Your Total Guide To motoring

Important things to remember when towing

There are loads of reasons you might need to tow something. Perhaps you’re heading off on holiday with a caravan. Maybe you’re of the equestrian persuasion and need to tow a horsebox for your hoofed friends. Or maybe you just want to take a trailer full of rubbish to the tip.

Whatever your needs it’s really important to know the laws around towing as well as important procedures in order to keep everybody on the road safe.

Of course, the first thing you’ll need to tow anything is a car equipped with a tow bar. If you don’t have that, why not start looking at some used cars for sale – consider the size of what you’re towing and you might decide to buy something accordingly beefy to tow it with. You can check your car’s towing capacity easily online.

What does Towing Capacity Mean?

Every car that’s rated to tow has a maximum weight they can tow safely and legally. There are several weights to consider.

First, make sure what you’re towing does not exceed the trailer’s maximum authorised mass (MAM) or the car’s maximum towing capacity.

Towing capacity is easy to find in your car’s owner’s manual or by contacting the manufacturer, and two weights will be given – a braked trailer weight and an unbraked one.

Trailers over 750kg or more than half the car’s kerb weight (also listed in the manual) must be braked.

Remember that maximum towing weight must also include the weight of the trailer itself, with what you’re carrying inside it known as the payload.

You can buy towing scales or visit a weighbridge to see if you’re overloading your trailer, and to make sure you’re spreading your payload evenly to avoid overloading a specific tyre.

How do I find the towing weight of my car?

Either look in the owner’s manual, contact the manufacturer, or look on the VIN plate – usually located in the driver or passenger door frames.

There will be four weights on there – the gross vehicle weight, or MAM, the gross train weight (the maximum amount that the car and trailer can weigh combined), and the maximum axle loads for the front and rear.

To calculate your car’s towing capacity, subtract the first figure – the MAM – from the second – the gross train weight.

Can I tow a trailer on my licence?

Yes – every full car licence allows for towing trailers.

If you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997

- You’re allowed to tow a trailer up to 3,500 MAM

- You’re allowed to drive a car or van that weighs up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM

If you passed your test before 1 January 1997

- You’re usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM

- You’re also allowed to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM

You can check what licence you hold on the DVLA website.

Do I need training before I tow?

Driver training is not a legal requirement but it is recommended – and it becomes more useful the larger your trailer is.

Towing a tiny camping trailer probably won’t affect the way your car drives very much, but if you want to tow a car transporter, big dual-axle caravan or a horsebox you’ll need to be prepared for your vehicle to behave very differently.

That’s before you even get to reversing! For this reason we’d recommend doing a driver training course – numerous companies offer this.

Important things to remember when towing

- The maximum speed limit when towing is 60mph on motorways and dual carriageways and 50mph on single carriageways

- The trailer should not be wider than 2.55m or longer than 7m

- If the trailer is wider than your car you must fit towing mirrors

- Towbars must be approved for use with a specific car and meet EU regulations

- You must display the same number plate on your trailer as your towing car

- You can be fined up to £2,500 and have three points on your licence if you are deemed to be driving or towing dangerously