Caravan Towing Calculator
Can your car tow that caravan, and can you, on your licence? Enter the weights from your handbook and the caravan plate. You get five checks in one go: towing limit, gross train weight, the 85% match, noseweight and licence.
This tool gives guidance only. Always confirm figures against your car's handbook, VIN plate and the caravan's weight plate. Licence rules are from GOV.UK. Check your own entitlement with the DVLA View driving licence service.
Guidance only, based on your inputs, GOV.UK licence rules and the Caravan and Motorhome Club's matching advice. The car maker's towing limit and gross train weight are legal limits. The 85% match is advice. Kerb weights in many handbooks include a 75kg driver, so check which figure you are using.
Legal Is Not the Same as Sensible
Most towing mistakes are not illegal. They are just badly matched.
Your car might be rated to tow 2,000kg. Hook a 1,900kg caravan behind a 1,600kg car and you are within the law. You are also towing a caravan heavier than the car, and every crosswind and passing lorry will push it around.
That is why the checker splits its answer in two:
- Legal limits. The car maker's towing limit, the gross train weight and your licence. Break any of these and you are breaking the law, and your insurance may not pay out.
- Good practice. The 85% match and noseweight. These decide how stable the outfit feels at 60mph on a wet dual carriageway.
Where to Find Each Weight
| Figure | What it means | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Kerb weight | The car's weight ready to drive, with fuel | Handbook or manufacturer spec sheet |
| Max towing weight | The heaviest braked trailer the car is approved to tow | Handbook or spec sheet |
| Gross vehicle weight (MAM) | The most the car may weigh, fully loaded | VIN plate or handbook |
| Gross train weight | Loaded car plus loaded caravan, combined | VIN plate, under the bonnet or inside the driver's door |
| MTPLM | The most the caravan may weigh, fully loaded | Caravan weight plate, usually by the door, or the handbook |
| Actual laden weight | What your caravan weighs, loaded for a trip | A public weighbridge |
No train weight on the VIN plate? Then the car is not approved for towing. Stop there.
Licence Rules in Plain English
- Passed on or after 1 January 1997. You can tow a caravan up to 3,500kg MAM. That covers almost every touring caravan on sale. If BE is missing from your card, DVLA adds it at your next renewal.
- Passed before 1 January 1997. You can usually drive a car and caravan with a combined MAM of up to 8,250kg.
- Heavier than that. You need a C1+E licence, which covers combinations up to 12,000kg MAM. That means a lorry theory test and a C1+E driving test.
Licence rules use the caravan's MTPLM, not what it weighs on the day. Load it light and your licence limit stays the same.
Before Your First Tow
- Speed. 50mph on single carriageways, 60mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Built-up areas are 30mph, or 20mph in Wales, unless signs say otherwise.
- Size. Caravans can be up to 2.55 metres wide. Behind a car with a MAM of 3,500kg or less, the caravan can be up to 7 metres long, not counting the A-frame.
- Mirrors. You must be able to see down both sides of the outfit. That almost always means extension mirrors.
- Noseweight. Check it with a gauge every trip. Load heavy items low and over the axle.
- Weighbridge. Weigh the loaded caravan once. Most owners are surprised by the result.
For Caravan Dealers
A badly matched outfit becomes a complaint on the first windy motorway. Run this check with buyers before handover, or link to it from your stock pages so they arrive with the answer. It takes two minutes and shows you care about more than the sale.
More Ownership Tools
Caravan Towing FAQs
Can I tow a caravan on my car licence?
If you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997, you can tow a trailer or caravan up to 3,500kg MAM. This is category BE, and DVLA adds it at your next renewal if it is missing from your card. If you passed before 1 January 1997, you can usually drive a car and trailer with a combined MAM of up to 8,250kg.
What is the 85% rule for towing a caravan?
It is a guideline, not a law. The Caravan and Motorhome Club advises keeping the caravan's actual laden weight to around 85% of the car's kerb weight, and never above the car maker's towing limit. The closer the caravan gets to the weight of the car, the more care and experience the driver needs.
Where do I find my car's towing limit?
Look in the owner's handbook or the manufacturer's specification sheet. The gross train weight is usually on the VIN plate, under the bonnet or inside the driver's door. If the plate shows no train weight, the car is not approved for towing.
What is gross train weight?
It is the most the fully loaded car and the fully loaded caravan may weigh together. It is a legal limit and must not be exceeded, even if the caravan is within the car's towing limit on its own.
What noseweight should my caravan have?
The Caravan and Motorhome Club recommends 5 to 7% of the caravan's actual laden weight, usually between 50 and 90kg. Never go above the lower of the car's and the caravan's maximum noseweight. Check it with a noseweight gauge before every trip.
Should I use MTPLM or actual laden weight?
Licence rules use MAM, which for a caravan is its MTPLM. The 85% guideline and noseweight use the actual laden weight, which is what the caravan weighs once loaded for a trip. If you do not know it, use the MTPLM. It is the safest assumption.
How fast can I drive when towing a caravan?
The national limits for a car towing a caravan are 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Built-up areas are 30mph in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and 20mph in Wales, unless signs say otherwise.
Do I need towing mirrors?
Almost certainly. The law requires an adequate view down both sides of the outfit, and very few car and caravan combinations give you that without extension mirrors.