What is the permissible payload?

“Permissible payload” means how much weight you are allowed to add as cargo and occupants on top of the empty vehicle. That’s why both answers 1 and 2 are correct.

Answer 2 gives the rule-of-thumb calculation: permissible payload = permissible gross mass (allowed total weight of the vehicle when fully loaded) minus unladen mass (the vehicle’s empty weight in ready-to-drive condition). What’s left is the maximum weight you may load.

Answer 1 is also correct because it describes the same idea in words: it’s the maximum permissible load you may carry.

Answer 3 (“permissible gross mass”) is not the payload; it already includes the vehicle itself plus everything in it. A typical mistake is to confuse the allowed total weight with the allowed added load.

For similar questions: if it asks for payload, think “how much can I add?” and use total allowed weight minus empty weight.