Don’t get caught short this summer holiday. Ensure that you are legally entitled to tow your caravan.
With the UK tourism industry expecting a bumper year, the DVLA is reminding motorists to make sure they do not break the rules when towing a caravan for their holiday.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/motorists-urged-to-check-rules-on-towing-before-summer-holidays
As “staycations” become more popular, potentially there are hundreds of motorists that do not have the correct licence entitlement to tow their caravan.
Check our handy quide to see if you have the correct entitlement, or you need to obtain this before you next tow your caravan.
According to the DVLA: https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car
Licences issues from the 1st January 1997
If you passed your car driving test on or after January 1997 you can:
Drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorise mass (MAM) and tow a trailer of up to 750kg MAM.
Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as along as the combined MAM of the trailer and the vehicle towing does not exceed 3500kg
MAM is the limit on how much the vehicle can weigh when it’s loaded.
Should you wish to tow anything heavier you will need to take a car and trailer test (B+E)
Licences issued before 1 January 1997
If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997, you’re usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM. View your driving licence information to check.
You’re also allowed to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.
If you are still unsure there is a handy tool on Gov.uk’s website which will show you if your current licence is suitable to tow using a car.
https://www.gov.uk/towing-rules
How we can help?
2 Start Training can help, if you find that you don’t have the right licence to tow a caravan using your vehicle.
Should you need to upgrade your licence to a B+E in order to be able to legally tow a caravan then take a look at the courses we have on offer here:
Caravan Training or our Car & Trailer Training courses.
We use brand new Debon trailers and Toyota Hilux vehicles to train our students. Our Portsmouth depot has its own DVSA approved test centre. You can train and take your test in the same place.
We offer a range of courses from complete beginner to those who already have experience with towing using a car. Students will be taught the manoeuvres and valuable on the road driving experience, so that they can confidently and safely pass the licence test.
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