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How can I check my car is suitable for towing?
If you are planning to tow a caravan or trailer, it is very important to know what your car is capable of. Before buying a caravan or trailer, you will need to check whether your car is able to tow equipment and, if it is, you will have to make sure the equipment is within the weight allowances set out by your vehicle’s manufacturer. Towing capacity will vary between makes and models of car so, to ensure you are towing safely and legally, it’s vital you check your individual car’s limits.
How do I find out my car’s towing capacity?
To find out what your individual car’s towing capacity is, you will need to locate the Vehicle Identification Number plate (VIN plate). Generally, this will be found in a door frame or under your bonnet and can be identified as a sticker or metal plate with a table of numbers on it. Your vehicle’s handbook will tell you where you can find your VIN plate. It should be noted that your vehicle’s handbook and online manufacturer information about towing capacities aren’t necessarily specific to your car, and so you shouldn’t solely rely on these when looking for your car’s towing capacity.
The VIN plate’s table of numbers will comprise of 3 or 4 weights, and it is here that you can find out how much weight your own vehicle is able to tow. Most vehicles will have 4 rows of weights:
– Line 1: the gross vehicle weight – this is the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of your vehicle, including passengers, fuel and loads
– Line 2: gross train weight – this is the combined MAM of your vehicle and any trailer
– Line 3: maximum front axle load
– Line 4: maximum rear axle load
To find out the weight of trailer or caravan you can tow, you simply need to subtract the line 1 weight from the line 2 weight. For example, if your VIN plate’s line 1 is 2,500 kg and line 2 is 4,500 kg, your car’s maximum towing capacity will be 2,000 kg eg.
4,500 kg – 2,500 kg = 2,000 kg
Vehicles which aren’t approved for towing
Not all cars are designed for towing. There a various types of car which won’t be able to tow anything; performance cars, sports cars, small city cars and some hybrids are not deemed suitable by their manufacturer for towing. If your car isn’t approved for towing, the value in line 2 for gross train weight will either be zero or removed completely, leaving you with only three values on your VIN plate’s table.
Towbar2U provide customers across the UK with a high quality towbar fitting service. Our mobile fitting service is exceptionally convenient, with our skilled and well-trained experts coming to a location which suits you to carry out the installation. With many years of experience behind us and a strong reputation, you rely on us for a safe, efficient and competitively price towbar installation. Don’t hesitate to get in touch today with any enquiries or visit our areas covered page to find your local fitter.
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Our Reviews
Amazingly efficient and more importantly personable service from both the administrator, Rebekah, who booked my fitting (and was both knowledgeable and charming), and also the fitter, Neal, who did the job rapidly and tidily in the car park while I was seeing patients, and was happy to wait until I was free to come out and review his work. The whole process, including booking, fitting, and workmanship, was exemplary. This company deserves a 6th star.
Found towbar2u on Google when I searched for towbar fitting in County Durham enquired via email to get a quick response from Rebekah with all the quotes and details I needed I then rang and booked the appointment with Rebekah was booked and done within the week great service Simon came out and fitted the towbar would highly reccomend this company
Arrived when arranged. Did a great job. Cost was reasonable. Good warranty on towbar. Would use again.
3rd time I’ve used these guys. Excellent service, friendly and efficient. Highly recommend. Smooth fitting right from booking to installation. Excellent.
Good service, good price and neatly installed!
Absolutely brilliant service, Josh was really thorough and has made an amazing job on our car. In addition to his work, he's a lovely chap, very professional but also really friendly. I'd definitely recommend Towbar2U
This is my first try out at towing a caravan. The fitter was excellent, and he gave me some good advice, tips, I am very pleased with the towbar so far, very good.
Absolutely fantastic service from start to finish. I booked over the phone and paid in advance. I did have to change the fitting date which was handled professionally. Everything was done within an afternoon. The towbar is a removable one which is easy to fit and remove by following the instructions. Very highly recommended
Really happy with this company, the price was really competitive and the product was really good. The technician was a very nice and explained everything to me very well. He went the extra mile to make sure I was happy with the tow bar. Very professional and very thorough. Excellent 👍
Great job at a great price. They helped me understand which towbar I needed, and answered my many many questions!! Would definitely recommend
Excellent, lovely people to deal with, did a great job.
Brilliant service