Part 1 of 4 in Trailers & Bicycle carriers
Maximum weight of a trailer behind your car and its number plate
Which licence do you need for a trailer? Learn the B, B+ and BE rules, authorised mass, towing capacity and when to use a white or yellow number plate.
Written by Chris Prosman Reviewed by Dirk van Zuijlen
Updated Reviewed on 5 min read
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Your required licence depends on the maximum authorised masses in the registration documents. Separately check what your car may actually tow. The 750 kg threshold also determines whether the trailer uses a white duplicate plate or its own yellow plate.
Which driving licence do you need to tow a trailer?
It depends on how heavy the trailer is allowed to be. In short:
- Licence B: for a trailer up to 750 kg. Or for a heavier trailer, as long as car and trailer together may weigh no more than 3500 kg.
- B+ (code 96): when car and trailer together may weigh more than 3500 kg and up to 4250 kg.
- BE: for a heavy trailer up to 3500 kg.
It is always about the weight the registration allows, not what is loaded right now. This is the maximum authorised mass: the weight of the empty trailer plus its maximum load.
Which number plate does a trailer need: white or yellow?
The number plate also depends on the trailer’s maximum authorised mass. The limit is 750 kg:
| Picture | Trailer maximum authorised mass | Plate |
|---|---|---|
 | Up to 750 kg | Official white plate with the same number as your car, without the blue EU strip. |
 | More than 750 kg | Its own yellow plate. The trailer is then registered separately. |
Again, it is about what the trailer may weigh, not what is in it now. Never show a white and a yellow plate together. Make sure the plate is firmly attached and easy to read.
How heavy can a trailer be with a B licence?
With a B licence you may always tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of up to 750 kg behind a normal B-category car. Even if the total goes above 3500 kg.
Is the trailer heavier than 750 kg? You can still use B, but only if car and trailer together may weigh 3500 kg at most. Add the maximum authorised mass of the car and of the trailer together.
An example: your car may weigh 1900 kg and the trailer 1500 kg. Together that is 3400 kg. That is allowed with a B licence.
An empty trailer does not suddenly become a light trailer. If it may weigh 1500 kg, you count 1500 kg, even when it is empty today.
Difference between licence B, B+ and BE
| Licence | Trailer | What is allowed together? |
|---|---|---|
| B | Up to 750 kg | Car up to 3500 kg. Together this can reach 4250 kg. |
| B | More than 750 kg | Car and trailer together at most 3500 kg. |
| B+ / code 96 | More than 750 kg | Car and trailer together at most 4250 kg. |
| BE | Up to 3500 kg | Car up to 3500 kg. |
Got your BE before 19 January 2013? Then older, wider rights may apply. What your car can technically tow is always the limit.
Do not confuse code 96 with another Dutch rule: with a B licence you may drive some electric and other alternatively fuelled vehicles up to 4250 kg. That exception applies without a trailer.
How much can your car tow? Finding the towing capacity
Your licence is one thing. Your car must also be allowed to tow the trailer. A BE licence does not increase a small car’s towing capacity.
The towing capacity is on your registration document and in the RDW vehicle check. You will see two numbers: braked (the trailer has its own brakes) and unbraked (no brakes of its own). They can differ a lot.
Also check the towbar, the coupling and the nose weight: how hard the trailer may press down on the towbar. These have limits too.
For overloading, the real weight does count: how much is in the trailer right now and how it is spread over the axles.
Example: a Volkswagen Golf Variant with a trailer
This is how you look everything up for one car. The numbers come from the RDW data of a 2023 Volkswagen Golf Variant. Your car may have different numbers.
| What do you want to know? | Where do you find it? | Golf Variant (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| How much may the car itself weigh, with load? | The car’s registration card, or the RDW vehicle check: toegestane maximum massa voertuig (maximum authorised mass) | 1870 kg |
| How heavy may a trailer with its own brakes be? | RDW vehicle check: maximum massa trekken geremd (braked towing capacity) | 1500 kg |
| How heavy may a trailer without its own brakes be? | RDW vehicle check: maximum massa trekken ongeremd (unbraked towing capacity) | 680 kg |
| How much may car and trailer weigh together? | RDW vehicle check: maximum massa samenstelling (maximum combination mass) | 3370 kg |
| How much may the trailer weigh, with load? | The trailer’s registration document (yellow plate), or the type plate on the trailer | Differs per trailer |
| How hard may the trailer press down on the towbar (nose weight)? | The car’s manual and the plate on the towbar | Differs per car and towbar |
Example 1: you want to tow a braked trailer with a maximum authorised mass of 1500 kg behind this Golf. Together that is 1870 + 1500 = 3370 kg. That is not more than 3500 kg, so a B licence is enough. The car may also tow 1500 kg braked. So it just fits.
Example 2: you have a light trailer without its own brakes. With its load it weighs 740 kg. With a B licence you may tow a trailer up to 750 kg. But this Golf may only tow 680 kg unbraked. So this trailer is too heavy for this car.
Look up your own car’s data with the RDW vehicle check.
Practise like the exam
Example questions like in the CBR exam
Real questions from the Theorio app. You can expect similar questions in your CBR exam.
Question 1 of 5
What color license plate does a trailer with a maximum permitted mass over 750 kg have?
Tap the answer you think is right.
What color is the license plate of a trailer with a maximum permitted mass under 750 kg?
Tap the answer you think is right.
Do trailers with a white license plate have the same letters and numbers as the towing vehicle?
Tap the answer you think is right.
You are transporting cargo. Where can you find the permitted maximum mass of your car?
Tap the answer you think is right.
The combination of car and trailer weighs 3000 kilos. Are you allowed to drive with this?
Tap the answer you think is right.
Answers and explanations for the example questions
Question 1: What color license plate does a trailer with a maximum permitted mass over 750 kg have?
Correct answer: Yellow
Heavier trailers (over 750 kg) receive a yellow license plate with their own registration number. This clearly distinguishes them 🟨🚚.
Question 2: What color is the license plate of a trailer with a maximum permitted mass under 750 kg?
Correct answer: White
Trailers under 750 kg have a white license plate with the same license number as the car. ⚪🚗.
Question 3: Do trailers with a white license plate have the same letters and numbers as the towing vehicle?
Correct answer: Yes
A white license plate has the same letter-number combination as the towing vehicle. 🏷️🔄.
Question 4: You are transporting cargo. Where can you find the permitted maximum mass of your car?
Correct answer: Registration certificate
You can find the permitted maximum mass on the back of the registration certificate. This document belongs to the vehicle and contains all technical data such as weights and towing capacity. Your driving licence only states what you as a driver are allowed to drive, but it does not contain any information about the car itself 📄.
Question 5: The combination of car and trailer weighs 3000 kilos. Are you allowed to drive with this?
Correct answer: Yes
With your driving licence (B) there is an important rule: Everything together must not weigh more than 3,500 kilos. You weigh together 3,000 kilos. That is less than 3,500 kilos. So you remain nicely under the limit. Therefore, you are allowed to drive with this.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to questions that often come up on this subject.
When do you need driving licence BE for a trailer?
When trailer MAM exceeds 750 kg and combined MAM exceeds 3,500 kg, ordinary B is insufficient. Up to 4,250 kg combined MAM, B+ (code 96) may suffice, so BE is not automatically required. BE obtained from 19 January 2013 normally permits a trailer up to 3,500 kg MAM behind a B-category car. Older BE entitlements may be wider. Technical towing and vehicle limits always remain applicable.
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