Guide
Towing licence rules 2026: what your driving licence lets you tow
Updated
One rule change in December 2021 rewrote what most drivers can tow. Here's where every licence generation now stands.
The 2021 change, in one line
From 16 December 2021, anyone with a full category B (car) licence can tow a trailer up to 3,500kg MAM, and the old car-and-trailer (B+E) test was scrapped (gov.uk/towing-with-car). DVLA adds the BE category to your photocard automatically when the licence is next renewed; the entitlement applies even before the paperwork catches up.
What each licence generation can tow
| When you passed your car test | You can tow |
|---|---|
| Before 1 January 1997 | Vehicle and trailer combinations up to 8,250kg MAM, plus a minibus with a trailer over 750kg |
| 1 January 1997 onwards | Trailers up to 3,500kg MAM (since 16 December 2021) |
| Provisional B only | Restricted: supervised driving with L plates; confirm current provisional towing entitlements on gov.uk before towing |
The licence is only gate one
A licence entitlement is not a permission slip for any particular combination. The car's braked towing limit and gross train weight still cap what it can pull, the trailer must be braked above 750kg MAM, and the whole outfit needs towing mirrors if the trailer is wider than the car's rear view. Licence categories also work on plated MAM, not what the trailer happens to weigh that day: an empty 3,600kg-plated trailer is still out of category B territory.
Towing outside your entitlement
Driving otherwise than in accordance with your licence typically carries a fine of up to £1,000 and 3 to 6 penalty points, and towing without the right entitlement can also invalidate insurance, worth verifying against current sentencing guidance, but not worth testing. Check exactly which categories you hold at gov.uk/view-driving-licence before hitching up something unusual.
Not sure your specific car and trailer pairing works? The checker walks licence, weights and brakes in order and gives you a verdict.