Fifth Wheel Caravans In The UK
Fifth wheel caravans are becoming more and more popular in the United Kingdom. What is however the law, regarding these caravans?
There are many misconceptions regarding the legalities of towing a 5th wheel caravan in the United Kingdom or Europe, so I’ve compiled a few of the most common questions and present you with the answer to them.
Do I need a special or lorry license to tow a fifth wheel?
f you are driving a UK tow vehicle (Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger or similar) with a GVWR under 3500kg and towing a Caravan or Fifthwheel you will only need a BE Category which was issued as standard before January 1st 1997. If anyone paid for a driving test after that date they will have had to have taken an extra test to tow a Caravan. If you are driving a larger tow vehicle i.e. with a GVWR over 3500kg you will need a CIE these again were a standard issue before 1997 but you may have a 107 restriction which limits your gross train weight to 8250kgs. This restriction is not applied to a BE Category.
Are all American fifth wheels legal in the UK?
Make sure it complies with all road regulations, any dealer should be able to show you all the relevant approvals and government website links to prove their knowledge and compliance with these regulations.
On all special purpose caravans (5th wheels, travel trailers…) imported or registered after the 29th of October 2014, require an Individual Vehicle Approval certificate.
That certificate belongs to the caravan and the seller is required to hand it to the buyer on handover (along with all ownership documents). If your caravan was built or registered after that date and does not have one, it most likely isn’t road legal — please check with the DVSA if necessary.
Fifthwheels should be fitted with an approved braking system (NOT the American Electric Brakes with a controller mounted in the cab of the tow vehicle.) It should also have a mechanical hand brake with brake-away.
All gas and electrical systems should be certified for your safety as a lot of importers just use USA brakes with no handbrake and fit a transformer and sockets on 110V USA cabling or use 110V cabling for 220V!
Can I tow a fifth wheel when I’m over 70 years old?
Provided you have BE entitlement, you will be able to tow the fifth wheels mentioned in the reply to the first question (ie. EuroCruiser, KountryLite…).
When you reach 70 you will have to take a medical every year to keep your CE category on your driving license.
This means that you may not be able to drive a larger UK/European or American motorhome but you can tow a caravan or fifthwheel as long as your tow vehicle does not exceed 3500kg GVWR as this requires the BE category on your licence, which you keep.
