How to Tow a Caravan with Confidence

Towing a caravan that’s too heavy for your car is not only illegal, it is also extremely dangerous! There are legal restrictions in place to ensure that car and caravan are safely matched however, just because limits exist doesn't mean you have to test them.

It's perfectly sensible to take into account your level of experience and confidence when buying a caravan to ensure you fall within a car to caravan weight ratio you feel most comfortable with, thereby making the experience of towing your outfit more enjoyable.

Towing a Caravan with the appropriate preparation should be relatively straightforward however, for many beginners the thought of hooking a caravan onto the back of the car and hitting the motorway can be a nerve racking proposition. It's important to recognise that even the most experienced of caravanner's at one time would have been in a similar starting position.

My personal motto is, if something you're about to do gives you butterflies, it's probably worth doing!

Towing a caravan confidently is something most people can feel comfortable doing with just a little practise. However, if the thought of towing a caravan is putting you off buying altogether, then why not sign up to a local towing and manoeuvring course to gain some off-road experience. The Caravan Club also offer Caravan and Motorhome driving courses to get you on the road confidently.

Let me also take this opportunity to say, at Homestead Caravans you are always welcome to take the caravan you are interested in out for a test drive, in order to get a feel for it – now you can't say fairer than that can you?

READ MORE: Essential Towing Equipment Guide

Check Driving License Rules before Towing a Caravan

The first thing you need to do before getting behind the wheel, is dust off your driving license and check that it covers you to tow a caravan. It almost goes without saying that if you are not in possession of a suitably qualified driving license, any vehicle or injury insurance cover you have is likely to be invalid!

The rules on what you can tow are different depending on when you passed your driving test. The following is correct as of 04/01/2016:

Licences issued from 19 January 2013

From 19 January 2013, drivers passing a category B (car and small vehicle) test can tow:

• small trailers weighing no more than 750kg
• a trailer over 750kg as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg (3.5 tonnes) Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)

If you want to tow a trailer weighing more than 750kg, when the combined weight of the towing vehicle and trailer is more than 3,500kg, you’ll have to pass a further test and get B+E entitlement on your licence.

You’ll then be able to tow trailers up to 3,500kg.

Licences held from 1 January 1997

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

• drive a vehicle up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
• tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

For anything heavier you need to take a category B+E driving test.

Licences held before 1 January 1997

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you’re generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg MAM.

This is the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.

You also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM.

You can book the car and trailer (B+E) test in the same way as the standard practical test but will take it at an LGV test centre rather than a normal driving test centre.

Establishing Correct Weights – Key Acronyms

Unladen Weight:
The weight of a vehicle when not carrying a load and excluding fuel or batteries is called the unladen weight.

Mass in Running Order (MIRO):
The weight of a caravan ready for the road, without personal effects is called the Mass in Running Order (MIRO). Changes to how this is calculated took place in 2010, so depending when your chosen caravan was built will depend which rules apply.

Kerbweight:
The Mass in Running Order (MIRO) of a car is called the Kerbweight. You will need to look in your handbook for what the manufacturer includes in their kerbweight calculations.

Mass in Service:
The mass in service is the Mass in Running Order (MIRO), or kerbweight including a 75kg driver, of a car as it left the factory. You can find this information in the car’s Vehicle Registration information.

User Payload:
The weight of extras that can be carried in or on the caravan is called the user payload.

Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), and Maximum Gross Weight (MGM):
The maximum a vehicle is allowed to weigh when it is fully loaded is called the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) or Maximum Gross Weight (MGM).

Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM):
Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) is the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of a caravan.

Gross Train Weight (GTW):
The Gross Train Weight or GTW is the weight of the fully-loaded car plus fully-loaded trailer and must not be exceeded. GTW may be listed on the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate on the car. This is normally under the bonnet or inside the driver’s door.

Towing Limit:
The Towing Limit is the maximum weight a vehicle is designed to tow up a 12 per cent hill (1 in 8).

Actual Weight:
The weight of the caravan loaded as you tow it on the road is called the actual weight. This must not exceed the MTPLM or MAM.

Noseweight:
The downward force the caravan puts on the towball of the towing vehicle is called the noseweight. The optimum noseweight is generally 7% of the caravan’s laden weight. Before buying it is important to check this isn’t in excess of your car manufacturer’s stated limit.

Finding the Perfect Tow Car and Caravan Combination

If you need time to build your confidence having a heavy and powerful tow car is definitely an advantage and ultimately will allow you to tow a heavier caravan with greater ease.

The disadvantage of owning a heavy, powerful car is that they are also some of the most expensive to own and run. In recent years the rising costs of fuel and environmental awareness has lead to a demand for cars with a smaller engine size and reduced weight, at a time when the average touring caravan has increased in weight. This means finding an ideal weight ratio between tow car and caravan now requires a little more thought.

There is some confusion on the matter of the allowable weight of caravan your car can legally tow. As a rule of thumb, you should not tow anything that is heavier that the car that’s towing it; this is referred to as the 'Kerb Weight' of the vehicle.

The Caravan Club and other big hitters in the industry recommend you tow no more than 85% of your kerb weight. However, this recommendation was first put forward over 40 years ago! It is impossible to ignore the fact that modern motor cars have improved significantly in every respect, where technology has driven higher safety standards, with far superior electronic braking, stabilisation and suspension systems etc.. Consequently, it is quite in order to tow 100% of your cars Kerb Weight given just the right circumstances, how experienced and confident you are will undoubtedly shape the course of the decision.

It is important to add the following caveat; our sales environment demands face-to-face interacts with potential buyers. We make good use of the time we spend with clients by accurately qualifying how much weight can be safely towed, on a case-by-case basis. Rest assured Homestead Caravans would never sell you a caravan that you shouldn’t be towing or that you don't feel comfortable with!

Despite the aforementioned, there are a few exceptions that limit how much weight a car may tow for example; some car manufacturers produce models that have a maximum towing weight that is lower than the Kerb Weight. This often applies to the smaller type people carriers, and some of the new breed of duel fuel cars. Of course if this is the case you must adhere to it, in order to keep yourself within the law and the terms of your car insurance.

A motor cars maximum towing weight is now usually printed in the manufacturers handbook or specification sheet, or on the V5c document. If you are at all unsure we welcome you to visit our sales office, where we will boot up the computer and run your tow car through “Towsafe”. Towsafe is a tow car matching software program that's a dab hand at matching caravan/s to the proposed tow vehicle, for the purpose of establishing a safe and legal outfit.

Warning: You must not tow anything that exceeds the kerb Weight of the vehicle, even if the maximum towing weight shown is more.

How NOT TO Tow a Caravan (funny caravan fail worth watching despite low quality)

On the Road – Best Practices

Once you are up and running you will soon see that you just need to give yourself more time and space for everything. It’s a good idea to brake earlier that usual and it's likely you will find that acceleration may be slightly inhibited with a caravan on the back.

Take corners more widely in order to allow for the extra length of the outfit otherwise you could be cutting a corner or clipping the kerb. A colleague once told me a story about a chap who was about to pull into the road after collecting his brand new twin axle caravan from a dealer in the Northwest. As he pulled onto the road he side swiped the concrete post securing the main gates. This was because he turned much too soon, which unfortunately lead to the side wall of the new caravan being scrapped from front to back. The post lived to tell the tale but the caravan had to go straight into the workshop for a major panel replacement – ouch!

Speed limits are often lower while towing, generally 50mph on single carriageways or 60mph on duel carriageways and motorways. On three lane motorways it is also illegal to use the outside lane.

Carrying passengers in the caravan while towing is a big NO NO, although having your dog in there isn’t!!

The number plate on the caravan must be the same as the towing vehicle, and conform to the relevant standards; you can’t get away with the number written in pen on a bit of cardboard!

Always check that all your rear caravan lights are working as they should. Tow cars should have a built in audible indicator that sounds when indicating left or right to confirm that you are still connected, but if you are not sure its always the best option to pull over and check.

Being considerate to other road users is always most important, you never know, you may have Jeremy Clarkson behind you! If you notice a bit of a traffic jam building up behind you, pull over in a lay-by or other suitable place and allow the traffic to pass by.

Park considerably, where you won’t cause an obstruction. Caravans must not be parked in parking meter bays, and don’t forget to use the designated areas at motorway services, usually this in the HGV area.

In short don’t give caravanner's a bad name!