The car class covers all vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg. Within it, the T1 group is designated for prototype cross-country cars and is divided into four primary subcategories. T1.U, also called T1 Ultimate, is reserved for vehicles running on renewable energy sources such as electricity or hydrogen. T1.1 is open to four-wheel-drive prototypes running on petrol or diesel, a subcategory that has historically housed machines like the Toyota Hilux and Peugeot 3008 DKR. T1.2 covers two-wheel-drive prototypes, a designation that has housed purpose-built buggies from constructors such as SMG and Damen Jefferies. T1.3 is open to vehicles conforming to SCORE International regulations.
The T2 category is for series production cross-country cars: vehicles that retain more of their factory specification than T1 prototypes. The Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol are typical representatives. T2 has historically served as the entry point for privateers who cannot afford bespoke prototype construction, and winning T2 overall is a recognised achievement in its own right.
Originally combined or folded under the car category, the T3 and T4 classes were subsequently separated into their own distinct competitive categories. T3 is officially described as Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country Vehicles, encompassing purpose-built two-seat machines such as the Red Bull OT3 as well as modified versions of vehicles produced by manufacturers including Polaris, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Can-Am. T4 is the Side-by-Side (SSV) class for modified production cross-country side-by-side vehicles built closer to factory specification than T3 machines. Both T3 and T4 must remain below the 3,500 kg limit and carry their own respective FIA World Cup standings.
The UTV category was introduced at the Dakar Rally in 2017. Prior to that date, UTVs had run under the car category as the T3 designation. In 2021 the class was further subdivided, with T3 light prototypes and T4 SSVs separated onto their own scoreboards.
The truck class covers vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg and is subdivided into series production trucks (T4.1 in older Dakar nomenclature, now under T5) and modified trucks (T4.2). A further subgroup covers rally support trucks, which travel between bivouac sites to support competition vehicles rather than competing themselves.
The truck class was first run as a separate category at the Dakar Rally in 1980. The class was not contested in 1989 after the FIA determined that the vehicles, by that stage producing in excess of 1,000 horsepower from twin-engine configurations, posed an unacceptable danger following a fatal accident during the 1988 event. The truck category has since been dominated by Russian manufacturer Kamaz, though Iveco, MAN, Renault, Tatra, and Hino have all challenged at the front and achieved victories.
The precise numbering of rally raid vehicle groups has shifted over the decades as governing bodies revised regulations, introduced new categories, and reclassified existing ones. The designation T4, for instance, originally referred to trucks at the Dakar Rally before being reassigned to SSV vehicles, with trucks relocated to the T5 group. This drift means that references to a "T4 truck" in older race reports describe a different vehicle type than the same designation in contemporary results.
The overall architecture reflects an attempt to provide competitive ladders at different budget and experience levels, from the heavily modified T2 production vehicles accessible to well-funded privateers, through the T3 and T4 UTV classes that have attracted strong manufacturer interest, up to the T1 prototype cars and T5 trucks representing the technical ceiling of what the discipline permits.
Several racing simulations feature rally raid content including Dakar-class vehicles, notably Dakar Desert Rally. Understanding the class distinctions explains why a buggy, a production SUV, and a side-by-side UTV may compete on the same timed special stage yet be scored entirely separately, and why manufacturers from very different vehicle segments, from truck builders to quad manufacturers, can all claim Dakar victories within their respective class.