Guide
What can I tow with a car licence? The rules after the change
Updated
This is the area where out-of-date pages do the most damage. The old advice, that you must pass a B+E test to tow anything substantial, is no longer what gov.uk says.
What gov.uk says now
For licences issued from 1 January 1997: "You can tow a trailer that weighs up to 3,500kg MAM. This is known as a 'category BE' vehicle." gov.uk adds that if BE is not printed on your physical licence, "DVLA will add this the next time you renew your licence" (gov.uk, towing with a car). There is no separate car and trailer driving test to pass first.
The licence categories page carries the ceiling that the towing page does not spell out: with a category B vehicle "you can tow a trailer with a MAM up to 3,500kg. The combined MAM of the vehicle and trailer must not exceed 7,000kg" (gov.uk). Both numbers have to be satisfied, and it is the combined figure that stops most large twin-axle caravans behind a heavy tow car.
If you passed before 1 January 1997
gov.uk: "You can usually drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg MAM", and you are also allowed to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg. The word doing the work there is usually, which is why gov.uk puts a link to view your driving licence information immediately after it.
Licence entitlement is not the whole check
- The tow vehicle's own limits. The manufacturer's maximum towing mass and noseweight are on the vehicle plate and in the handbook. A licence that permits the combination does not make the vehicle capable of it.
- The trailer's plated MAM, not what you believe you have loaded into it.
- Speed limits and width. gov.uk publishes towing weight and width limits separately from the licence rules.
- Training is still worth it. gov.uk lists trailer training routes including the National Register of LGV Instructors, the Safe Towing Scheme and Skills for Logistics, and tells you to check the type of training and the cost with the provider.
Going heavier
To tow combinations above what your licence allows, gov.uk's route is to apply for a provisional licence for a medium-sized lorry and trailer (category C1E), pass the lorry theory test, then pass the C1E driving test. "Once you've done this you can drive vehicles and trailers with a combined weight of up to 12,000kg MAM" (gov.uk). Extra Driver CPC tests apply if driving the medium-sized lorry is the main part of your job.
Add the two plated MAM figures together before you read anyone's opinion, then run them through the checker. The combined figure is what decides it.