Quote:
Originally Posted by Ern
Legally, you must not tow a caravan with a plated MTPLM exceeding the plated towing limit of the car. The towing limit of the car is shown on the plate on the B post. Deduct the Highest number from the second highest number and it will probably be 1800Kg in your case. These are the figures which would be used in law, or by the authorities carrying out a spot check.
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Not quite correct - it's the actual weight of the caravan (or any type of trailer) that counts when it comes to assessing vehicle towing capacity. The MTPLM is the heaviest weight a caravan can be (fully loaded) - it's a technical limit. If a the Police or DVSA intend to prosecute or issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for towing excess weight - they first have to establish factually what that weight is - either the car, caravan or combination.
This is general legislation pertaining to towing, it's not specific for caravans, many HGV trailers have maximum technical weights substantially above that of the towing unit.
The DVSA do tend to deduct the maximum gross weight of the car (not always stamped but same as both axle weights added) from the Maximum Authorised Mass to arrive that the maximum towing weight by the roadside but this isn't always correct, to take proceedings they would need to check the manufacturer specified towing capacity (the calculation does work for most modern Volvo though).