What the law says

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• If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 January 1997 and you now want to tow a caravan or certain trailers, you may have to take a specific practical driving test.

  Car licences obtained before 1 January 1997 If you passed a car driving test before 1 January 1997, you keep your existing entitlement to tow trailers. This means you're generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kgs maximum authorised mass (MAM). You can also drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM.

  Car licences obtained on or after 1 January 1997 If you passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 you're limited to vehicles up to 3,500kgs maximum authorised mass towing a trailer up to 750kgs, or a vehicle and trailer combination up to 3,500kgs MAM providing the MAM of the trailer doesn't exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. You will need to pass an additional driving test in B+E if you wish to tow a caravan or trailer combination which exceeds these weight limits.

  Car licences obtained on or after 19 January 2013 Drivers who passed a test for Category B+E (Car and Trailer combination) on or after after 19 January 2013, will be restricted to towing a trailer not heavier than 3,500kgs, and the combined MAM of the car and trailer must not be more than 7,000kgs. To tow a trailer that weighs more than 3,500kgs with a car or small vehicle (category B), you will need to pass additional tests for category C1E (medium-sized goods vehicles with trailers).