Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:- drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
- tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
Source:
Towing with a car
Towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with a car, including the weight and size limits, and what licence you need to have
I’ve no idea on the weight of a caravan, so you might end up needing to do your B+E
Looking at that, as long as the caravan is under 750kg, the OP should be ok. Or have I mis-interpreted the rules?Licences issued from 1 January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 you can:
MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded.
- drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
- tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
Source:Towing with a car
Towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with a car, including the weight and size limits, and what licence you need to havewww.gov.uk
I’ve no idea on the weight of a caravan, so you might end up needing to do your B+E
I agree with @dubber36, it's unlikely that your caravan weighs less than 750KG and if it's over that limit your licence doesn't allow you to tow it, which would leave you uninsured too because an insurance policy will almost certainly contain an expression similar to, "providing that the driver holds a licence authorising them to drive that class of vehicle".
I spent too long looking and researching this and arrived at exactly same understanding a few years ago. I am fine with xtrail and caravan but not van and caravan! I'm only 1 year too young! Madness!
@ChrisBell Are you saying you've been towing over 750kg with your Xtrail?
If you don't have B+E, your maximum train weight can be 3500kg, but the trailer can still be no more than 750kg.
If you don't have B+E, your maximum train weight can be 3500kg, but the trailer can still be no more than 750kg.
- tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
2050kg which is more than I thought, will check in daylight! Very close.... When things open backup planning on doing trailer test as well!
“Agricultural use” always had exceptions (aka a blind eye) which has always been bonkers!!!
I stand corrected on the train weight thing. My lad had just passed his car test so we are looking into what he needs to add to his licence.
I drove tractors towing trailers loaded with who knows how much weight when I was 16/17. Looking back that could have ended in a proper mess. At least now, you are limited to a tractor no wider than around 8 foot without having passsed a tractor test. I can only imagine the carnage my 16 year old self could have caused with a Fast Track under my right foot.
I drove tractors towing trailers loaded with who knows how much weight when I was 16/17. Looking back that could have ended in a proper mess. At least now, you are limited to a tractor no wider than around 8 foot without having passsed a tractor test. I can only imagine the carnage my 16 year old self could have caused with a Fast Track under my right foot.
The law on agricultural vehicles has always been very "generous", for example, who else can legally tow a trailer and the registration plate on the trailer does not have to match the one on the tractor as long as it relates to a vehicle you own? Who else buys their diesel duty free?
Obviously all legislation had to be passed through the House of Lords, who were generally big landowners / farmers back in the day, so they would always ensure it favoured them!
