Topic: Vehicle Body Styles

A motorcycle is a vehicle that is designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground and has:

• a steering handlebar completely constrained from rotating in relation to the axle of one wheel in contact with the ground
• a minimum un-laden seat height of 650 mm (26 inches)
• a minimum wheel rim diameter of 250 mm (10 inches)
• a minimum wheelbase of 1,016 mm (40 inches)
• a maximum speed capability of more than 50 km/h

The motorcycle body style does not include mopeds, or power-assisted bicycles. For rating purposes, motorcycles are divided into five categories: motorscooter, other, sport, sport touring and touring.

Rating category – motor-scooter

Motor-scooter

A motor-scooter is a motorcycle with a step-through frame that generally has smaller wheels than those of a standard motorcycle. A person can ride a motor-scooter without straddling it.

Three-wheel scooter

A scooter that is designed to include a second independent front wheel that is used to increase ride stability. However, a motorcycle that includes two rear wheels is not a three-wheel scooter, regardless of any other characteristic it may have.

Rating category – other

Cruiser

A motorcycle that is designed with a low seat height, wider rear tire, raked front forks and forward controls with the foot pegs out in front as opposed to being straight down. The design emphasizes comfort and appearance with a relaxed upright seating position, and often includes an abundance of chrome.

Dual purpose

A motorcycle for both highway and off-road use. Its design includes fenders and tires suitable for some off-road uses coupled with street safety requirements, such as mirrors and turn signal indicators. An off-road motorcycle that has been modified to meet the requirements to be registered under The Highway Traffic Act is included in this body style.

Enduro

A motocross motorcycle that may be registered under The Highway Traffic Act. It features high ground clearance and increased suspension combined with minimal rider comforts. It is differentiated from a motocross motorcycle by the presence of silencers, flywheel weights and the features necessary for the on-road portion of enduro racing.

Motard

A motorcycle design that combines the design of a motocross and an enduro motorcycle. It is fitted with road racing tires while keeping the other features synonymous with off-road machines. These motorcycles are designed and marketed to compete over a racecourse that mixes road racing on tarmac with off-road sections.

Other

A motorcycle that can be registered under The Highway Traffic Act and has a body style that does not fit any of the other available motorcycle body styles.

Standard

A motorcycle that is designed with a small rake and trail, and generally does not include accessories such as a windshield, saddlebags, trunk or audio entertainment system.

Rating category – sport

Naked sport

A motorcycle with a design that is reduced to its basic form and stripped down to its fundamental parts. The front wheel is visible from the rider’s position and the emphasis of the design is on functionality, performance and ergonomics, rather than on body panels and exaggerated riding positions that are emphasized for sport bikes. These motorcycles may also be marketed as “naked” or “street” bikes.

Sport

A fast, light, sleek motorcycle that is designed for maximum performance and maneuverability. It is distinguishable from other motorcycles by its full fairing and the rider’s tipped-forward seating position.

Rating category – sport touring

Adventure

A motorcycle that is designed and marketed as a combination sport, touring and off-road motorcycle. This body style is designed with the features of an on-road motorcycle capable of cruising on paved roads. It also includes big tires, a large fuel tank and a comfortable seat, as well as high ground clearance in order to traverse rough terrain easily.

Sport touring

A motorcycle that is designed and marketed as a hybrid between a sport and a touring motorcycle. It allows long-distance riding with more emphasis on sport-like performance in both handling and speed than a touring motorcycle.

Rating category – touring

Standard sidecar

A motorcycle that has attached to it a one wheeled sidecar.

Touring

A motorcycle that is designed and marketed for long distance travel that includes such things as a large engine, ample storage, including top trunks and saddlebags, reverse gears, onboard air compressors, large fairings and windshields and amenities like cruise control, stereo audio entertainment systems, citizen band communications systems and heated seats and grips.

Trike (two rear wheels)

A motorcycle that is similar to a touring motorcycle but that is equipped with two wheels at the back and one at the front. The usual layout of a trike is for the power to be delivered to one or both rear wheels, while the front is used for steering.

Three-wheel motorcycle (two front wheels)

A motorcycle that is designed with a “Y” shaped chassis featuring two wheels in the front and one in the rear.

Moped

A moped is not a motorcycle. It is a body style of motor vehicle that:

• has two tandem wheels or three wheels, each of which has a minimum diameter of 250 mm (10 inches)
• has a seat or saddle having a minimum unladen height of 650 mm, when measured from the ground level to the top of the forward most part of the seat or saddle
• is capable of being driven by pedals only, motor only, or by both pedals and motor
• the motor has a piston displacement of not more than 50 cubic centimetres, or is an electric motor neither of which allows the moped to go faster than 50 km per hour

A passenger vehicle is a vehicle that is either classified by a manufacturer as a passenger car or van or is designed, constructed or adapted to transport passengers. It includes a delivery car, but does not include a motorcycle, moped, or motor vehicle designed, constructed, or adapted to carry goods.

Passenger vehicle body styles, in alphabetical order:

Ambulance

An ambulance is a motor vehicle designed and constructed to transport injured or other persons requiring medical attention. An ambulance is used as an emergency vehicle.

Bus

A bus is a motor vehicle designed, constructed or modified for the principal purpose of carrying 11 or more passengers, including the driver. It is used as a school bus or for any purpose other than personal transportation by the owner or with the owner’s permission. Passenger vans used to carry disabled persons are considered buses, regardless of seating capacity.

Convertible

A convertible is a body style with a roof made of a soft collapsible material (usually vinyl or weatherproof canvas) and is retractable.

Four door

A four door is a passenger car having four doors.

Four-door hatchback

A four-door hatchback is a passenger car that has a sloped back and is not designated by the manufacturer as a station wagon or van. It has five doors, including one that opens at the rear to provide access to the passenger compartment.

Funeral vehicle or hearse

A funeral vehicle or hearse is a vehicle designed to transport deceased persons or people attending a funeral, or both.

Limousine

A limousine is a passenger vehicle that has been customized and had its body and chassis extended, resulting in four or more doors. It is designed to seat five or more people behind the driver’s seat. A limousine may have a controllable separation window/partition between the driver and the passenger compartment. It is not a passenger van or a bus, and it is not used for funerals.

Motorhome

A motorhome is a motor vehicle designed and constructed as an integral unit to provide living accommodations. It has one or more beds, in addition to one or more of the following; stove, refrigerator, washing and toilet facilities, all of which are permanently attached. There is direct access from the living quarters to the driver’s seat.

One door

A one door is a passenger car having one door.

Passenger van

A passenger van is a passenger vehicle with the following characteristics:

• The roof extends fully to the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle is designed to carry passengers, and the vehicle is not classified as a station wagon.
• The vehicle has a seat behind the driver’s seat. Seats are attached to the frame or floor of the van.

When the rear seats are removed, the vehicle is classified as a truck for registration purposes. Refer to the truck – panel van body style.

Quad coupe

A quad coupe is a passenger car having two front doors that open on front mounted hinges and two downsized rear doors that open on rear mounted hinges.

Retractable hard top

A retractable hard top is a convertible body style with a hard-top roof made of fibreglass, carbon fibre composite, plastic or metal, which completely retracts behind the rear seat and/or into the trunk of the vehicle.

Roadster

A roadster is a passenger car designed without a permanently mounted roof.

Sport utility vehicle (SUV)

An SUV is a motor vehicle designated by a manufacturer as a sport utility vehicle and equipped with permanently mounted front seats, and rear seats which may be removed. When the rear seats are installed, the vehicle is classified as a passenger vehicle for registration purposes. A sport utility vehicle may have two or four doors and may be two or four wheel drive. When the rear seats are removed, the vehicle is classified as a truck for registration purposes. Refer to the truck – sport utility vehicle body style.

Sport utility vehicle (SUV) soft top

A SUV soft top is an SUV that has a top made of a collapsible material, similar to that of a Convertible. The top is designed so that the roof can be completely removed from the vehicle, leaving it open and roofless.

Station wagon

A station wagon is a motor vehicle designated by the manufacturer as a station wagon and equipped with a permanently mounted front seat, and one or more rear seats that may be collapsed and stored.

Three door

A three Door is a passenger vehicle that has two front doors that open on front mounted hinges and one downsized side rear door that opens on rear mounted hinges; as a result the door opens away from the front of the vehicle. The third door can only be opened after the driver door has been opened, consequently no door handle can be seen from the outside. It is not a hatchback.

Two door

A two door is a passenger car having two doors.

Two-door hatchback

A two-door hatchback is a passenger car that has a sloped back and is not designated by the manufacturer as a station wagon or van. It has three doors including one that opens at the rear to provide access to the passenger compartment.

A trailer is a vehicle that is not self-propelled but is towed by a motor vehicle. It is designed for carrying goods, and includes a farm trailer. It must be mobile and capable of being towed on its own wheels by a motor vehicle without significant modification or cost. A pre-fabricated mobile home is not a trailer – it does not meet registration requirements and is not eligible for Autopac. A trailer vehicle type includes a body style for cabin or house trailers, which includes (but is not limited to) travel trailers and fifth wheels.

Trailer

Trailer styles are listed alphabetically below:

Gooseneck trailer

A gooseneck trailer hooks up to a truck via either an in-bed or a chassis-mounted 5th wheel hitch, which is somewhat similar to a semi-trailer hook up. They are referred to as gooseneck trailers because of the gooseneck design of the trailer’s tongue.

House or cabin trailer

A house or cabin trailer is the body style of a trailer used as a mobile home, mobile industrial or commercial structure, or a travel trailer. Tent trailers are not house or cabin trailers.

Semi-trailer

A semi-trailer" is a trailer constructed so that its weight and the weight of its load are carried partly upon an axle of the truck tractor towing it and partly upon an axle of the trailer. It is equipped with the upper half of a fifth wheel. Semi-trailers are not insured under Basic Autopac, but must be licensed every two years. A pup trailer, single or double axle, with or without a steering axle, when attached to a semi-trailer unit as a train, requires a semi-trailer plate.

Tent trailer

A tent trailer is a movable structure built on its own chassis having a rigid or canvas top and side walls that can be folded for travel. It is designed as a temporary accommodation for travel, recreational or vacation use.

Tow dolly

A tow dolly is a trailer designed to carry one axle of a motor vehicle and used to tow that vehicle behind another motor vehicle. The most common application of a tow dolly is a recreational vehicle, motorhome, pickup truck and camper, towing a small passenger vehicle. One axle of the motor vehicle in tow is mounted on the tow dolly, which in turn is hitched to the towing vehicle. Tow dollies must meet the requirements of The Highway Traffic Act for safety equipment (i.e., lights, brakes and connections).

Utility trailer

A utility trailer" is a body style for a trailer used for any cargo-bearing purposes not defined elsewhere.

Miscellaneous body styles

Driveaway unit

A driveaway unit is a combination of a motor vehicle that moves on its own motive power and one or more vehicles that are either:

• entirely carried
• pulled in such a manner that all of the wheels of the vehicles are on the highway
• partly towed and partly carried

The term driveaway unit also includes the motor vehicle that moves on its own motive power even when it is not in combination with other vehicles. These units must be unladen (i.e., the only goods which can be carried are the units themselves which are part of the driveaway unit).

In order to obtain this variable plate, the insured must have a valid driveaway operation. The plate itself is transferable from one vehicle to another (similar to a Dealer Plate).

A truck is a motor vehicle or semi-trailer truck that is not a delivery car and that is constructed or adapted to carry goods, but not passengers or luggage. This classification covers all trucks not defined elsewhere.

Truck styles, in alphabetical order:

Box

A box is a truck with the cargo bearing area enclosed by solid walls or sides permanently mounted on the chassis, without a permanently mounted top.

Cab and chassis

A cab and chassis is a cab built on a truck chassis to allow for the installation of special cargo or passenger body.

Chassis-mounted camper

A chassis-mounted camper is a truck which has living accommodations permanently attached to the truck chassis. The cab and living facilities are separate units with no access to the living facilities from the cab.

Crew cab

A crew cab is a truck with the passenger/driver area lengthened to allow rear seating, with a second pair of forward hinged rear doors. The cargo carrying area has low sides constructed as part of the chassis.

Crew-cab service truck

A crew-cab service truck has any combination of low storage boxes or lockers or shelves on either side of the cargo carrying area, built on a crew-cab chassis. These trucks are used for on-site work, and the body configuration can vary depending on design requirements.

Cube van

A cube van is a truck designed with two separate components. One is the driver/passenger area. The other is the cargo area, which is permanently affixed to the chassis and has adjoining side walls and a permanently affixed roof. The cargo area may or may not be open to the driver/passenger area.

Dump

A dump is a truck with a load-carrying container which has a mechanical device attached to the chassis to raise the container and dump the load.

Extended cab

An extended cab is a truck with the passenger/driver area extended to include an area behind the front seats, which may or may not allow rear seating. In addition to the front doors, the extended cab may have one, two or no rear doors, which, if present, are reverse hinged. The cargo carrying area has low sides constructed as part of the chassis.

Extended-cab service truck

An extended-cab service truck has any combination of low storage boxes or lockers or shelves on either side of the cargo carrying area, built on an extended cab chassis. These trucks are used for on-site work, and the body configuration can vary depending on design requirements.

Hauling semi-trailers, hauling pup trailers

Semi-trailer plates are required. SRE insurance available.

Hauling trailers

Licensed on weight and insured in Autopac.

Light delivery

A light delivery is a body style describing a truck designed and used to transport cargo in a box-like cargo section. The cargo area may or may not have direct access to the driver’s compartment. The driver/passenger and cargo areas are not separate components; therefore, this vehicle is not classified as a cube van.

Mixer

A mixer is a truck which has a mixing apparatus attached to its chassis.

Packer

A packer is a truck used to compress and transport garbage and/or refuse.

Panel van

A panel van is a body style describing a truck designed so that the roof extends fully to the rear of the vehicle, enclosing the driver compartment and cargo area. There may or may not be direct access between both compartments. The driver/passenger and cargo areas are not separate compartments; therefore, this vehicle cannot be classified as a cube van.

Permanently mounted apparatus

A permanently mounted apparatus is any device or apparatus affixed to the chassis of a truck, not designed to carry a load and which is specifically categorized (e.g., well drilling rig, crane).

Pickup

A pickup is a truck consisting of a cab which is not lengthened to include an area behind the front seats, where the two doors are forward hinged, and the cargo carrying area has low sides affixed to the chassis. A light pickup has a maximum manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 4,540 kg or less. A heavy pickup has a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of over 4,540 kg.

Platform

A platform is a truck with a flat, open deck platform on which the load is transported.

Service truck

A service truck is a truck which has any combination of low storage boxes or lockers or shelves on either side of the cargo carrying area. These trucks are used to transport tools and materials to sites, to perform service work. There are two types of service trucks: light (4,540 kg GVW or less) and heavy (greater than 4,540 kg GVW). The body configuration can vary depending on design requirements.

Sport utility vehicle (SUV)

An SUV is designated by a manufacturer as an SUV and equipped with permanently mounted front seats, and rear seats which may be removed. When the rear seats are permanently removed, the vehicle can be classified as a truck for registration purposes. A sport utility vehicle may have two or four doors and may be two or four wheel drive.

When the rear seats are installed, the vehicle is classified as a passenger vehicle for registration purposes. Refer to the passenger vehicle – sport utility vehicle body style.

Stake

A stake is a truck designed with removable side walls that surround the load carrying area.

Tanker

A tanker is a truck constructed with a tank which is affixed to the chassis for transporting cargo.

Tow truck

A tow truck has a device or apparatus attached to the chassis that is able to raise and attach another vehicle to the tow truck to move the other vehicle.

Truck tractor

A truck tractor has a net weight of more than 4,000 kg and is equipped with the lower half of a fifth wheel coupler designed to pull a semi-trailer by coupling to the king pin attached to the semi-trailer.

An off-road vehicle (ORV) is a wheeled or tracked motorized vehicle designed or adapted for cross-country travel on land, water, ice, snow, marsh, swamp land or other natural terrain.

Off-road vehicles do not include:

• agricultural equipment
• garden or lawn tractor
• golf cart
• infrastructure equipment

ORV styles in alphabetical order:

All-terrain utility vehicle

An all-terrain utility vehicle travels on four or more low-pressure tires. It is based on the concept of an all-terrain vehicle, but is designed for use as a utility work vehicle. It seats two or more, and it has a steering wheel, not handle bars, for steering the vehicle. The driver does not straddle the seat as on an all-terrain vehicle.

All-terrain vehicle (ATV)

An ATV travels on three or more low-pressure tires, has a seat designed to be straddled by the operator of the vehicle, and has handlebars for steering the vehicle.

Amphibious vehicle

A device/vehicle for transporting personnel and/or equipment that can operate as a wheeled or tracked vehicle on land and as a boat in water.

Dune buggy

Some vehicles that can be registered under The Highway Traffic Act may also be registered under The Off-Road Vehicle Act if they are not driven on highways.

Four-wheel drive

Some vehicles that can be registered under The Highway Traffic Act may also be registered under The Off-Road Vehicle Act if they are not driven on highways.

Miscellaneous

The miscellaneous body style includes all other off-road vehicles that can be registered under The Off-Road Vehicle Act and do not fit any of the body styles listed here.

Motorcycle

Some vehicles that can be registered under The Highway Traffic Act may also be registered under The Off-Road Vehicle Act if they are not driven on highways. The off-road motorcycle body style category includes mini-bikes, dirt bikes, and trail bikes.

Off-road maintenance machine

An off-road maintenance machine is an off-road vehicle that is designed or modified and used primarily for the purposes of clearing or maintaining off-road vehicle trails or tracks, ski trails or slopes.

Snow vehicle

A snow vehicle is an off-road vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight exceeding 454 kg.

• It is not equipped with wheels. Instead, it has tractor treads alone or with tractor treads and skis, or skis and a propeller, or it is a toboggan equipped with tractor treads or a propeller.
• It is designed primarily for operating over snow or ice, and it is used primarily for that purpose.
• It is designed to be self-propelled.

Snowmobile

A snowmobile has a gross vehicle weight up to 454 kg and is not equipped with wheels but with tractor treads, tractor treads and skis, or with skis and a propeller. It may also be a toboggan equipped with tractor treads or a propeller. A snowmobile is designed and used primarily for operating over snow or ice. It is self-propelled.