Tow Car confusion - please help!

The law is that you must not exceed the car’s plated gross train weight when towing so you are technically correct in saying all will be well if the car’s towing ability exceeds the MTPLM of the caravan.

Consider though, that the car manufacturer’s stated towing max relates to its ability to shift a mass under test conditions and that is not the same as towing a slab sided white box on the M6 on a windy day or coping with hills in rural areas.

The MTPLM of the caravan not exceeding 85% of the kerb weight of the car is a recommendation, not a rule. However, the heavier the car is, the safer and more stable the outfit will be and, personally, I would look for a car with a kerb weight of at least 1600kg but it’s your choice.

The other weight factor to consider is nose weight. You need to ensure the car is capable of bearing the nose weight of the caravan.

Both motorhoming and caravanning have pros and cons and the towing weight conundrum can certainly be a headache.

As Tinwheeler says, the important bit is "car’s plated gross train weight" and you must follow it.

It is not straight forward after that though. My 2019 1.5L petrol Audi A3 35tfsi is not your normal tow-car. It has an unladen weight of 1250kg, gross weight of 1840kg and max train weight of 3340kg. Towing limits are 1500kg and 1700kg, depending upon gradient. I've stuck with the 1500kg. 

Despite my [low profile] van having an max limit of 1500kg I'm currently towing at around 1300kg and will be a little over 1350kg for a month away. 

I load the van carefully, get nose weight around 60kg, have some heavy stuff in the car, keep to around 55mph and am very pleased. With this car and van I have towed around 1,000 miles. With this car and lighter 1200kg previous van I towed about 12,000 miles.

It is a difficult call as you want a car to tow well but not be a burden for the majority of the time you use it in solo mode.

If I was choosing a car again I cannot fault the engines ability would be very happy with the same vehicle, but I would consider it in something a little heavier if towing a normal height van. A Skoda Karoq would be at the top of my list as the vehicle footprint is still compact enough for everyday use.

Colin

I can only echo what TW and Colin have said, but in my view if you don't have towing experience, then the heavier car you can buy, the better. 

I have a Skoda Kodiaq which I find a good match for the 1500Kg Bailey we currently have and is excellent when driving solo. There is also a bit of leeway if I want to buy a heavier caravan in the future. Theres loads of space inside for the heavy stuff like awning and bottles which all helps increase the weight of the tow car. Skodas in general get good feedback from caravanners, and the Karoq that Colin refers to is currently the CAMC Tow car of the year.

The things to check are kerbweight, but also towball load. Some are low and I would go for a minimum of 100kg.

The other thing to double check if you need to retro fit a tow bar is that the car is plated to have one fitted. Some Skoda's aren't

Caravanwise, the worlds your oyster. You could look at the Bailey Discovery D4-4 at 1247kg. All proper dealers will assess your car/caravan combination before selling.

This is worth a read

https://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/glossary/what-is-kerb-weight#gref

“Theres loads of space inside for the heavy stuff like awning and bottles which all helps increase the weight of the tow car.”

Good thoughts, Timbo, but a newcomer to towing needs to remember the car also has a max vehicle weight and must not be overloaded in order to stay within the law and not to carry gas bottles in the car. The car also has max axle load weights as shown on the plate. 

CAMC has given some advice on car/caravan matching in the Advice & Training tab near the head of the page. 

This seems quite helpful:

Safe and Legal Towing

and there is a link to:

NTTA Guide to Safe and Legal Towing

By bottles, I meant the ones made of glass and plastic. I would never condone carrying gas anywhere but in the designated locker.

I thought that's what you meant but considered it worth clarifying for the benefit of anyone who misunderstood👍🏻

Certainly all the bottles we take (plastic and the perhaps the occasional glass one) definitely all weigh more than the gas one! 

I have rarely seen a link on the internet which is so grossly wrong, misleading and downright incompetent.

There is no such thing as DIN, EU, or Dry kerbweight. It doesn't even reference the way kerbweight is defined in UK legislation. That definition explicitly states that it's without the driver. 

The definition referred to in DIN 70020 was withdrawn for road vehicles in favour of the international standard ISO 1176 in January 2006. Contrary to what the link says, the DIN figure did include the weight of a driver, albeit 80kg and not the 75kg that EU 'mass in running order' includes.

The EU has never used the term kerbweight so there is no definition of such a term in any of its regulations. It uses the terms 'mass in running order' and 'actual mass of the vehicle' and both those terms are defined differently to 'kerbside weight' as it is called and covered in UK legislation. 

The term 'dry kerb weight' has never existed. It is called unladen weight in UK legislation.

Reading further, a standard Category B licence doesn't allow a combination weighing 8250kg, even if the licence was gained before 1 Jan 1997. To drive such an outfit requires a Category C1E licence which, however, those who passed their driving test before 1997 got under 'grandfather' rights. Otherwise, the limit on a Category BE licence (now also a B licence in the UK only) is 7000kg.