Warning! To drive the electric Hummer you will need a truck licence.

The Hummer has always been a car that draws attention for its size and weight. It is a large, heavy vehicle that also consumed a lot, even by American standards. With the arrival of the electric-drive version, that hassle and everything related to it, such as its high level of pollution, was eliminated. But all of this comes at a price, and that is what this electric powertrain will mean for its arrival in Spain.

The total weight of the Hummer EV Launch Edition pick-up is 4,103 kg unladen. That weight is due to the inclusion of a large battery that adds extra mass. And this is a problem in Spain, since the driving licence for cars, the most common of all, only allows you to drive a vehicle of up to 3,500 kg.

This rules out this model. It means that to drive it you need to obtain a C or C1 licence, which entitles the holder to drive a vehicle of up to 7,500 kg. It is true that the DGT’s latest reform has allowed the maximum weight of a vehicle that can be driven with a B licence to be increased up to 4,250 kg. This applies to commercial vehicles, and provided that the extra weight is caused by the electric battery or the electric drivetrain.

The electric Hummer is a pick-up, so it is considered a passenger car and does not fall under this consideration. It is a passenger car and, as such, its maximum authorised weight for driving with a B licence remains 3,500 kg. And it is not the only problem this model will face, not only in Spain but across Europe.

And this is something we already thought about with the combustion models. The new Hammer has a width of 2.20 metres. This gives it a fairly comfortable margin against the 2.50 metres the EU sets as the maximum width for this type of vehicle. But the streets of many cities are narrow, unlike in the United States. So this car will face serious difficulties getting around European cities.

So there are few solutions for driving this model well in Spain. Either it is homologated as a commercial vehicle and the rule is circumvented, or the driver will be forced to obtain a C or C1 licence in order to drive it.