Before Hitching your caravan and going off on holiday make sure you understand the legal requirements of towing a caravan. Remember that you must hold a full driving licence and be insured to tow anything.
First of all, are you allowed to tow a caravan? If you passed you licence before 1st Jan 1997 then the answer is likely to be yes as prior to that date you would have qualified for categories B+E which allows you to drive a car and caravan with a combined weight of 8,250kg. However if you passed after 1st Jan 1997 then you will not be qualified under category E and are therefore likely to need to take an additional test to ensure you can legally tow a caravan.
Even if you are legally allowed to tow a caravan you may wish to take some lessons to build you confidence and ensure you are able to tow safely for your passengers and other road users.
What about Towing Weight? Most organisations recommend that the weight of you laden caravan is no greater than 85% of the unladen weight of your car to ensure you remain firmly in control of the vehicle.
Are there speed restrictions? You are restricted to 50mph on single carriageways (unless signs say lower speeds) and 60mph on dual carriageways & Motorways.
Please note that rule are up dated from time to time, so please ensure you contact DVLA for more specific information as this is a guide only and we accept no responsibiliy for its accuracy. For further information we recommend you visit the National Trailer and Towing Association,