Licence categories
Can I tow a light trailer with a category D licence?
Category D allows a trailer up to 750 kg authorised maximum mass; above that, category DE is required.
A category D bus may tow a trailer with authorised maximum mass no greater than 750 kg. For a trailer above 750 kg, category DE is required. The recorded maximum mass matters, not how heavily the trailer is loaded on a particular trip.
D and DE differ by the trailer’s authorised mass
Category D covers motor vehicles designed to carry more than eight passengers besides the driver. The Highway Code allows these vehicles to tow a trailer whose authorised maximum mass does not exceed 750 kg. If the trailer exceeds that figure, the combination is category DE: a D vehicle with a trailer above 750 kg.
Do not confuse the trailer’s authorised maximum mass with its actual weight on the road. If a trailer is registered for 1,000 kg but is empty, the licence threshold is still based on the authorised figure. The licence category and the bus’s technical towing capacity are separate checks: even with DE, you cannot exceed the masses or towing limits recorded for that vehicle. Verify that the coupling equipment and documents also permit the combination.
For example, a bus with D towing a trailer authorised at exactly 750 kg is within the D limit. If that trailer is rated at 751 kg, even when nearly empty, the driver needs DE for the combination. A trailer weighing 600 kg is not “heavy” for licence purposes if its authorised maximum mass remains within the threshold and the load is otherwise permitted.
Check the bus and the combination
Before using the combination, compare the trailer’s authorised maximum mass with your licence category. Then check the bus’s technical towing limit and any passenger-service requirements. A bus with D is not automatically approved to tow every light trailer: the licence defines what you may drive, while the vehicle documents define what that bus may tow.
Quiz Patente Ufficiale lets you review theory through chapters, exam quizzes and error review. To confirm that a specific bus and trailer are compatible, check their documents and the codes on your licence.
Quiz Patente Ufficiale offers chapters, exam quizzes and error review to review theory.
Frequently asked questions
Does category D allow a trailer rated exactly 750 kg?
Yes, if 750 kg is the trailer’s authorised maximum mass and the bus is technically approved to tow it.
Which licence applies if a bus trailer exceeds 750 kg?
For a D vehicle with a trailer above 750 kg, category DE is required, in addition to meeting the vehicle’s technical limits.