Can Your Car Tow a Trailer? Licence Codes, Towing Capacity and Safety

Two separate questions decide whether you can tow a trailer: are you allowed to (your driving licence and the law), and can your car do it safely (its towing capacity and set-up). This guide covers both.

Please note: this article is general information, not legal advice. The rules come from the National Road Traffic Act and its regulations, which can change. Always confirm your own situation with the official sources listed at the end, or with your local licensing department or testing station.

Part 1: What the law says (legal requirements)

Your licence code

In South Africa your driving licence code limits the trailer you may tow. As the rules are widely summarised by motoring organisations:

• Code B allows you to tow a light trailer with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of up to 750 kg.
• Code EB is needed to tow a trailer with a GVM over 750 kg, with the combination staying within the limits of the EB code.

The trailer’s GVM is its maximum permitted mass when fully loaded — not what it weighs empty. You will usually find the tare (empty mass) and GVM on the trailer’s licence disc or a plate on the drawbar.

On Trailer To Go every listing shows the licence category the trailer needs, and the booking asks you to confirm your licence before you can book.

Trailer mass compared with your car

The law also links the trailer’s mass to your vehicle’s tare (empty) mass. Motoring bodies summarise it like this:

• A trailer without brakes may not have a GVM of more than half of the towing vehicle’s tare, and never more than 750 kg.
• For a trailer with brakes, the trailer’s mass is limited in relation to the towing vehicle’s tare as well.

Your vehicle’s tare is on its licence disc and registration papers.

Roadworthy and licensed

A trailer used on a public road must be licensed (with a valid licence disc) and roadworthy, with working lights, indicators and brake lights, and the reflective tape required on its sides and rear.

Part 2: Can your car do it? (manufacturer limits)

Even when the law allows it, your car has its own limits, set by the manufacturer. Look in the owner’s manual for:

• Maximum towing capacity — usually two figures, one for an unbraked trailer and a higher one for a braked trailer.
• Maximum tow-ball (nose) weight — how much downward weight the tow bar may carry.
• Gross combination mass (GCM) — the most that the car, the trailer and everything in both may weigh together.

Use the lowest of the legal limit and the manufacturer’s limit. Also make sure the tow bar itself is rated for the load.

Part 3: Practical towing safety (general advice)

The tips below are good practice rather than legal rules:

1. Check before you go: coupling locked onto the ball, safety chain attached, jockey wheel fully up, lights and indicators working, tyre pressures correct on the car and the trailer.
2. Load it right: heavy items low and slightly forward of the axle, so there is some weight on the tow ball but not too much. A trailer that is too light at the front can sway.
3. Tie everything down and cover loose loads.
4. Drive smoothly: keep your speed down, double your following distance, brake earlier and take corners wider.
5. If the trailer starts to sway, ease off the accelerator gently and keep the steering straight — do not brake hard or swerve.
6. Stop and check the straps and coupling after the first few kilometres.

Where to check the official rules

• The National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996) and the National Road Traffic Regulations, published on the South African Government website: www.gov.za
• The Department of Transport: www.transport.gov.za
• Arrive Alive, the national road-safety information site: www.arrivealive.mobi
• Your local licensing department or driving licence testing centre, especially if you want to get a code EB licence.

When you know what you may tow, find a trailer that suits your licence and vehicle.