Three separate checks
Check your driving entitlement, the technical limits of both vehicles, and the speed permitted for the combination.
A higher licence category does not increase the car’s towing capacity. Maximum authorised mass (MAM), recorded in the registration documents, is not the same as the actual loaded weight.
The two Class B routes
| Licence | Maximum authorised mass |
|---|---|
| B | Car ≤ 3500 kg; Trailer ≤ 750 kg |
| B | Trailer > 750 kg; Combined ≤ 3500 kg |
| B96 | Combined ≤ 4250 kg |
| BE | Trailer ≤ 3500 kg |
Current BE entitlement; check codes on older licences. Vehicle and trailer technical limits are separate checks.
- For an ordinary Class B car, the car’s MAM is at most 3,500 kg.
- A trailer with a MAM of 750 kg or less is allowed even when the combined MAM exceeds 3,500 kg: 3,000 + 750 = 3,750 kg is an example.
- If the trailer’s MAM exceeds 750 kg, the combined MAM must not exceed 3,500 kg.
- Leaving a heavy trailer empty does not reduce its registered MAM for this licence check.
Code 96 and BE
Class B with code 96 permits a combined MAM of up to 4,250 kg.
Standard modern BE entitlement allows a trailer with a MAM up to 3,500 kg within the category’s limits. Check older entitlements and special codes separately. A car rated at 2,500 kg plus a trailer rated at 1,500 kg totals 4,000 kg: outside ordinary B, potentially within B96. The car’s technical towing limits still apply.
Check the actual combination
- Enter both registration numbers and your licence category in the Statens vegvesen trailer calculator.
- Compare the result with the registration documents: towing limit, train weight, axle loads, payload and coupling load all matter.
- Passengers, luggage and the trailer’s nose load use the car’s available payload.
- If you do not know the loaded weights, have the combination weighed rather than estimating from appearance.
80 km/h and Tempo 100
The ordinary trailer ceiling is 80 km/h, with lower road limits and conditions taking precedence.
Tempo 100 requires trailer approval and a towing car that meets the certificate’s conditions. These cover matters such as ABS, weights, equipment, tyres, documentation and inspections. An unbraked trailer is not automatically excluded from every Tempo 100 combination; check the official criteria. Approval never permits 100 km/h on a road limited to 70.
Before moving off
- Check the coupling lock, required safety cable, electrical connection, lights, tyres and load restraints.
- Follow the trailer instructions for load distribution and do not exceed the permitted nose load.
- Ensure an adequate rearward view, adding suitable mirrors if needed.
- Allow more space for braking and turning.
- If the trailer sways or the coupling behaves unusually, stop safely and address the cause instead of testing it at higher speed.
