Towing rules
It used to be the case that once you had passed your car test (cat B), you could legally tow a trailer (cat E). Drivers who passed their car test before 1st January 1997 still have this entitlement - under something called "Grandfather rights." People who passed their (cat B) car test on or after 1st January 1997 are required to pass a separate test to gain full (cat E) trailer entitlement on their licence. There are some exceptions to this rule and these drivers can legally tow a trailer providing certain conditions are met. In brief:
Whilst this means you can tow a small trailer to take garden rubbish to the tip, this doesn't allow you to tow something like a horsebox! However, there is another exception where all three rules must be met:
- Rule 1: The maximum possible weights of both the towing vehicle and trailer combined must not exceed 3500kg and
- Rule 2: The maximum "plated" weight of the trailer must not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle and
- Rule 3: The actual weight of the trailer must not exceed the vehicle manufacturers towing limit.
For further clarification of these rules and the trailer test click HERE to visit DirectGov.
Great news
We have deliberately designed our trailer to satisfy the above rules when towed with a wide variety of family vehicles.
- We will fit an individually tailored primary plate to trailers allowing cat B only customers to maximise towing ability with their vehicle.
- When changing towing vehicle, at your request, we will re-plate the trailer accordingly.
- We also intend to fit a secondary plate which will allow fully licenced drivers to use the trailer at its full capacity.
AS WITH ANY VEHICLE IT REMAINS THE DRIVERS RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THEY ARE, AND REMAIN LEGAL.