Everything you need to know about a caravan driving license

Those who have decided to fulfill the dream of buying a caravan or motorhome, or are thinking of renting one for the holidays, the first thing they wonder is if they need a license to drive caravans and, if so, what requirements must be met.

For this reason, we show you below everything you need to know about the necessary driving license for your caravan or motorhome.

The license to drive caravans

Depending on the total weight of the set consisting of the car and the caravan, a driving license or another will be necessary.

Let's first clarify some concepts to know what we mean when we talk about Maximum Authorized Mass or MMA, tare, payload and Maximum Towable Mass or MMR

  • The Maximum Authorized Mass o MMA is the total weight of the vehicle, with the maximum load inside. That is, it is the sum of the payload plus the tare of the caravan.
  • Tare of a caravan is the mass of the empty vehicle, that is, without people or cargo inside, only with the water in the tank and the butane bottle.
  • Payload is the subtraction between the vehicle tare and the vehicle GVW.
  • Maximum Towable Mass o MMR is the maximum weight that the car can tow.

When the Maximum Authorized Mass of a motorhome is less than 3500 Kg, with the driving license B It's enough. However, in those cases in which the MMA is greater than 3,500 kg, it is necessary to obtain the type C card.

This legislation applies to both caravans and motorhomes. In other words, in the case of caravans, the total weight of the towing vehicle plus that of the trailer may not exceed 3,500 kg to be able to drive the set with a type B license.

Otherwise, the driver needs to obtain a B96 permit. And in the event that the MMA of the car and the caravan together is greater than 4250 Kg, the necessary driving license will be a type B + E.

How is a caravan different from a motorhome?

The answer is simple: the motorhome moves without the need for a car to tow it, since it has its own engine, as if it were a truck or minibus. On the contrary, the caravan does not have an engine and must be towed by a vehicle.

The main advantage of motorhomes is the possibility of carrying an extra trailer in case it is necessary to transport more luggage, bicycles, motorcycles or specific material for practicing sports. In this case, if the trailer is 750 kg or less, it will not be necessary to obtain any other permits.

Let's also see the differences between caravans and motorhomes in relation to the driving license they require depending on their Maximum Authorized Mass.

License to drive motorhomes over 3500 kg

If the MMA value of our vehicle exceeds 3500 kg, we must examine ourselves to obtain the special permit to drive motorhomes.

The requirements to obtain this card are very basic:

  • Being over 18 years.
  • Have a class B driving license.
  • Pass the psychotechnical exam that certifies the basic skills of the driver.

Once the psychotechnical certificate has been obtained, three tests will be carried out:

  1. Theoretical knowledge test on driving heavy and large vehicles.
  2. Test of specific knowledge in closed circuit. Once the theoretical exam has been passed, a test will be carried out on a circuit where the driver must show his dexterity and control of the vehicle. Generally, you will need to back up and park on a ramp and maneuver around curves.
  3. The last test is carried out in an open circuit. That is, the driver must move on the road for the examiner to evaluate his control over the vehicle.

After passing the practical tests, you will have already obtained the license to drive motorhomes high volume.

License to drive a set of car + caravan over 3500 kg

In order to drive a set of total MMA (car plus caravan) greater than 3500 Kg and less than 4250 Kg, we need to obtain the driving license type B96, the requirements are the same as in the previous case: the driver must be over 18 years old and have a type B driving license.

Similarly, you must present a certificate of psychotechnical aptitude and perform two tests: one for maneuvers and another for circulation.

License to drive a set of car + caravan over 4250 kg

In order to drive a set of total MMA (car plus caravan) greater than 4250 Kg, the driver is required to have the B + E caravan driving licenseIn addition to presenting the psychotechnical certificate of aptitude, you must examine yourself by taking three different practical tests: a specific test, a maneuvering test and a driving test.

Other data of interest

  • When the maximum authorized mass of the caravan exceeds 750 kg, it is necessary to go to the Traffic Headquarters to register it.
  • The maximum speed allowed for a vehicle towing a caravan on motorways is 90 km / hour.
  • The speed limit on conventional roads, for any vehicle, is 80 km / hour.
  • The speed limit allowed in urban areas is 50 km / hour.

Now you know the requirements of the license to drive caravans and motorhomes and in which cases it is necessary. Good trip!

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Comments (66)

¿A qué velocidad máxima tiene permitido circular una autocaravana de 3.500 kg de mma por una autovía? - Bioseguridad.org

[…] Carnet para conducir caravanas: requisitos, cuándo es necesario – Comercial Caravaning […]

Joaquin

Can a caravan weighing more than 750 kg be unhooked from the tractor car?

Imma

My caravan. It is an Adriá Aviva 495 and my car is a Nissan Abascal that I need a license. MMA of caravan 1100 and car 2060

Juan Andrés Santana tejera, dni43668647 l 35018

They should in a closed circuit that the driver will pass all the tests, and hit the road, with more than 10 years driving, and the Zuma of the experience, everything else is a money saver.

José

If it is a vehicle with batteries if it is as you say, but a vehicle without batteries (electric) is still up to 3500kg.

Jose Manuel Jimenez

Good morning and I apologize for not asking the question in one, so I ask the question again.

I have a Tuareg from 2006, the GVW is 2945 Kg and the MMR is 3500 Kg and I have a caravan of GWM 1000 Kg. I can take it with the "B" card, sorry for the inconvenience and very grateful.

a greeting

Joaquin

The sum of the MMA of the towing vehicle and the trailer cannot exceed 3,500 kg.

Ignacio

You can't, it's 3,945 Kg, you go over 445 Kg of the 3500 Kg and at least you will need the B96… greetings

Jose Manuel Jimenez

Sorry with the B card

Greetings and thank you

Jose Manuel Jimenez

Good morning, I have a question, I have a 2006 Tuareg and the MMA is 2945 and has a MMR of 3500 I can take a caravan which is MMA 1000

Jacob

Hello, reading around there I have seen other documents and posts that explain that differently, so I looked at the one that in principle is the most reliable, that of the DGT.

In this saying, I quote verbatim:

“If we carry a light trailer, we need a class B permit. On the other hand, if we intend to transport a caravan or load something heavy like a boat, we will need to extend the B permit with the B-96 authorization that allows us to carry a higher MMA trailer to 750 kg with a vehicle of up to 3,500 kg, as long as the set does not exceed 4,250 kg. On the other hand, the class B + E permit allows towing a GVW of up to 3,500 kg as long as the towing vehicle does not exceed that same GVM. »

Where what I understand is that for a trailer of more than 750 kg and a maximum mass of less than 3500 kg the B-96 is needed unlike what it says in this post that you can with simply the B permit.

Does this mean that the regulations have changed, that I have misinterpreted or that there is an error?

I leave the link here in case you want to verify it.

http://revista.dgt.es/es/reportajes/2017/07JULIO/Reportaje-remolques.shtml#.XdGGH1dKgdU

Thanks for your time.

Javier P.

Hi, I have a car that weighs 2265 Kg and the caravan weighs 1250 Kg, it can be driven with a B license.
the other question is that it measures the total of the set 11.906 meters

Comercial Caravaning

By measure there is no problem but you exceed 3500Kg overall, you will not be able to drive with the B license

savior

Hello, I have bought a caravan of 751 + 450 vehicle, in total there are 12.01 meters. Nobody can tell me if the b 96 is enough, to exceed 12 meters. Can I ride with b96? I urgently thank you. The weight of the car 2500 (mma) and caravan 1600 (mma). Thank you very much for the answers.

Eric

Good afternoon I have a type C and D license I can drive a rigid truck weighing more than 7.5 kg and a caravan of 1700 kg thanks

Nestor

It could even take the subject to the extreme. For example, if I buy a coach with 3 axles and 15m. Second hand and I convert it to a home and I approve it as such, then, that type of vehicle can I drive it? Or will I automatically need the C?

Nestor

Hello, I have the driving license for buses D.

Could you drive a 4600kg 3 axle motorhome? I understand that it is only possible with the C1 or C, and I don't understand why, since I drive coaches of up to 25 tons, 3 axles and 15m in length every day

Thank you

Hugo

Hello! To maintain the category of driving with a D permit, more than 8 seats plus a driver must be maintained. If there are no more than 9 seats, a modified bus or coach would be considered a truck and therefore the C permit would be necessary.

Manuel Jesus Lozano González

Hi, I want to buy a belcanto burstner that has the mmc modified because the mover was installed, now its weight has gone from 1195 to 1360 my vehicle can tow 1400 ... I think I can carry it but if I put luggage in the caravan of more than 40 kilos ( kitchenware etc) will I exceed the towing weight, right?
and on the other hand the set measures 12.03 meters…. I can take it with the B

David

Good Morning.
I have a Berlingo with an MMA of 2070Kg and I want to buy a caravan of MMA of 1000. Could I legally take it with the b card ???
Car data sheet data:
MMA 2070
MMR 1300
MMC: 3070

Caravan: empty weight: 740. MMA: 1000

Thank you very much in advance for the information.

Antonio

With the c license, can I drive my car with a caravan over 750 kg?

Gabriel Benitez Contreras

Hello, when it comes to taking a caravan, I see that the necessary license is based on the mma of the caravan, and the mma of the motor vehicle plus caravan set, Any doubt, only the mma influences or must be taken into account other factors, such as the dimensions of the caravan.
Thank you.

Jordi

I have a Touareg mma 2950 kg and a Cv mma 910 I can't take it with the b ??
It is possible that before I could take it with an Ibiza and now with this one?
And empty filling the weight of the Mma would not be correct?
Thank you

Comercial Caravaning

Good Morning,

In this case there would be no problem to be able to tow this caravan as it is 750 Kg.

Thank you very much for writing us.

A greeting!

Lawrence

Greetings and my question:
I have a car and I would like to know if I can
bring a caravan with the following specifications:

Tare of the car unladen 1260 Kg.
MMA of the car 1840Kg.
MMR of the car 1250 Kg.

Empty weight of the caravan 950 Kg
Weight in running order Cv 1020 Kg.
Maximum authorized weight CV 1300 Kg.

I could carry it as long as it does not exceed the 1250 Kg. That I can drag
or I have to look to lower the maximum authorized weight of the CV.
Because if I change my car soon, I would see that I could drag
the 1300Kg.
Greetings and thanks

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Lorenzo,

Having a caravan MMA of 1300 Kg and having a car MMR of 1250 Kg we cannot carry the caravan with this car.

Thanks a lot.

Fouad

Hello, I have a land rover defender td4 110 and the mma is 3050 I can tow a 750kg caravan with the b license thank you very much

Carles

Hello, what type and model of car would you need to tow a 1500kg caravan? Thank you!

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Carles!

We would have to move in cars with MMA between 1900 and 2000Kg that have an MMR with brake of between 1500 and 1600 kg to be able to carry the set with the B license but in this case it is quite difficult to find cars with these characteristics, perhaps we would recommend better to remove the B96 or the B + E to take a car that tows those or kilos or more although it weighs a little more MMA.

Thank you very much for your comment.

A greeting!

Ruben

Good evening, I have bought a van with an MMA of 2960 kg and I have a caravan with an MMA of 950 kg. Can I tow it with the b1 license if the MMC is 4900 kg, which is included in the approval of the technical sheet? need the b96?

Andrew

Hello, I have a car that weighs 2505 kilos and the caravan 1025 kilos with the B card could take it by spending only 30 kilos, or it is just 3500 kilos

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning,

Indeed, they are just 3500 kilos, not one more. I would need B96 or B + E

Thanks a lot,

A greeting.

Leire

Is the B96 card valid for traveling in Europe?
Thanks and best regards!

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Leire,

If with the B96 you can circulate in Europe.

Thanks a lot.

A greeting!

Comercial Caravaning

Hello Josemi, there would be no problem, you could move around dragging a 750 Kg trailer with the MMA of your Merecedes Viano.

Thanks a lot,

a greeting!

Josemi

Hello, I have a Mercedes Víano with a weight of 2900kg. Could it drag a caravan weighing less than 750kg even if the set exceeds 3500kg only with the B card?
Thank you very much and greetings

Robert

Hello, I would like to know if there are motorhomes without a license with bathroom, bed, kitchen and shower and where can they be delivered, thanks

Comercial Caravaning

Good afternoon Roberto,
In order to help you we need to know what you mean when it says Motorhome without a license, we understand that it means with a B license and not C, if so, you can go through our facilities or on our website and any of them could use it.

Thanks a lot

Robert

I mean a motorhome without a 49 cc moped license

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Roberto,

sorry but what you are looking for does not exist in the market.

Robert

Oh, what a shame

florin

Hello, can I take a set (mma3500 truck and 750kg trailer) total weight 4250 kg if the truck does not have tachograph? …… thank you

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Florin,

in this case, you could drive with a set of these characteristics without having to obtain a new driving license.

A greeting.

Antonio Prieto Rodriguez

Good Morning.
I have the necessary licenses to drive trucks of more than 3,500 kg.
I plan to buy a 4 × 4 motorhome truck.
I am 65 years old.
Can I drive it?

Thanks a lot.

Antonio.

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Antonio,

With the characteristics that he tells us about having a license for more than 3,500Kg, he could drive a motorhome of these characteristics.

Guille

Good! I have driving licenses b and c but none + e. I want to buy a caravan and I want to know if I can exceed 750 kg

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Guille,

In this case we have to see the MMA of the car and add the MMA of the caravan and that between them they do not exceed 3500Kg, even if the caravan exceeds 750 kg.
We also have to see that the MMR of the car is at least the same as the MMA of the caravan.

A greeting!

Jesus

Good evening, I have a 1310kg caravan, the sum with the vehicle is 3425kg, when I go on a trip I exceed the maximum authorized weight, I have heard various opinions about whether it is strictly necessary to obtain a permit higher than B.
I have a C card, would it be necessary to obtain another permit? What kind of sanctions would you be exposed to?
Thank you

Comercial Caravaning

Hello Jesus,
What we always have to see to be able to drive a set (car + caravan) is that it does not exceed 3,500Kg of MMA, for this we have to add the MMA of the car and the MMA of the caravan, if it does not exceed 3,500Kg we can drive it with the B.
In addition to this, we have to take into account a couple of other things:

- MMR (Maximum Towable Mass) that has to be equal to or greater than the MMA of the caravan that we want to tow.
- MMC (Maximum Mass of the Set) in some cases, car manufacturers limit the set with which we can circulate normally because when towing more than a certain weight it emits more CO2 than approved

From here, if the set exceeds those 3,500Kg we can obtain the B96 or the B + E that would allow us to circulate with sets of 4,250 Kg and 12,000Kg respectively. With the C license we can only circulate with rigid vehicles without a set, so with the C we cannot carry a set exceeding 3,500Kg, only if it were the C + E.

With anything else you tell us.

A greeting.

Marisa

Hello, can I have a caravan without papers? Can you register in traffic? I am in London and I have seen a caravan equipped with 500 L, I like it but they tell me that it does not have papers?

Comercial Caravaning

Good morning Marisa, to be able to take a caravan you always need the caravan to have documentation, if we did not have it we would need to know the brand and year of the caravan to see if a copy can be requested from the factory or traffic.
Almost certainly, as it does not have documentation, it is an old caravan, so it would be necessary to obtain a unit homologation of the caravan in an homologation laboratory and go through ITV to obtain a technical sheet and, if necessary, register it.

juanmi

hello I want to buy a caravan to make a route my car is a long Montero of how much the caravan should be

Comercial Caravaning

Hi Juanmi,

In order to answer this question, we would need the technical sheet of the car that will tow the caravan to be able to see MMA, MMC and MMR. We await your response.

A greeting.

Jose Alberto

Good night we want to buy a caravan weighing 1000 kilos more or less I would like to know if I can take this caravan plus my car with the class B permit, nothing else or I need some other permit the caravan and vehicle set does not exceed 3500 kilos thanks

Comercial Caravaning

Hello Rafael,

According to current legislation in Spain, you cannot drive a vehicle weighing more than 3,500kg with the B license.

However, in Europe you must also have a C license to be able to circulate with a vehicle weighing more than 3500 Kg since the legislation that governs in this case is that of the driver's country and not that of the country through which it is circulating.

Most of the countries of the European Union have different legislation and that is why they do not need to obtain another card.

We hope we have resolved your question. With any other query, write us your doubts without problem.

Greetings and happy new year!

Sergio

Hello, my car is a 2011 kia sportage and I can drag up to 1400kg if the trailer is braked, and I also have a c truck license.

1. Does the inertia brake count as a brake?

2. Do I need the special permit b96 or with the c I already have enough to tow a 1200-1400kgs caravan?

3. Do I have to make sure that the weight of the car + caravan set does not exceed 3,500 kgs?

Thanks in advance, regards.

Luis

Hello, I am a man who wants to buy a caravan with a red license plate but I only have a driving license, my vehicle weighs 1600kg.Can I drive a caravan with a red license plate? Up to what weight can I buy it? In the car papers I can tow a car without a brake 750 and with 1500 brake

Raphael

I have been driving a motorhome of 3500kg and more than 80,000km for several years. Do you think that to drive a 4200kg I need to examine myself again?
Why not in Europe?

Charles

What license does the European Community require of me to drive a 4,250 kg motorhome and if the US Driver's License B will help me?

Mary

Hello, good afternoon to my husband and me, the maximum weight of a motorhome generates a doubt.
The issue of the license is clear to me, if the weight does not exceed 3500kg without license trailer B.
My husband also has C, so he can exceed that weight. But the question is, is there a weight limit for the motorhome itself? A 6m motorhome is not the same as a 7m motorhome, I would appreciate clarifying it.
For example, a Benimar 481 weighing 2900kg when empty and 3700kg on the road, would the limit be on the weight of the motorhome or the type of license? thanks

Ignacio

All the cards are delimited by weights not by sizes. If the caravan exceeds 3500Kg with the C, your husband can legally carry it, the maximum without 7500Kg. You will have no problem!

Luis

Hello, very good, I would like you to get me out of a doubt, my outfit measures 12 meters, I could take it with the cerner B. Thank you

Ignacio

Yes, the permits are by weight not by size or length, although it measures 15m if the caravan does not exceed 750 Kg and the set is 4250Kg and the caravan is greater than 750Kg and the set does not exceed 3500 Kg, Yes you can with the B !!

Martin

Hello!
Is the B96 permit valid in the European Union or only in Spain?
For a car of 2550kg of MMA + caravan of 1100 of MMA, would the b96 be worth to circulate in the European Union or do I need to remove the B + E?

Ignacio

The B96 is a 2006 European directive, valid in Europe. Exceeding 3500 Kg with a caravan of more than 750 Kg you can take the B96 up to 4250Kg or the B + E up to 7000Kg. I speak at all times of the set, sum of MMA's car + caravan.

Antonio

Design the Civil Guard of traffic that we need the b + 96 or E card to drag a caravan of 3,500 kilos or less

Alfred

We have seen news that as of July 1 with the B you can Drive up to 4250 kilos of set or van

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