What Is The Difference Between LGVs And HGVs In The UK?

If you are learning to drive a lorry and undergoing training courses to do so, you may have heard at least two official names used to describe the bulky vehicle you have opted to drive.

Most people tend to call them lorries in the UK, but officially, they are often known as either HGVs or LGVs, depending on who you ask and where they tend to work.

It can get confusing, especially since many people use LGV to mean “light goods vehicles”, which are usually officially classified as “light commercial vehicles” (LCV).

Instead, an LGV is a large goods vehicle, also known as a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), also known simply as a lorry. In the UK, the terms are used somewhat interchangeably, and LGV and HGV training is broadly the same.

To understand the differences, it is important to understand why the similarities even exist.

Why Do Lorries Have So Many Categories?

Ultimately, there is a reason for this confusion, and it ultimately comes down to standardisation throughout the UK and Europe, where most lorry drivers will end up spending the majority of their time driving.

In 1992, the European Union established a Europe-wide standard that categorised commercial vehicles by weight rather than size. The EU opted for LGV as the standard, which the UK would also adopt.

However, because LGV is often used to describe vehicles lighter than 3,500kg, both HGV and LGV are often used interchangeably, even in Europe.

Are There Any Differences Between LGVs And HGVs?

In most practical uses, there are no differences, but there are some historical curiosities in certain UK government departments which make the term a little more significant.

In the EU, LGV has always meant any vehicle over 3500kg, but in the UK, vehicles between 3500kg and 7500kg were sometimes described as “medium goods vehicles” (MGV), with vehicles heavier than that known as HGVs in some government documents.

In practice, however, HGV is used interchangeably with LGV and knowing this can be vital in knowing which course and which training courses are right for you.