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  1. Bolt Help
  2. For Drivers
  3. Driver and vehicle requirements

Requirements for Bolt category in the UK

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Emily
  • Last updated

To be eligible to use the Bolt platform your vehicle must meet the following general requirements:

  • You must have no commercial branding on your vehicle
  • The vehicle must have 4 doors and a minimum of 4 seats (excluding the driver)
  • Be in excellent working condition, with no cosmetic damage

In addition to the requirements above, there are some additional requirements depending on where you are licensed:

Licensing area Additional vehicle requirements
London, Windsor and Maidenhead
  • Maximum vehicle age: 10 years
  • Vehicles registered as a Private Hire Vehicle after 1 January 2020:
    • PHVs under 18 months old must be zero-emission capable (ZEC) and meet the Euro 6 emissions standard when licensed for the first time
    • PHVs over 18 months old must have a Euro 6 (petrol or diesel) engine when licensed for the first time

Note: PHVs licensed in London prior to 01/01/2020 are not affected
Bath, Portsmouth
  • Maximum vehicle age: 4 years on first licencing. No age limits for licence extensions, as long as the vehicle passes licencing checks 
Milton Keynes
  • Maximum vehicle age: 6 years on first licensing. No age limits for licence extensions
Manchester City
  • Maximum vehicle age: 7 years
North Somerset
  • Maximum vehicle age on first licensing: 8 years. No age limits for licence extensions
Birmingham, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Oldham, Peterborough, Rochdale, Salford, Trafford
  • Maximum vehicle age: 10 years
  • Vehicles in Oldham must be a maximum of 5 years on first licensing
Leicester, Sheffield
  • Maximum vehicle age: 11 years
Bristol, Southampton, Tameside, Wolverhampton
  • Maximum vehicle age: 12 years
Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire
  • All vehicles must be 15 years old or less. 
  • Petrol/diesel vehicles must be 9 years old or less
  • Ultra-low emissions vehicles must be 12 years old or less
South Gloucestershire
  • Maximum vehicle age: 15 years
Cardiff, Derby, Dudley, Newcastle, Newport, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall
  • No age restrictions (subject to passing the council technical testing)
Buckinghamshire
  • No age restrictions

Additional information:

  • You can either be an owner-driver or use a hired PHV. Please note that we do not provide vehicles to drivers.
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