Towing in a car that has no Gross Train Weight

fwor

Does anyone here know of a definitive source for the rules on this subject?

It's fairly easy to find a statement in the UK Government guidance on towing (https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/weight-and-width-limits), but the wording is odd - because it uses the words "should not" when I would expect it to say "shall not".

The statement that's published online is "If your VIN plate does not list a train weight, you should not use your vehicle for towing".

Can this wording be interpreted as "you can, but you should not"? I.e. is it legally enforceable?

Martin_the_Unjust

Your car manual will list the maximum towing weight, its almost certainly less than you think.

fwor

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81948864#Comment_81948864

It has no towing weight limit. That's the point of my question.

paul_c123

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6662568/towing-in-a-car-that-has-no-gross-train-weight

When was the car manufactured? If it is later than a certain date, and it has a weight plate, and that doesn't have an entry on line 2 (the gross weight), then it cannot legally be used for towing.

Also, cars after 1998 and commercial vehicles after 2010 need to have a type approved towbar and towball to tow. If its not approved for towing, it is very unlikely to have mounting points for this so it becomes slightly academic anyway.

daveyjp

Some vehicles have been tested and approved for towing some haven't - original smart car being one such example which wasn't type approved, many sports cars will be similar, but some smart car owners did tow.

How that would be dealt with in the event of an accident will be down to police and insurers.

fwor

The car was manufactured in 2021. It has no weight plate that I can find. Towbars are available for the vehicle, including TUV approved ones in Germany.

fwor

To re-state the question: Does anyone here know of a definitive source for the rules on towing with a vehicle that has no defined Gross Train Weight?

To be clear, I don't mean that I can't find the GTW for my car. I mean that the car does not have one.

Car_54

Try https://www.towbarexpress.co.uk/maximum-towing-weight?srsltid=AfmBOorrkzYrrtJtxgZ50841kTTpMO5Pv1MFHu5FoPwxCm8RCzM832kq

lincroft1710

What is the make and model of the car?

paul_c123

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81948921#Comment_81948921

If it doesn't have the plate on the car, then it falls back to "manufacturer specification". If that genuinely doesn't exist but the car has defined mounting points for a towbar, there is a towbar which could be fitted, and it is, then it would come down to an argument in court whether it is "overloaded" or not. If it didn't have defined mounting points, then I think there is a strong argument that its not suitable for towing anything.

Ibrahim5

Skoda say that if it's not got a towbar or towbar prep at purchase then it can never be used for towing. A lot of people just ignore it and carry on getting a towbar fitted and towing.