If you are looking into food trailer or food truck (a towed trailer), what matters most is what is recorded in your documents – not how much the combination “actually weighs today”.
These two values are key:
- Maximum permissible gross vehicle weight (car)
- Maximum permissible gross trailer weight
These “paper maximums” are then used to assess whether a B licenceis enough, or whether you need B96 / BE.
1) Glossary: what GVW and GTW mean (and why it matters)
In foreign specifications you will often come across:
- GVW / GVM = the same as our maximum permissible gross vehicle weight (car)
- GTW / GTM (sometimes GCW) = the same as our maximum permissible gross combination weight (car + trailer)
In the rest of the article, I will only use these plain terms.
2) When a B licence is enough (and why a lighter trailer sometimes “saves” the combination)
Option A: trailer up to 750 kg (max. permissible gross trailer weight)
If the trailer weighs up to 750 kg, a B licence is usually fine (if the towing vehicle is up to 3 500 kg).
This is why it is great that there are now also unbraked trailers up to 750 kg (e.g. the more compact Rounder solutions) – so many people do not need to deal with further licence extensions.
Important: even with trailers up to 750 kg, you must still meet the technical limits of the car and tow bar (see below).
Option B: trailer over 750 kg, but combination up to 3 500 kg
A category B licence can be enough even for trailers over 750 kg, provided the maximum permissible gross combination weight (car + trailer) does not exceed 3 500 kg.
In practice: this is why smaller single-axle trailers with a max. permissible gross weight of e.g. 1 250 kg or 1 500 kg make sense – if you pair them with a “lighter on paper” car, you can often stay within B.
Option C: B96 (when you are between 3 500 and 4 250 kg)
If the trailer is over 750 kg and the combination is over 3 500 kg, but up to 4 250 kg, the solution is B96 (code 96 / special training).
Option D: BE (when you go even higher)
If your combination goes higher, the solution is usually BE.
3) The most practical “B-friendly” scenarios (how to stay within B)
Here are a few clear examples based on the “paper maximums”:
1) The simplest: trailer up to 750 kg
- Car up to 3 500 kg + trailer up to 750 kg → usually B.
2) 1 250 kg trailer + lighter car
- Car 2 250 kg + trailer 1 250 kg = 3 500 kg → B
3) 1 500 kg trailer + an even lighter car
- Car 2 000 kg + trailer 1 500 kg = 3 500 kg → B
If you are just over 3 500 kg, the simplest step is often B96 (up to 4 250 kg).
4) A licence is not enough: you must also check the technical limits of the car and the tow bar
Even if your licence checks out, the technical parameters must also fit:
- maximum permissible weight of a braked/unbraked trailerthat the car is allowed to tow,
- maximum permissible gross combination weight (car + trailer),
- as well as the parameters of the tow bar, in particular:
- vertical load on the tow ball (nose weight / vertical load).
At Gastronova, most of our trailers typically have a drawbar nose weight on the tow ball of max. 120 kg – which is why we always recommend checking that your tow bar (and car) is rated for at least this value.
5) Examples of “on paper lighter” diesel cars that can help you stay within B
Below are brief examples of models whose specifications list relatively lower maximum permissible gross vehicle weights (note: this varies by version/year – always check the specific vehicle in its documents):
Smaller diesel SUVs (indicative examples)
- Dacia Duster 1.5 dCi – max. permissible gross vehicle weight 1840 kg (in the given version).
- Suzuki Vitara 1.6 DDiS – max. permissible gross vehicle weight 1870 kg (in the given version).
- Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi – max. permissible gross vehicle weight 1910 kg (in the given version).
Small diesel van (a practical choice for events)
- VW Caddy Cargo 2.0 TDI – the brochure states a max. permissible gross vehicle weight of 2220 kg and a braked towing capacity of 1500 kg (specific versions).
These examples are mainly meant to illustrate the principle: when a car is lighter “on paper”, it is easier to stay within the B limits with trailers of 1250–1500 kg.
6) What is worth doing before you decide (the shortest route)
- Find out the maximum permissible gross trailer weight (from the trailer documents).
- Find out the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight + towing limits (from the car documents).
- Add up the “paper maximums” and assess: B / B96 / BE according to the rules above.
- Check the tow bar parameters, including the vertical load on the tow ball.