Towing a trailer with a car

People tow trailers for garden waste, house moves, bikes and small boats. Before the first trip, a driver needs to know what their licence covers and what the trailer needs fitted.

What a car licence lets you tow

The rules in this section are GOV.UK's, for licences issued by DVLA. In Northern Ireland the rules are different, and the nidirect website sets them out.

GOV.UK says the weight you can tow on a car licence depends on when you got the licence. The weight that counts is the "maximum authorised mass" (MAM) of both the vehicle and the trailer. GOV.UK says the MAM is listed in the owner's manual, and is normally shown on a plate or sticker fitted to the vehicle or trailer.

If you got your licence before 1 January 1997, GOV.UK says you can usually drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg MAM.

If you got your licence from 1 January 1997, GOV.UK says you can tow a trailer of up to 3,500kg MAM, which it calls a category BE vehicle. If BE is missing from your physical licence, GOV.UK says DVLA will add it the next time you renew.

To tow a heavier combination than your licence allows, GOV.UK says you need to:

  1. apply for a provisional licence for a medium-sized lorry and trailer (category C1+E)
  2. pass the lorry theory test
  3. pass the C1+E driving test

GOV.UK says a driver also needs to take extra Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) tests if driving the medium-sized lorry is the main part of their work.

A car's towing limit

GOV.UK says most cars have a maximum weight they can tow, usually listed in the handbook or specification sheet. The car's "gross train weight" may also be on its vehicle identification number (VIN) plate, normally under the bonnet or inside the driver's door.

GOV.UK says the gross train weight is the weight of the fully loaded car plus the fully loaded trailer, and that it must not be exceeded. If the VIN plate lists no train weight, GOV.UK says the car should not be used for towing.

For a trailer with no brakes, GOV.UK says the loaded trailer must not weigh over 750kg, and should not weigh more than 50% of the car's weight. For a trailer with brakes, the car and the loaded trailer together must not weigh over the second weight shown on the car manufacturer's plate.

Brakes, lights and other equipment

GOV.UK says a trailer must have a working brake system if it weighs over 750kg when loaded. Brakes on a smaller trailer are optional, and GOV.UK says any brakes must be in good working order.

GOV.UK says you must use a breakaway cable or a secondary coupling. That cable or coupling engages the trailer's brakes, if it has them, or stops the trailer if it comes away from the car.

GOV.UK says you must display the same number plate on the trailer as on the car towing it. It says you must have an adequate view of the road behind you. GOV.UK says to fit suitable towing mirrors if the trailer is wider than the back of the car.

GOV.UK says a tow bar for a car needs to be type approved, which means it meets EU regulations and is designed for that car. A car first used before 1 August 1998 does not need a type-approved tow bar, GOV.UK says.

GOV.UK's safety checks before you tow include checking that the trailer's lights are undamaged and all working, and that the 7 or 13 core cable and plug are undamaged.

GOV.UK says the widest trailer any vehicle can tow is 2.55 metres. Where the towing vehicle's MAM is 3,500kg or less, the trailer can be no longer than 7 metres. GOV.UK says that length leaves out the A-frame, the frame that connects the car to the trailer.

On the road

GOV.UK's speed limit table gives a car towing a trailer a limit of 50mph on a single carriageway, and 60mph on a dual carriageway or a motorway. GOV.UK says you must not drive in the right-hand lane of a motorway with 3 or more lanes.

If the trailer starts to snake or swerve, GOV.UK says to ease off the accelerator and reduce your speed gently. GOV.UK says that is a sign you are going too fast, or the trailer is loaded incorrectly.

Choosing a trailer

A buyer can start from the car, with the towing limit in its handbook and the train weight on its VIN plate. The trailer's own MAM is normally on a plate or sticker fitted to it. A trailer that will weigh over 750kg when loaded needs working brakes.

GOV.UK says you can get a free safety check for a trailer up to 3,500kg through the National Trailer and Towing Association's free safety checks scheme. It also says you can get training on how to tow a trailer safely.

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