A guide to towing

Buying your first caravan is an exciting time but as well as planning your future adventures and buying your new accessories, you need to learn the important rules around towing a caravan and you also need to be able to competently tow. 

For people who are experienced in towing trailers or driving larger vehicles, towing a caravan might not be a difficult transition but if you are not used to driving anything other than a car, you should be prepared to find it quite challenging. Before you even think about booking your caravan pitch, you need to understand the laws around towing so that you can safely and legally drive to your destination.

In this guide we explain the most important aspects of towing for beginners:

Driving licence requirements 

Before you tow a trailer or caravan, you must check that your driver’s licence permits you to do so. If your licence was issued before the end of 1996, you should be entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg. This is known as the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass).

If your licence was issued after January 1997, you can only tow a car and caravan combination of up to 3,500 kg. If you wanted to tow a combined weight heavier than this, you will need to take an additional driving test for B+E classification. You should check the back of your driver’s licence to confirm which classification you are permitted to drive.

Other requirements 

Tow bars - Tow bars must be Type Approved to meet EU regulations.

Towing mirrors – You are legally required to have an adequate view of the road behind you, so when you are towing a caravan, you must fit towing mirrors, so you have a clear view behind you.

Lighting and plates – You must display the number plate of your vehicle on the back of the caravan. This must conform to the British Standard and must illuminate at night. You also must have a working light panel that is visible. 

Your vehicle – Before you buy a caravan, you should check that the vehicle you are using to tow the caravan is suitable. The towing capacities vary greatly, so check in your owner’s manual what the maximum towing weight is for your car. You may need to change your car or borrow or hire a car if your car is not suitable for towing a caravan. 4x4 vehicles are usually the best for towing caravans.

Tips for driving while towing 

Driving while towing a caravan will need some practice, so before you go on your first adventure, try to get in some driving practice on an empty car park and less busy roads. Taking your caravan out for practice runs will help you to get used to the additional size and weight. 

The legal speed when towing is 60 mph on dual carriageways and 50mph on single carriageways, so make sure you do not break the limits. 

Snaking is quite common when you are towing a caravan, this is where the caravan starts to swing slightly from side to side instead of staying in a completely straight line. The best way to correct this before it gets worse is to take your foot off the accelerator to gradually lower your speed and firmly grip the steering wheel so your vehicle continues in a straight line. The worst thing to do is to try and steer out of snaking or braking, as it will usually make it worse and can be very dangerous.

You can take caravan towing driving lessons if you are worried about getting used to towing and an instructor will help you to get ready for your journeys. You might want to start by planning trips that are closer to home until you get more used to towing your caravan and make sure that you have the right breakdown cover in case you do ever need it. 

It is a good idea to carefully plan out your journey, looking for any roads that might be narrow or have tight bridges, for example, so you can avoid them.

Getting your towbar 

Your towbar must be the right one for your make and model of vehicle, so shop at the UK’s largest towbar supplier, PF Jones, to ensure you have the correct towbar. You can also use our professional fitting service, to give you more confidence when you are towing.

Get an instant towbar quote here.