Motor vehicle for goods transport fitted with additional bodywork such as platforms, boxes, tanks and silos, etc.; maximum permissible laden weight of over 3.5 tonnes.
Stricter rules apply to the use of lorries compared with vans: Category C driving licence, ban on driving at night and on Sundays, specific speed limits and road taxes etc.
One exception is battery-electric or other zero-emission vehicles with a maximum permissible laden weight of no more than 4.25 tonnes, where the weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes is caused solely by the additional weight of the zero-emission drive technology. Since April 2022, various exemptions have applied to the use of these vehicles in domestic transport, and since October 2026, they are largely subject to the same regulations as those for vans. However, they are still recorded as lorries in the vehicle registers. In the transport statistics, the following therefore applies for these vehicles:
- In the road vehicle statistics, which provide information on new registrations and total vehicle stock, they are listed as lorries in line with the register (unless otherwise stated).
- In the freight transport statistics, which show vehicle use (kilometres covered, transport performance etc.), they are treated as vans in accordance with the applicable operating regulations.
