Usually yes, if your trailer is over 750 kg MAM and car plus trailer are over 3,500 kg MAM. Great Britain added B+E to every car licence on 16 December 2021, but that change does not extend to Northern Ireland. If you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997, you still need to pass the B+E test.
What category B lets you tow in Northern Ireland
An NI category B licence covers a trailer up to 750 kg MAM behind any car up to 3,500 kg. It also covers a heavier trailer, but only when the MAM of the car and the MAM of the trailer add up to 3,500 kg or less (nidirect).
That means the car's own plated weight counts against you. A 2,150 kg MAM car leaves 1,350 kg for the trailer; a 2,500 kg SUV leaves just 1,000 kg. Many caravans, and most horse and livestock trailers, are plated above that.
Why the 2021 GB change does not help
The GB regulations that added B+E to car licences (SI 2021/1450) say they extend to England, Wales and Scotland only (the 2021 regulations). nidirect still tells a category B holder who took the test on or after 1 January 1997: "you have to pass a further practical test for category B+E" (nidirect). NI regulations made in 2026 still tie heavier towing to "the prescribed test in respect of category B+E" (SR 2026/119).
Who already has B+E in Northern Ireland
- Car test before 1 January 1997: you already hold B+E, and C1+E up to 8,250 kg combined (nidirect).
- B+E passed before 19 January 2013: no licence limit on the trailer's weight; the car's towing limits still apply (nidirect).
- B+E passed on or after 19 January 2013: a trailer up to 3,500 kg MAM, and 7,000 kg combined (nidirect).
What about a GB licence in Northern Ireland?
A GB licence holder may drive in NI whatever their GB licence authorises (Article 19E). Whether that includes the automatic 2021 B+E has never been confirmed by the DVA. nidirect asks that the licence "shows" the entitlement, and in 2021 the NI Minister said officials were still working out whether automatic B+E holders could tow in NI. We found no later statement, so Towsheet marks those cases as not settled.
Questions
- Did Northern Ireland scrap the B+E test?
- No. The December 2021 change applies in England, Wales and Scotland only. In Northern Ireland a driver who passed the car test on or after 1 January 1997 still needs the B+E test for trailers over 750 kg MAM when car and trailer together are over 3,500 kg MAM.
- Can I tow a 1,500 kg caravan on an NI car licence?
- Only if your car’s MAM is 2,000 kg or less, so that the two add up to no more than 3,500 kg, or if you hold B+E or passed your car test before 1997.
- Does my pre-1997 NI licence cover towing?
- Yes. Car tests passed before 1 January 1997 kept B+E and C1+E up to 8,250 kg combined MAM.
Sources
- Category B in Northern Ireland: nidirect, Cars towing trailers or caravans, checked 2 November 2026.
- Northern Ireland did not adopt the 2021 GB change: nidirect, Cars towing trailers or caravans, checked 2 November 2026.
- NI law in 2026 still ties heavy towing to the B+E test: Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026, SR 2026/119, checked 2 November 2026.
- B+E added to every GB car licence from 16 December 2021: Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/1450, checked 2 November 2026.
- NI car licences from before 1 January 1997: nidirect, Driving licence to tow a caravan or trailer, checked 2 November 2026.
- NI B+E passed before 19 January 2013: nidirect, Cars towing trailers or caravans, checked 2 November 2026.
- NI B+E passed on or after 19 January 2013: nidirect, Driving licence to tow a caravan or trailer, checked 2 November 2026.
- Great Britain licence driven in Northern Ireland: Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, Article 19E, checked 2 November 2026.
- nidirect: the licence must show the entitlement: nidirect, Driving in NI on a GB or EEA licence, checked 2 November 2026.
Guidance, not legal advice. Towsheet is independent and not connected with the DVLA, DVA, RSA or NDLS.