Towing trailers and caravans by country
Last reviewed: 9 October 2026
Speed limits, licence categories and equipment rules for driving a car with a trailer or caravan. Pick a country for the full list of rules, each with its official source.
| Country | Maximum speed on motorways when towing | Trailer mass allowed with a car licence in any combination | Heavier trailer with a category B licence | Higher categories for trailers (B96, BE) | Extra mirrors when towing | Warning triangle or hazard device |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg maximum authorised mass is allowed if the combination does not exceed 3,500 kg. | Class BE: a class B towing vehicle with a trailer up to 3,500 kg. Code 96 (B96): a combination over 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg with a trailer over 750 kg. | Motor vehicles must have mirrors or other indirect-vision devices that give the required view to the rear and sides, also when towing a trailer. | A passenger car must carry one warning triangle. |
| Netherlands | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 90 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed if the car and trailer together do not exceed 3,500 kg. | Licence B+ (code 96): any trailer if car and trailer together do not exceed 4,250 kg. Licence BE: a trailer up to 3,500 kg. | ⚠ Not yet verified | A stationary motor vehicle on more than two wheels and a trailer must be marked with a warning triangle when it forms an obstacle. |
| United Kingdom | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 60 mph (96 km/h) | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed if the vehicle and trailer together do not exceed 3,500 kg. | Category BE: a category B vehicle with a trailer whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg. Since 16 December 2021 a category B licence holder who passed a car test is automatically entitled to BE. | Towing mirrors must be fitted if the trailer or caravan is wider than the rear of the car; the driver must have an adequate view of the road behind. | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| France | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer, combination up to 3,500 kg: 130 km/h Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer, combination over 3,500 kg: 90 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed if the combined maximum authorised mass of vehicle and trailer does not exceed 4,250 kg; above 3,500 kg specific training is required. | Category BE: a category B vehicle with a trailer whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg, where the combination is not within category B. | A passenger car towing a trailer must have a second exterior mirror on the right when the trailer hides the view in the interior mirror or is wider than the car. | While driving, the driver must carry a warning triangle (pre-signalling triangle). |
| Spain | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 90 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed if the maximum authorised mass of the combination does not exceed 4,250 kg. | Permit B+E: a trailer up to 3,500 kg. The B96 authorisation covers a trailer over 750 kg when the combination exceeds 3,500 kg but not 4,250 kg. | ⚠ Not yet verified | Cars and goods vehicles up to 3,500 kg, and vehicle combinations in circulation, must carry the V-16 luminous hazard warning device. |
| Italy | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed if the combination does not exceed 4,250 kg; above 3,500 kg a practical test on a specific vehicle is required. | Category BE: a category B motor vehicle with a trailer or semi-trailer whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg. | ⚠ Not yet verified | Motor vehicles other than bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles must be equipped with the mobile danger sign (warning triangle). |
| Ireland | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h on any road | 750 kg | Over 750 kg if the combination is 3,500 kg or less | Category BE: a category B vehicle with a trailer whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg (combination up to 7,000 kg). It requires a specific driving test. Minimum age 17. | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| Australia | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| Poland | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h | 750 kg | Combination up to 3,500 kg | Category B+E: a combination of a category B vehicle and a trailer with a maximum mass up to 3.5 t. With an additional practical exam and an extra entry in the licence, category B also allows a combination up to 4,250 kg in total. | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| Portugal | 100 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg is allowed on a category B licence if the maximum authorised mass of the combination does not exceed 3,500 kg. | Category BE: a car with a trailer or semi-trailer of up to 3,500 kg. A category B holder who passes the specific practical test may drive a car with a trailer over 750 kg when the combination is over 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg. | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| Sweden | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h (braked trailer) | 750 kg | Over 750 kg if combination up to 3,500 kg | B96: combination up to 4,250 kg; BE: trailer up to 3,500 kg | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
| Austria | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer, combination up to 3,500 kg: 100 km/h Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer, combination over 3,500 kg: 80 km/h | 750 kg | A trailer that is not a light trailer (over 750 kg) is allowed with class B if the combination does not exceed 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass. | Class BE: a class B towing vehicle with a trailer up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass. With class B alone, a combination of more than 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg is allowed after theory and practical training of seven teaching units in total. | Motor vehicles must have suitable, sufficiently large rear-view mirrors and, where necessary, other indirect-vision devices, placed so the driver can see the road beside and behind the vehicle even when it is fully occupied or loaded. | The driver of a multi-track motor vehicle must carry a suitable warning device, a first-aid kit and high-visibility warning clothing. For trailers that are not light trailers, at least one wheel chock per vehicle must be carried. |
| Denmark | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h (100 with Tempo 100) | 750 kg | A trailer over 750 kg permitted total weight is allowed if the combination's total permitted weight does not exceed 3,500 kg. | Code 96 (B+): combination up to 4,250 kg with a trailer over 750 kg, after special training and a practical test. Category B/E: a trailer with a permitted total weight up to 3,500 kg. | ⚠ Not yet verified | A motor vehicle (except two-wheeled mopeds and motorcycles without sidecar) and a trailer must be marked with a triangular warning device when stopped in a way that creates danger or inconvenience and not removed at once. |
| Hungary | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h on motorways | Up to 750 kg | Category B covers a car of up to 3,500 kg with a light trailer of up to 750 kg (combination up to 4,250 kg), or with a heavier trailer if the trailer's maximum mass does not exceed the towing vehicle's own mass and the combination does not exceed 3,500 kg. | BE: trailer up to 3,500 kg; from 18 | A motor vehicle must give the driver a view to the rear on both sides through mirrors, and must have at least two mirrors, one on each side outside the vehicle (inside only if the body or load does not block the rear view). | One approved warning triangle |
| Norway | Car with a trailer or caravan, Car with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h (100 with Tempo 100) | 750 kg | Over 750 kg if combination up to 3,500 kg | B96: combination up to 4,250 kg; BE: trailer up to 3,500 kg | ⚠ Not yet verified | ⚠ Not yet verified |
Before you rely on it
This comparison covers national rules. Regional or local rules can apply on top of them, and rules change. A rule marked “to verify” has not yet been confirmed against an official source. Each country page links to the official sources, and those are the place to confirm the details before you act.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.