Need to get my C1 done so i can get a decent caravan to tow, any recommendations – preferably cheap. Im in shropshire

I wonder how many people don’t even know they need to…

Driving over 3.5t or a really heavy caravan? Can you tarmac my drive?

Don’t you get it as standard, I’ve got more categories that I know what to do with?

A,B,BE,B1,C1,C1E,D1,D1E….

It’s already on my licence, I’ve just checked. Never done any test other than the standard driving and motorcycle.

If you were in pre 97 and kept your cats in the photo card swap the you will probably have it. Not got my old paper part here up I had heavier vehicles and trailers

https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

Category C1

You can drive vehicles weighing between 3,500 and 7,500kg (with a trailer up to 750kg).

Don’t you get it as standard, I’ve got more categories that I know what to do with?

Post 2005 (iirc), this is not a given.

I even enlightened the police and examiners in Perth when presenting for a D1 and D1E test, having already had ‘grandfather rights’. Examiners did not realise that to now sit alongside a Learner in D1/D1E you have to be tested, and three years experience – not just grandfather rights.

There is a code somewhere that tells you if it is a tested or granted right on your license.

lol, il be pulling it with a navara and from what iv read the kerb weight is 3000kg

now iv just read that its 2032kg im confused

Have a look on your vin plate for the max gross weight of the vehicle and also the max train weight, take gross weight from train weight and this will give the maximum brakes trailer weight. If you passed your test after 1997 then you will need to do a B+E test if the gross weight of your navara and gross weight of the caravan exceed 3500kg.

kerb weight will be 2032. The gross Vehicle weight(ie fully loaded) will be 3000.

your gross train weight must be under 3500 and the trailer cannot exceed the weight of your vehicle.

why do you want a C1 licence for a navara and caravan – it wouldnt help.

you surely want a B1+E

so you have 1.5 tonnes of caravan you can tow IF your navara is empty – with no one in it……

Ahh right ok, so the kerb wieht is with nothing in it, i may be best loading truck up with family – getting weighed at weigh bridge then seeing how much i have spare – am i along the right lines?

Assuming that the caravan has a MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) of over 750kg, which most will, you will need a B+E license as stated above.

EDIT: Scrap that, it looks like “You can also tow heavier trailers if the total weight of vehicle and trailer isn’t more than 3,500kg.”
https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

EDIT 2: “A caravan over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the car and caravan is less than 3500kg Gross Train Weight (GTW) and the MAM of the caravan is less than the unladen weight of the car.” So not only does the whole shebang have to weigh less than 3,500kg but also the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) of the trailer has to be less than the unladen weight of the car.

and that it doesnt weigh more than your vehicle.

i want to tow a land rover on the back of my land rover – land rovers good for 3.5T towing but i need B1+E to tow a landy on the back of it as the landy plus trailer weighs more than the tow vehicle.

I believe if stopped the police take the gross weight on your vin plate and trailer plate, add them together and if over 3500kg then you get 3 points plus a fine. Unfortunately I learnt this the hard way, when towing my competition car with a Nissan Terrano a few years ago.

That is actually a very good point.

esp with trailers on the new post 97 – even if you have a tiny trailer incapible of carrying more than 750 kg or a home made trailer and its not plated at 750 max load , you can be had if you are only on a provision c1 + e ( ie you have not sat trailer test)

I believe rules have changed again recently with regard trailer if you passed test recently but not clued on them at all as it doesnt effect me.

If you are towing anything more than a tiny caravan in a large vehicle like a Navara you will need B+E. Go down to a mid size hatchback/estate and you can normally tow a medium size van once you’ve done the sums.

A C1 wouldn’t give you anymore towing entitlement than the B you already hold, C1+E would be needed to tow a huge over width Hobby style caravan as they can only be towed behind vehicles that are over 3.5t.