop and hazard avoidance. On a moped the emergency stop and swerve are ridden at a minimum of 19mph rather than the 31mph required on a motorcycle. Module 2 is around 40 minutes on the road, including an eyesight check, safety questions and about ten minutes of independent riding.

What you gain is worth having: the L plates come off, you can carry a pillion passenger, and the entitlement never expires, so there is no two-yearly CBT bill. What you do not gain is speed. A full AM licence still only permits a 50cc machine, so if your ambition is a bigger bike, the money is better spent on the A1 test at 17, which covers the same theory test and a very similar practical.

What a 50cc costs to buy and run

Mopeds are the cheapest powered vehicles on British roads to keep. Fuel consumption of 100mpg or better is normal, road tax sits in the lowest motorcycle band, and a 50cc is the least expensive class of machine to insure, although a 16-year-old rider will still pay a good deal more than an adult on the same bike.

On the buying side, the used market is deep and prices are low, so the main risk is condition rather than cost. Small scooters lead hard lives: check for kerbed panels, a rattly variator, corroded brake discs and a service history that shows the belt and rollers have been changed. A machine that has been derestricted is both illegal for AM use and a strong hint about how it has been treated.

Have a look at what is listed now: mopeds and 50cc scooters for sale.

Manual or twist-and-go?

The overwhelming majority of 50cc machines are automatic scooters, and for a first vehicle that is a genuine advantage: no clutch, no gears, and all your attention free for the road. There are also geared 50cc mopeds and small sports-styled bikes with four or five speeds, which are more fun on a quiet lane and better preparation if you already know you want a manual 125 next year.

If you learn on a fully automatic machine and later take a test on one, your licence is restricted to automatics in that category. That does not apply to riding on CBT, and taking your A1 test on a geared 125 removes the issue entirely, which is another argument for waiting rather than spending money on a full AM test.

Where you can and cannot ride a moped

A moped on L plates is a town machine, and the law reinforces that. Motorways are banned outright, and while dual carriageways are legal, a 28mph design speed makes most of them unpleasant and some of them genuinely dangerous. Any road with a national speed limit deserves careful thought before you commit to it as part of a daily route.

You must display L plates front and rear, or D plates in Wales, and you may not carry a pillion passenger. Both restrictions disappear only when you pass the full AM test. Bus lanes are a local decision rather than a national one: many councils allow motorcycles and mopeds, some do not, and the signage at the entry to the lane is what counts.

Plan the route before you buy the bike. A 50cc that has to cover six miles of 60mph A-road twice a day is the wrong machine, no matter how cheap it is. If that is your commute, the honest answer is to wait for 17 and an A1-class 125.

Buying your first moped: a checklist

The 50cc market is dominated by short-owned, high-turnover machines, so condition varies wildly at the same price. Start with the paperwork: a V5C in the seller’s name at the seller’s address, an MOT if the bike is over three years old, and a service history that shows the oil has actually been changed. On a two-stroke, ask what oil it has been running.

Then look at the parts of the bike that reveal how it has been treated. Corroded fasteners and a rusty chain suggest an outdoor life and no maintenance. Scraped bar ends, a scuffed exhaust and cracked panels point to drops. Check that both brakes bite well before the lever reaches the bar, that the tyres have date codes less than five years old, and that the bike starts from cold without a long crank.

Two specific traps are worth naming. First, derestricted machines: a moped modified to exceed 45km/h is no longer category AM, which makes it illegal to ride on a CBT and voids the insurance. Second, insurance write-off history, which is common in this market and is worth checking before money changes hands. If in doubt, buy from a dealer with a warranty rather than saving two hundred pounds privately.

Should you wait for A1 instead?

If your 17th birthday is close, waiting is usually the better call. A 125 on the same CBT certificate is faster, safer in traffic because it can keep up with it, holds its value better and opens far more of the used market. The training and test costs are practically identical.

Buying a 50cc makes sense when the gap is a year or more, when the journeys are genuinely short and urban, or when a parent-funded budget will not stretch to a 125 and its insurance. In that case, buy used, buy carefully, and expect to sell it on within eighteen months.

Read next: A1 licence, ride a 125 from 17 and what the whole licence actually costs.