Rarely. On a category B licence in NI or Ireland, a trailer over 750 kg MAM is allowed only if car MAM plus trailer MAM is 3,500 kg or less. A two-horse trailer is typically plated at 2,000 to 3,500 kg, and the cars that can pull one are heavy, so the sum is almost always over. You need B+E, or a pre-1997 UK licence.
The sum
A 2,500 kg MAM SUV and a 2,600 kg MAM horse trailer come to 5,100 kg, far over the 3,500 kg category B limit (Ireland, NI). The rule uses the plated MAM, not what the trailer weighs on the day, so an empty box counts the same as a full one.
What covers it
- B+E: trailers up to 3,500 kg MAM (Ireland, NI).
- Irish BE granted before 19 January 2013: code 79.06, covering trailers over 3,500 kg (S.I. 657/2016).
- UK car test before 1 January 1997: B+E and C1+E to 8,250 kg combined (nidirect).
- C1+E: for trailers over 3,500 kg, up to 12,000 kg combined (GOV.UK). Irish C1E carries an extra unladen-weight condition that we could not settle (S.I. 483/2011).
The car's own limits
Even with the right licence, the laden horsebox must be within the car's braked towing limit, and car plus trailer within the gross train weight (RSA, GOV.UK). A trailer over 3,500 kg in Ireland also needs an annual roadworthiness test (RSA).
Questions
- Can I tow an empty horsebox on a B licence?
- The licence rules use the trailer’s plated MAM, not its actual weight, so an empty horsebox counts at its full plated weight.
- Can a horse trailer be down-plated?
- Some manufacturers offer a lower plated weight. A down-plated trailer must then never be loaded above the new figure.
Sources
- Category B in Ireland: Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, S.I. No. 6 of 2013, checked 3 November 2026.
- Category B in Northern Ireland: nidirect, Cars towing trailers or caravans, checked 2 November 2026.
- Irish category BE: Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 483 of 2011, checked 3 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.
- Irish BE from before 19 January 2013 (code 79.06): Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, S.I. No. 657 of 2016, checked 3 November 2026.
- NI car licences from before 1 January 1997: nidirect, Driving licence to tow a caravan or trailer, checked 2 November 2026.
- C1+E by test: up to 12,000 kg combined: GOV.UK, Towing with a car, checked 2 November 2026.
- Irish C1E unladen-weight condition: Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 483 of 2011, checked 3 November 2026.
- Ireland: design gross combination weight: RSA, Towing and vehicle towing capacity, checked 3 November 2026.
- Gross train weight must not be exceeded: GOV.UK, Towing with a car, checked 3 November 2026.
- Ireland: roadworthiness tests for heavy trailers: RSA, Laws on using light trailers, checked 3 November 2026.
Guidance, not legal advice. Towsheet is independent and not connected with the DVLA, DVA, RSA or NDLS.