A change in the law allowing any individual who passed their driving test after 1997 to tow a large trailer weighing up to 3,500kg has come into force.
Previously, if you passed your driving test after 1997 and wished to tow, you were limited to trailers with a maximum weight of 750kg. following the law change, the limit has risen to 3,500kg. The additional towing test that was previously required had already been scrapped in anticipation of heavier trailer towing categories being automatically added to all licences once the law was passed.
Towing guide 2021: UK laws, licences, costs and tips
The government first gave notice in September 2021 that it would scrap the additional test for towing trailers up to 3,500kg, a step that was condemned at the time by safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
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However, scrapping the trailer test is one of the reasons the government has been able to announce an extra 50,000 HGV lorry tests each year, which the motorist and automobile standards agency (DVSA) says will help out a haulage industry struggling with motorist shortages. The DVSA maintains “all automobile motorists will still be encouraged to undertake training to tow trailers and caravans”, but that hasn’t satisfied IAM RoadSmart, which is itself a driver-training provider.
During the consultation period, IAM RoadSmart raised worries that the decision would exacerbate an existing safety situation, saying that the DVSA’s own roadside safety checks showed that up to 1 in 6 caravans that were stopped had a severe safety issue. Additionally, up 4 in 10 small trailers were also found with severe safety issues by the DVSA’s own checks.
