SusanB Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 SOS Is the curb weight of a car the same as towing capacity ? Will a car with a towing capacity of 1600 pull a caravan MTPLM 1420. All seems very complicated to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swirly182 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 No not the same. What's the car? Quote 2018 Octavia vRS 245 TSI Estate & 2016 Adria Altea 552 DT Tamar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanB Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Thank you for your reply BMW series 3 320D M Sport 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swirly182 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Is it a saloon or estate and what year? Initially though I think it should be ok with a 1420kg caravan. Quote 2018 Octavia vRS 245 TSI Estate & 2016 Adria Altea 552 DT Tamar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanB Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 4 minutes ago, swirly182 said: Is it a saloon or estate and what year? Initially though I think it should be ok with a 1420kg caravan. Its a saloon 2016 Its a saloon, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swirly182 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) Difficult to establish the exact kerb weight of your car. Have a look at your owners manual. I tow a 1420kg MTPLM caravan with a car that's lighter than the 3 Series without an issue. I would also input the car and caravan details into this site: https://towcar.info/ Edited June 16, 2020 by swirly182 Quote 2018 Octavia vRS 245 TSI Estate & 2016 Adria Altea 552 DT Tamar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanB Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Will do that. Thank you Swirly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1957 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) Have a look at the car VIN plate and the car V5C registration document. On the VIN plate are the car gross weight and the car + trailer max train weight. On the V5C it will give the car max trailer weight and the car mass in service. To get the car max tow weight use the figure from the V5C which should also be the same as the max train weight minus the car gross weight. The car kerb weight is often the mass in service minus 75 kg for the driver. If you passed your driving test after 1997 to tow a train weight above 3500 kg needs a trailer towing test so you have B+E on your driving licence. If you passed before 1997 you will have this anyway. The 3500 kg limit is based on the car gross weight from the VIN plate plus the caravan MTPLM so if you do not have B+E then you can not tow at above 3500 kg. With your caravan having MTPLM of 1420 kg this means if your car gross weight is above 2080 kg you need B+E on your licence. A quick search suggests your car might have a gross weight of 2085 kg - if so you will need the B+E licence. Edited June 16, 2020 by Paul1957 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleL Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I wondered where you look , I worried about mine , I only have a 1.2 turbo but it pulls it fine . Its not a small 2 birth but not a big one either . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezzerb Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 The legal towing capacity of your car will be published by the manufacturer. You can legally tow this weight if your licence let's you. Whether you should is a big debate. Obviously people worry about van v car weight. If the van is heavier than the kerbweight of the car people worry about it taking over ie snaking. So the recommendation is to tow around 85% of kerbweight but of course its not an exact science. Beware tow ball limit of car and what the van exerts too. Maybe do a towing course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodentop Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 (edited) I would suggest the OP also does some checking in more depth. There are some models of BMW 3 series that are not rated for towing - homologated is the technical term - so using a non rated vehicle for towing is illegal, period (aside from any damage it may do to the chassis.) The giveaway will be the vehicle plate - usually found these days on one of the front door pillars - which will be missing the gross train weight figure. A quick check on towingcapacity.co.uk suggests that yours is a 2005-2011 model and is approved for towing. Edited June 17, 2020 by Woodentop Quote 2018 Passat B8 Estate 150GT TDi150 towing a 2018 Bailey Unicorn S4 Seville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispMan Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 5 minutes ago, Woodentop said: A quick check on towingcapacity.co.uk suggests that yours is a 2005-2011 model and is approved for towing. But she states it is a 2016 model. Quote Graham Unless otherwise stated all posts are my personal opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Something to bear in mind OP is that a relatively high sided caravan is likely to have very different towing characteristics to say a low flat bed trailer of the equivalent weight. 2 Quote Living the dream, well more of a nightmare if the truth be known ~ Griff Wheels at the front ~ Discovery 4 Towing Machine Wheels at the back ~ 4 of ‘em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 11 hours ago, SusanB said: SOS Is the curb weight of a car the same as towing capacity ? Put simply, the kerbweight is the weight of the towcar, towing capacity is the maximum weight of any trailer (caravan) it can pull legally. 11 hours ago, SusanB said: Will a car with a towing capacity of 1600 pull a caravan MTPLM 1420. All seems very complicated to me In principle a 1420kg trailer (caravan) is fine regarding stability behind a 1600kg towcar but you would need to refer to the technical specifications of your specific towcar to find what its towing capacity is (any trailer you tow must not exceed this figure). You may find the information on our website beneficial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodentop Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 1 hour ago, WispMan said: But she states it is a 2016 model. I missed that. If indeed it is a 2016 model then the same table says it has a towing capacity of 1800Kg - in which case why are we discussing it at all? Quote 2018 Passat B8 Estate 150GT TDi150 towing a 2018 Bailey Unicorn S4 Seville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OWOMW Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 As said earlier, the best estimate of kerbweight is "mass in service" stated on the registration document (V5c). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezzerb Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Because the question was is kerbweight the same as towing capacity-which it isn't and it waranted a bit of an explanation. The info on the gov website about towing is quite hard to fathom! Hopefully we've clarified it a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildwood Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 You need to refer to the manufacturers hand book. The manufacturer will set a towing limit and it can be lower than the cars weight where the car has one of the lower powered engines in the range. What you need to establish is the kerb weight, this is the unladen weight of the car with all liquids, a three quarter full fuel tank and an additional 75 kg for the driver and some luggage. Towing a caravan weighing in excess of this carries serious risks and 85% of the kerb weight is recommended for beginners, although I think the majority of us would accept a bit higher figure. If the car manufacturer gives a maximum towing weight of less than the kerb weight, that lower figure is the maximum it can tow legally. The maximum weight of the caravan is shown as the MTPLM. It will probably not affect you but if the total gross laden weight of the vehicle and the MTPLM of the caravan exceeds 3,500 kg you need a B+ E qualification on your licence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madasmad Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 On 16/06/2020 at 20:50, SusanB said: SOS Is the curb weight of a car the same as towing capacity ? Will a car with a towing capacity of 1600 pull a caravan MTPLM 1420. All seems very complicated to me The kerb weight of your car is @1580kg (check this on your V5) which gives you a match of @90% which is a little on the high side for a beginner. However think about getting dedicated towbar electrics, ATC on the caravan and a towing course before you start towing anger as this will help no end. Remember if you got your license after 1997 then you will need to take a further test to tow this outfit. Quote 2020 Swift Eccles 650 towed by Range Rover Vogue SE SDV8 4.4 "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lutz Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 15 hours ago, Wildwood said: What you need to establish is the kerb weight, this is the unladen weight of the car with all liquids, a three quarter full fuel tank and an additional 75 kg for the driver and some luggage. Without wishing to be too pedantic, but kerbweight is defined with a full fuel tank and no driver. Mass in running order (or mass in service as the V5c calls it) is with 75kg for the driver and a 90% full fuel tank. Edited June 18, 2020 by Lutz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WispMan Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 58 minutes ago, Lutz said: Without wishing to be too pedantic, but...... Let's hope the OP Susan returns to read these but I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. 2 Quote Graham Unless otherwise stated all posts are my personal opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 I hope you have looked at your V5 or contacted BMW for accurate info. There are too many differences between the cars to give an accurate figure on here , however going by your figure of 1600 kg . max towing weight for a series 3 , that would give a kerb weight of 1495 kg. which would give 1270 kg. @ 85%. 1 Quote Happy Days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lutz Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, joanie said: I hope you have looked at your V5 or contacted BMW for accurate info. There are too many differences between the cars to give an accurate figure on here , however going by your figure of 1600 kg . max towing weight for a series 3 , that would give a kerb weight of 1495 kg. which would give 1270 kg. @ 85%. It would be futile to expect an accurate figure from the V5c because it doesn't show the actual weight of the car in question, but only the weight of a representative vehicle of the same model in basic trim, that was submitted for type approval. Depending on the availability of factory fitted options, a variance of over 100kg can be expected. For that reason, the V5c figure can only be treated as a rough guide. An accurate figure for your car, if documented at all, will only be found as item 13.2 in the Certificate of Conformity which was issued by the manufacturer with the vehicle. However, it seems rare that this certificate is passed on to the customer in the UK. In other countries it is necessary for the owner to be able to register the vehicle. Edited June 18, 2020 by Lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hort2074 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 18 minutes ago, Lutz said: An accurate figure for your car, if documented at all, will only be found as item 13.2 in the Certificate of Conformity which was issued by the manufacturer with the vehicle. However, it seems rare that this certificate is passed on to the customer in the UK. In other countries it is necessary in order to be able to register the vehicle. That is very interesting. I wonder if, when buying a new car in the UK, one could ask for it? Quote 2016 Audi Q7 3. 0 - Towing a 2012 Sterling Elite Emerald Persistent Love2Stay user Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lutz Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Hort2074 said: That is very interesting. I wonder if, when buying a new car in the UK, one could ask for it? I believe that if it isn't supplied with the car one is entitled to the certificate upon request, referencing the VIN number of the vehicle in question. You would certainly need it if the car is taken to another country to be registered there, as many an expat has found out. Edited June 18, 2020 by Lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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