Towing a Trailer After You Pass in 2026: What Your Car Licence Lets You Tow Without a B+E Test

Ask most people when the rules on towing changed and you will get a shrug. It is one of the least understood changes to UK driving licences in years — and it directly affects every learner who passes their test in 2026. In short: the separate car and trailer driving test no longer exists, and category BE is added to your licence automatically once you pass your car test.

That does not mean you can hitch anything to anything. Here is what the rules actually say, what stayed the same, and why the DVSA still recommends training even though it no longer tests you.

What Changed, and When

Before the change, a driver who passed their car test after 1 January 1997 held category B only. To tow a larger trailer they had to pass a separate B+E practical test.

That system was dismantled in two steps:

• September 2021 — the DVSA stopped conducting car and trailer (B+E) tests.
• 16 December 2021 — the law formally changed, and category BE began being added automatically to the licences of drivers who hold category B.

The stated reason at the time was to free up examiner capacity for lorry and bus tests during a severe HGV driver shortage. The change was never reversed, and no new towing legislation has been introduced in 2026. The rules today are the December 2021 rules.

What You Can Tow on a Car Licence in 2026

If you hold a full category B car licence, you can generally tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of up to 3,500kg. Category BE will show on the back of your photocard licence once your record is updated.

But — and this is where people get caught out — the licence is only one of three limits that apply:

1. Your licence entitlement. Up to 3,500kg trailer MAM for most category B holders.
2. Your vehicle’s towing capacity. Set by the manufacturer and found in your handbook or on the VIN plate. A small hatchback may only be rated to tow a few hundred kilograms braked, regardless of what your licence permits.
3. The combined train weight. The maximum permitted weight of car plus trailer together, again set by the manufacturer.

Exceed any of these and you are driving illegally and, more importantly, unsafely — even with the right licence category.

What Did Not Change

Plenty of learners assume this change altered their test. It did not.

• The car practical test is unchanged. Towing is not assessed, no trailer is involved, and the DL25 marking sheet is the same.
• Older licences are unaffected. Drivers who passed before 1 January 1997 generally already had grandfather rights to tow heavier combinations.
• Lorry and bus categories are unchanged. C1E, CE, D1E and DE still require their own tests.
• Road law still applies. Speed limits are lower when towing on some roads, you must not use the right-hand lane of a three-lane motorway while towing, and you need appropriate mirrors if the trailer is wider than the car.
• Insurance still matters. Your policy may or may not cover towing. Check before you hitch up.

Why Training Still Matters

Removing the test did not remove the skill. Towing changes almost everything about how a car behaves:

• Stopping distances increase substantially, particularly with an unbraked trailer.
• Reversing is counter-intuitive. The trailer goes the opposite way to your steering input, and it takes real practice.
• Snaking and pitching can develop at speed if the load is badly distributed. Nose weight matters.
• Manoeuvring and parking require a completely different set of reference points.
• Wind and overtaking lorries affect a trailer far more than a solo car.

The DVSA introduced a voluntary accreditation scheme for towing training providers precisely because the compulsory test disappeared. If you plan to tow a caravan, a horsebox, a plant trailer or a heavy boat, taking a course is a sensible investment — and some insurers will look on it favourably.

What This Means for New Drivers

If you pass your test in 2026, the practical upshot is:

1. Your licence will show category BE once your record is updated after you pass.
2. You do not need to take any further test to tow within your vehicle’s limits.
3. You should still check your car’s towing capacity before you assume you can tow anything meaningful — many small first cars are rated very low.
4. New drivers are also subject to the New Drivers Act six-point rule for the first two years, and towing offences carry penalty points like any other. Our guide to the New Drivers Act in 2026 explains that risk.
5. Insurance for a new driver towing a trailer can be expensive. Budget for it rather than being surprised.

If you want the full picture of what each licence category permits, our guide to UK driving licence categories explained breaks them down.

How the Exam Routes App Can Help

Towing comes later. First you need the licence, and that means passing the practical test on roads you know. The Exam Routes App gives you real driving test routes with turn-by-turn navigation, so you can practise the junctions, roundabouts and manoeuvre areas your examiner will actually use. Pass first, then think about what you want to hitch to the back.

Frequently Asked Questions