A UK car test passed before 1 January 1997 kept B+E and C1+E up to 8,250 kg combined MAM. That covers most caravans, horseboxes and plant trailers a car or pickup can legally pull. In GB the C1+E part ends when the licence runs out at 70 unless you renew it with a medical.
Great Britain
GOV.UK says that if you got your licence before 1 January 1997, "You can usually drive a vehicle and trailer with a combined weight of up to 8,250kg MAM" (GOV.UK). This shows on the licence as C1E with restriction code 107. DVLA says this lasts "until your licence runs out at age 70" (INF30).
Northern Ireland
nidirect: drivers who passed before 1 January 1997 are "generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination that falls within B+E entitlement and up to 8,250kgs MAM for holders of C1+E" (nidirect).
What it means in practice
With pre-1997 B+E there is no licence limit on trailer weight behind a car, so the car's own towing limit and gross train weight decide. The 8,250 kg C1+E figure matters when the towing vehicle itself is over 3,500 kg, such as a small horsebox lorry pulling a trailer.
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Questions
- Does a licence from 1996 cover towing a horsebox?
- In GB and NI, yes, subject to the vehicle’s own limits: a car test passed before 1 January 1997 kept B+E.
- What is code 107?
- A restriction on C1E meaning not more than 8,250 kg combined.
Sources
- Car licences from before 1 January 1997 (grandfather rights): GOV.UK, Towing with a car, checked 2 November 2026.
- C1+E (107) ends at 70 without a medical: DVLA leaflet INF30, Requirements for towing trailers in Great Britain (2025), 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.
Guidance, not legal advice. Towsheet is independent and not connected with the DVLA, DVA, RSA or NDLS.