The introduction of automated vehicles demands a way to prove their safe operation. However, validating the safety of automated vehicles is still an unsolved problem. While the scenario-based test approach seems to provide a possible solution, it requires the execution of a high amount of test cases. Several test benches, from actual test vehicles to partly or fully simulated environments, are available, but choosing the optimal test bench, e.g. in terms of required execution time and costs, is a difficult task. Every test bench provides different elements, e.g. simulation models which can be used for test case execution. The composition of elements at a specific test bench is called test bench configuration. This test bench configuration determines the actual performance of a test bench and, therefore, whether the run of a particular test case provides valid test case results with respect to the intended purpose, e.g. a safety validation. For an effective and efficient test case execution, a method is required to assign test cases to the most appropriate test bench configuration. Therefore, it is indispensable to have a method to classify test bench configurations in a clear and reproducible manner. In this paper, we propose a method for classifying test benches and test bench configurations and illustrate the classification method with some examples. The classification method serves as a basis for a systematic assignment of test cases to test bench configurations which allows for an effective and efficient test case execution.