Towing and your licence (B, B+E and BE)

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find the towing categories on your own licence.
• You can explain what category BE allows in Great Britain.
• You can say how the rules differ for licences passed before 1 January 1997.
• You can recognise when a heavier combination needs a lorry entitlement such as C1+E.
• You can explain why Northern Ireland drivers should check DVA rules separately.

What you need to know and understand

• In Great Britain, car drivers no longer need to take a separate test to tow a trailer or caravan; this changed in autumn 2021.
• If you passed your car test from 1 January 1997, you can tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of up to 3,500kg, as long as the combined MAM of car and trailer is no more than 7,000kg. This is category BE.
• If BE is not shown on your photocard, DVLA will add it the next time you renew your licence.
• If you passed before 1 January 1997, you can usually drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg MAM.
• Heavier combinations need provisional C1+E entitlement, the lorry theory test and the C1+E driving test, which then allow up to 12,000kg combined MAM.
• You must not tow more than your licence permits, and you should not tow more than the car manufacturer recommends.
• In Northern Ireland the B+E car and trailer test still exists for some drivers.

Reading the categories on your licence

Turn your photocard over and look for B and BE. MAM, maximum authorised mass, means the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load it can safely carry. It is shown on the trailer's plate and is not the same as what the trailer weighs empty.

Category B lets you drive a car with up to 8 passenger seats. Category BE covers a car with a trailer. In Great Britain, anyone with a full car licence passed from 1 January 1997 is treated as having BE for trailers up to 3,500kg MAM, even if the letters have not yet been added to the card.

What changed in Great Britain

Before the change, drivers who passed from 1997 were limited to small trailers unless they passed a separate car and trailer test. The government removed that test requirement in autumn 2021 to free up testing for lorry drivers.

The weight limits were not removed. You still cannot go beyond your licence entitlement, the car's gross train weight (the maximum weight of car and trailer together, shown on the car's plate) or the trailer's MAM. Training is still strongly recommended and is offered by schemes such as the Safe Towing Scheme and the National Register of LGV Instructors.

Heavier outfits and older licences

If you passed before 1 January 1997, you can usually drive a combination up to 8,250kg MAM and a minibus with a trailer over 750kg. Anything heavier than your entitlement, for example a large horsebox outfit, needs C1+E. That means a provisional entitlement, the lorry theory test and the C1+E practical test.

In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland licensing is run by the DVA and the GB change does not automatically apply. Drivers who passed their car test from 1 January 1997 may still need to pass a B+E test to tow heavier combinations. Check the DVA guidance on nidirect before towing anything larger than a small trailer.

Common mistakes

• Thinking BE means you can tow anything. The car's towing limit and the trailer's MAM still apply.
• Confusing a trailer's empty weight with its MAM. Licence rules use the plated MAM.
• Relying on pre-2021 GB advice that says you need a car and trailer test.
• Assuming GB rules apply in Northern Ireland. Check DVA rules there.
• Skipping training because no test is needed. Towing skills, especially reversing, take practice.

Test yourself: Towing and your licence (B, B+E and BE)

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Towing After Your Car Test
• Foreign Licences in GB
• Category B Explained