No motor vehicles except solo motorcycles sign: what it means
This sign shows a car in a red ring. It means no motor vehicles may go past it, except solo motorcycles.
What does the no motor vehicles except solo motorcycles sign mean?
Know your traffic signs lists the red ring with a car alone as “no motor vehicles except solo motorcycles”. Cars, vans and lorries must not go in. A motorcycle without a sidecar may.
The no motor vehicles sign, with a car and a motorcycle, bans both.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- Cars and motorcycles must not go in.
- No motor vehicles, but solo motorcycles may go in.
- Motorcycles without a sidecar must not go in.
Show answer
B. No motor vehicles, but solo motorcycles may go in. A red ring with just a car means no motor vehicles except solo motorcycles (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Where will you see it?
On roads and lanes closed to cars, vans and lorries but left open to motorcycles.
What should you do?
In a car, van or lorry, do not go past the sign. Find another route.
What do people get wrong?
Thinking the sign bans only cars. The ban covers all motor vehicles, apart from solo motorcycles.
Common questions
Can a van go past this sign?
No. The sign bans motor vehicles except solo motorcycles, and a van is a motor vehicle.
How is it different from the no motor vehicles sign?
The no motor vehicles sign shows a car and a motorcycle and bans both. This one shows only a car, so solo motorcycles may still go in.
Compare with
No motor vehicles signCars and motorcycles must not go in.
No solo motorcycles signMotorcycles without a sidecar must not go in.
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 4 November 2026 against Know your traffic signs (regulatory signs) and The Highway Code rule 109.
- Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK
- The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK
- Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.