I am finally due to take the plunge and get myself setup for caravanning. We are expecting to get a caravan with a 1350-1400kg mltpm, my issue is that my wife passed her test after 1997 so is restricted with what weight she can tow (she is not interested in taking another test so upgrading her licence is out). The towcar will be used as our everyday car so would need to have reasonable solo fuel economy figures as well as being automatic.
We would family sized car as we have 2 teenage daughters. Our budget will be around £5000. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what models to look for and perhaps more importantly, what to avoid?
You may have problem. Your wife's licence allows her to tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
The MAM of your caravan is the MTPLM, 1350kg to 1400kg.
The MAM of the car is the Maximum Authorised Mass which is the maximum weight it can be when full loaded. This will be shown on the plate on the car probably on the drivers door pillar.
For a stable outfit you want the caravan MTPLM to be no more the 85% or the cars kerb weight so are looking for a kerb weight of 1588kg to 1647kg.
So kerb weight plus caravan MTPLM will be 2938 to 3047.
This leaves you a car with a payload of 562kg to 453kg.
You are looking for a car with a MAM of 2150kg to 2100kg but with a kerb weight as above. You might find one but it will be close.
Look at 'family estate' cars such as VW Passat, Ford Mondeo, Skoda Superb, Audi A4 etc, but as Navver says, if you're looking for a caravan with a MTPLM of up to 1400kg you're going to be sailing close to the wind with a 'Category B' licence.
Taking as an example the Passat estate 2.0 TDI (2015-present) - partly because I have one so it's easy for me to check the weights and partly because it's a brilliant car both towing and solo driving. In automatic guise its MAM is 2180kg, meaning that the MTPLM of your chosen caravan would need to be 1320kg or less in order for your wife to be able to tow it legally.
It's important to note that licence requirements are based on maximum weight capacities and NOT actual weights.
The '85% recommendation' is a lot more vague. Both of the main caravanning clubs recommend that the ACTUAL towed weight (note: not necessarily the MTPLM) should not exceed 85% for those new to towing, but that this ratio can be increased to 100% for "experienced" caravanners. Define "experienced"? That's a genuine suggestion, because nobody else has.
This recommendation has no legal basis and is based, as far as I can tell, on very limited research that is now several decades old. Whilst I agree that it's a matter of common sense for the caravan to weigh less than the towing vehicle, it's certainly not the case that at 84% you're guaranteed to be safe and that at 86%, or even 90%, you're bound to have problems.
The other limit you need to bear in mind is the manufacturer's towing limit, which it is illegal to exceed. For most larger cars, especially those with reasonably powerful diesel engines, the towing limit is often well in excess of the weight of the car itself. However, the limits are determined (a) using trailers and not high-sided caravans and (b) based on the weight that the car can physically move from a standstill on repeated hill starts - not necessarily what will be stable at motorway speeds.
The best advice I can give is, once you've found a suitable car and caravan is to make a few weekend trips with the caravan lightly loaded to get a feel for towing it. As you gain a bit more experience and confidence you can start loading it more heavily for longer holidays.
Good luck!
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
Just a word of warning too, we bought a new van having worked out that our 1.6 S-max could tow our new caravan - slightly over the 85% (about 87%) but hubby has towed caravans before so assured me that would be fine. All was good for the first couple of outings which were 2-3 nights. When we went away for a week and added a roof box, extra clothes, camping chairs, wind breaks etc we discovered to our dismay that going up hill was an effort, and the outfit slowed to less than 30mph - even on the motorway, which was not good! The 1.6 engine just didn't have the power needed. We have recently had to upgrade our car to a 2 litre Galaxy which we know has the power to tow it much more comfortably.
Finally, after several months of looking for a caravan and towcar as well as moving home we have got our outfit.
We are now the proud owners of a 2015 Mitsubishi ASX 2.2 Auto and a 2012 Elddis Xplore 504.
This worked out really well as the car is automatic so my wife can drive it and the combined max weight is 3380 so there is no need for a B+E licence!!
Now we just need to stock it and find somewhere to go for a weekend to try it out.
Many thanks for all the replies.
Post last edited on 04/01/2019 22:47:57
------------- Lots of little people doing lots of little things can change the world!
please be very very careful when packing the caravan, your van weighs 1315 max when fully loaded, yet your car is only allowed 1400kgs max for towing with, 85 kgs is far to close for comfort for most of us, we know how easy it is to exceed this esp as a few years pass by and the caravan accumulates the odd bits and pieces.
also when packing the caravan you need to watch the nose weight as your car has a max of 75kgs
Quote: Originally posted by moorlander999 on 04/1/2019
the caravan club has a car / van section on its website....where weights / hp can be matched etc....
That facility is only open for use by members.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Quote: Originally posted by mjl7972 on 04/1/2019
Finally, after several months of looking for a caravan and towcar as well as moving home we have got our outfit.
We are now the proud owners of a 2015 Mitsubishi ASX 2.2 Auto and a 2012 Elddis Xplore 504.
This worked out really well as the car is automatic so my wife can drive it and the combined max weight is 3380 so there is no need for a B+E licence!!
Now we just need to stock it and find somewhere to go for a weekend to try it out.
Many thanks for all the replies.
Post last edited on 04/01/2019 22:47:57
I can assure you you will find the ASX a brilliant towcar. Enjoy.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Looking for some towcar recommendations
