Armor Levels Explained: B3 to B7, and What They Actually Stop

Vehicle armor levels are defined by three different standards that are not interchangeable, and most of the confusion in this market comes from people treating them as if they are.

EN 1063, published by CEN, defines the BR1 to BR7 scale usually written as B1 to B7. It is a standard for security glazing, not for complete vehicles. VPAM defines the VR scale, and VPAM BRV is the only standard that certifies a finished, assembled vehicle rather than its components. NIJ standards are American and cover ballistic materials and body armor; NIJ does not certify vehicles, and NIJ level numbers mean something different from both of the above.

The single most useful fact on this page: EN 1063 does not test 7.62 × 39mm at any level. That is the AK-pattern rifle round, the most common rifle threat in much of the world, and the B scale is silent on it. If that round is in your threat profile, a B rating does not answer your question and you need a VPAM VR6 certificate instead.

Armored Collective operates B4 and B5 vehicles. We do not operate B6 or B7. This guide covers levels we do not sell, because you should choose the level your threat requires rather than the level your supplier wants to sell you.

EN 1063, VPAM and NIJ are three different things

EN 1063 (also written CEN 1063, and the source of B1 to B7). This is the European standard for security glazing. It defines performance requirements and test methods for classifying the bullet resistance of glass and glass-plastic composites. The automotive industry borrowed its BR classes and writes them as B4, B6 and so on. That borrowing is the root of most of the confusion on this page, because a glazing standard cannot tell you whether a finished vehicle is safe.

VPAM (VR1 to VR10, and the BRV vehicle standard). VPAM is the German-led association of ballistic testing authorities. VPAM APR rates materials; VPAM BRV rates complete vehicles. A BRV test is conducted on the finished, assembled vehicle, which means it evaluates the joints, overlaps, door gaps and glazing interfaces that a component test cannot see. Those interfaces are where real vehicles fail. BRV is the meaningful certification and it is the one to ask for.

NIJ (Levels I to IV, and now HG and RF designations). NIJ standards are published by the US National Institute of Justice. NIJ 0108.01 covers ballistic resistant protective materials; NIJ 0101.06 and the newer 0101.07 cover body armor, with 0101.07 introducing HG1, HG2, RF1, RF2 and RF3 in place of the old Roman numerals. NIJ does not certify vehicles. Comparisons between NIJ and CEN levels are unreliable because the test distances, shot patterns and ammunition specifications differ.

Why this matters in practice: a supplier saying “our vehicles are B6” is telling you which class of glazing it fitted. It is not telling you that the assembled vehicle was tested. Those are different claims and only one of them is about the car you will sit in.

What each B level is tested against

EN 1063 tests each class with a specified round at a specified mass and velocity. The table below is the test ammunition for each class. Test distances, shot patterns and the number of strikes are defined in the standard itself and are part of what any certificate should reference.

Stated in prose, because these are the sentences people search for:

BR3 is tested with the .357 Magnum. BR4 is tested with the .44 Remington Magnum and is the highest purely handgun level. BR5 is tested with 5.56 × 45mm NATO, the AR-15 and M16 round. BR6 is tested with 7.62 × 51mm NATO, also known as .308 Winchester. BR7 is tested with a hard core 7.62 × 51mm round and is the armor piercing level.

Note the jump between BR4 and BR5. It is the largest step on the scale. BR4 stops a 15.6 g projectile at around 440 m/s. BR5 stops a 4.0 g projectile at around 950 m/s. The bullet is lighter and more than twice as fast, and defeating it requires a different class of material entirely. That step is where cost, weight and vehicle dynamics change sharply.

The VPAM VR scale is not the B scale with a different letter

This is the most common error in the market and it appears on the websites of companies that should know better.

Under the current VPAM standard, VR3 corresponds to a 9mm Luger submachine gun. VR4 covers .357 Magnum and .44 Remington Magnum revolver rounds. VR5 covers a high-velocity .357 Magnum load. VR6 covers 7.62 × 39mm, the AK round. VR7 covers .223 Remington SS109 and .308 Winchester. VR9 covers 7.62 × 51mm armor piercing.

Line that up against EN 1063 and the numbers do not track:

• VR5 is a handgun level. BR5 is a rifle level. They are not equivalent, and writing “B5 / VR5” as a paired label understates VPAM and overstates the vehicle.
• BR5 (5.56 × 45mm SS109) corresponds roughly to VR7, two numbers higher.
• BR4 and VR4 happen to align reasonably well on .44 Magnum. That coincidence is probably why people assume the rest of the scale does too.

The edition trap. VPAM levels are not comparable between editions of the standard. The ammunition protected against by VR7 under the 1999 edition of BRV became VR9 under the 2009 edition. A VR number with no edition attached is not a specification. Always ask which edition.

The AK round is not on the B scale at all

EN 1063 tests .22 LR, 9mm, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, 5.56 × 45mm and 7.62 × 51mm. It does not test 7.62 × 39mm at any class.

That round is the AK-47 and AKM cartridge. It is the most widely distributed rifle round on earth and in much of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe it is the rifle threat that actually exists. The B scale has nothing to say about it.

VPAM does. VR6 is specifically the 7.62 × 39mm mild steel core round. Note where it sits: VPAM rates the AK round at VR6 and the 5.56 SS109 at VR7, which means VPAM considers the 5.56 round the harder of the two to stop, largely because of its velocity. That ordering surprises people who assume the bigger-sounding number is the bigger threat.

What to do with this. If AK-pattern rifles are a credible part of your threat profile, do not accept a B rating as the answer. Ask for a VPAM VR6 certificate and ask which edition. Any supplier that responds by telling you B5 or B6 “covers it anyway” is guessing, and you should treat the rest of their claims accordingly.

This is one reason Armored Collective states its fleet as B4 to B5 under EN 1063 and says explicitly what that does and does not include, rather than implying broader coverage.

Nivel III to VII, and why the numbers mislead

Mexico is one of the largest armored vehicle markets in the world and it uses its own commercial nomenclature, usually written Nivel III through Nivel VII.

It is a commercial scale, not a regulatory standard. The numbers vary between armorers and it references NIJ, VPAM and CEN inconsistently. It should not be confused with the NIJ body armor scale, where IV is the maximum.

Roughly, and with the caveat that individual armorers differ:

• Nivel III protects against handgun threats including 9mm and .44 Magnum. It corresponds approximately to B4 under EN 1063, and it is by a wide margin the most common level in Mexico, accounting for the large majority of armored vehicles in the country.
• Nivel IV is where rifle protection begins, covering intermediate rifle rounds including AK and AR-pattern threats.
• Nivel V and above move up to full-power rifle rounds including 7.62 × 51mm.

The trap. Mexican Nivel III is a handgun level. NIJ Level III stops 7.62 × 51mm and .223 Remington, which is a rifle level. Same numeral, entirely different threat. If you are comparing a Mexican quote against an American one using Roman numerals, you are probably not comparing the same thing.

Every level up is paid for in weight

Armor is not free protection. It is a trade against mass, and mass affects acceleration, braking, tire wear, suspension life and fuel consumption permanently.

Published figures vary considerably between armorers and platforms, which is itself worth knowing. A representative range:

One documented single-platform comparison is useful because it removes the variation between manufacturers: the Rezvani Vengeance is listed at 6,200 lb standard, 7,010 lb with B4 armor, and 8,200 lb with B6+ armor. That is roughly 800 lb for B4 and roughly 2,000 lb for B6+ on the same vehicle.

Ballistic glass thickness rises with it. B4 glazing is commonly around 22 mm; B6 glazing is commonly around 38 to 41 mm and can reach 52 mm or more in some configurations. Armored doors alone can add 150 to 300 lb each.

The consequences, which suppliers discuss less:

Stock suspension springs are calibrated to maintain around three to four inches of travel at normal curb weight with a safety factor of roughly 1.3 to 1.5. Armor weight frequently exceeds that margin, which is why a properly built armored vehicle needs reinforced springs, revised damping and brake recalibration rather than just panels. A vehicle that has been armored without those upgrades will bottom out, transmit shock loads into the frame and wear components at a rate the manufacturer never intended.

Fuel consumption rises broadly in line with weight, with figures around an 8 to 15 percent reduction in efficiency per 10 percent weight increase commonly cited.

Braking distance increases. This is the one that matters operationally. In an evasive situation, a heavier vehicle takes longer to stop and behaves differently under load transfer. Armor bought beyond your actual threat can reduce your ability to avoid the incident in the first place.

How to choose an armor level

The correct level is the lowest one that covers the threat you actually face. Every level above that is paid for in weight, in performance and in cost, permanently.

Start with the threat, not the catalogue. What is the realistic scenario? Opportunistic crime and carjacking is a handgun problem. Targeted kidnapping is usually a handgun problem. Organised ambush with long guns is a rifle problem. These are different questions and they have different answers.

B3 and below are rarely specified for vehicles. Most vehicle armoring starts at B4, and a B3 vehicle offering is unusual enough to be worth querying.

B4 is the most common civilian level worldwide. It defeats handgun threats up to .44 Remington Magnum and covers the large majority of realistic civilian scenarios. It is the right answer more often than the market admits.

B5 adds intermediate rifle protection against 5.56 × 45mm. It is a meaningful step up in capability and in weight. It does not carry a tested rating against 7.62 × 39mm.

B6 is tested against 7.62 × 51mm NATO and is the level most commonly specified where organised long-gun threats are credible. It typically adds well over a thousand pounds and changes the vehicle’s dynamics permanently.

B7 is armor piercing rifle protection and is a military-context specification. If you are considering it on commercial advice rather than on a written threat assessment, ask who produced the assessment.

The question that clarifies everything: ask your supplier what the vehicle does NOT protect against. An honest answer identifies specific rounds. An evasive answer tells you what you need to know about the supplier.

How to check that a vehicle is what it says it is

A letter on its own tells you nothing. Five questions separate a real specification from a sales claim.

1. Which standard, and which edition?
   EN 1063, VPAM APR, VPAM BRV or NIJ, and for VPAM the edition year. VR7 under BRV 1999 is not VR7 under BRV 2009.
2. Was the complete vehicle tested, or only components?
   EN 1063 rates glazing. VPAM BRV rates assembled vehicles. If the certificate is EN 1063 only, the joints, overlaps and door gaps have not been independently evaluated as a system.
3. Does the certificate cover this specific unit or the fleet in general?
   A fleet-level document says the armorer is capable of building to that level. A unit-level certificate says this car was built to it. Ask for the second.
4. Which components were tested?
   Glazing, opaque armor, pillars, roof, floor and battery compartment are not necessarily all at the same level in a given build. Partial armoring is common and it is not always disclosed.
5. What is the vehicle’s armored curb weight, and what suspension and brake work was done?
   If the answer to the second half is “none”, the first half is a problem rather than a specification.

Armored Collective supplies the armoring certificate for the specific unit assigned to a booking, not a generic fleet document.

Mistakes that appear on armoring company websites

These are not hypothetical. All of these appear in currently published industry material, which is a reasonable argument for checking any specification against the standard rather than against a supplier’s summary.