France has had a long tradition of these "Voiture sans permis" (car without permit), which usually had a limit on weight and power. They were popular among teen

France has had a long tradition of these "Voiture sans permis" (car without permit), which usually had a limit on weight and power. They were popular among teenagers learning to drive, poorer residents who couldn't afford larger cars, and unfortunately occasionally drunks who couldn't qualify for a regular license. In fact, most of Europe for a long time had multiple tiers of licenses for "regular" cars. It's my understanding that part of the popularity of the three wheeled Reliant Robin was caused by the fact that until 2001 you could drive it with a Motorcycle license, which I presume is much easier to get than a full car license. Also, I believe it was cheap.