Towing rules?

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guineafowl21

Well-Known Member
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Inverness
Hi all,

Can anyone clarify the law relating to towing a car in the UK? I heard a few years ago ropes were out, but I still see them for sale. Can you use a rope? Does the towed car need an MoT? I've looked around but seen many different interpretations.
 
If all of the wheels of the car are on the road it needs MOT and Tax.

If you are towing on a towing dolly or A Frame it classes as a trailer and you must obide by the trailer laws

Easiest solution is to put it on a trailer, but, then you'll need a trailer towing licence depending on when you obtained your test.

See:

Weights and Age:
https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

towing cars on a A frame of a Dolly:

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/towing-equipment

A Frame and Dolly dedicated fact sheet:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ent_data/file/408927/a-frames-and-dollies.pdf

The above are the articals from the Government website so are the best advice to go with. Anything else you read on the web just be careful with.
 
You can use a tow rope legally as far as I'm aware. Rigid towing poles are somewhat safer as they eliminate snatching. With a rope the driver of the towed vehicle should use the brakes to keep tension in the rope.

Apart from not being able to move under its own steam, the towed vehicle needs to be otherwise roadworthy. Legally you should also have a big 'on tow' sign in the rear window. Hazard lights might be useful to warn other drivers, but remember to switch them off if you need to indicate.
 
"If you are towing on a towing dolly or A Frame it classes as a trailer and you must obide by the trailer laws"

Except if the wheels of the car being towed are on the ground it must be MOt/TAX/INSURED.- it doesnt become a trailer just because 2 wheels are off the ground.

more so if it a trailer then it should have brakes that operate with the vehicles brakes unless its the weight of something like a reliant kitten.

mean while in the real world i was towed home last night with a 30mm ratchet strap :d
 
In a nutshell, using an a frame or dolly needs you to jump thru so many hoops that make it virtually impossible to do so legally . That leaves using a rope or rigid bar , in which case the vehicle needs mot , insurance and tax . Taking things further , using a ropeif the power braking isnt operational might lead to problems particularly in event of an accident , with a rigid bar the braking would most likely be computed including contribution from the towing vehicle.
Another factor is inclusion on your insurance of towing a broken down vehicle .
Hazard flashers as mentioned are for stationary use only .
 
brian47 said:
People think that using hazard flashers are helpful in the case of towing, and yes they might be - but in law, hazard flashers should only be used on a stationary vehicle and should not be shown on a moving vehicle.
Click to expand...

going back a few years, the law on slower moving vehicles required a flashing beacon if on a main road and the vehicle was doing less than 13 mph I believe.

seems all the emergancy vehicles use flashing beacons at whatever speed they do while towing, and yes, I admit its not hazard flashers.

I use a flashing beacon when I tow another vehicle, purely to warn others I am towing on a quite short really, towing pole, but as purchased as for purpose from machine mart..

a big old discovery with a small car like a VW polo can hide the towed car looking from the front...

plus more give way at roundabouts and crossings..

oh, yes, I also carry ropes and heavy duty ratchet straps too..
as I is an Essex LZIR person..
 
Last edited:
Ropes and bars can only be used for emergency recovery, if you are setting out from a fixed location with the plan to tow like that then that is not allowed.
 
Bit of a can of worms :confused:
A trailer is the answer if you are towing any distance, though you can use a bar/rope/strap to remove a disabled vehicle 'to a point of safety' ie off the hard shoulder to a layby/service area. If the disabled vehicle's wheels are in contact with the road said vehicle must be fully road-legal & controlled by a qualified driver. Contrary to popular opinion a dolly is not legal as the outfit then becomes an 'un-braked trailer' & therefore cannot weigh more than 750kg (although I believe authorised recovery operators have some dispensation) If you have a few hours to spare, the rules can be found on the government's website :rolleyes:
 
This is from the Police National Legal Database:

"When the vehicles are attached solely by a rope or chain, the maximum distance allowed between the vehicles is 4.5 metres.

If the distance between the two vehicles exceeds 1.5 metres then the rope or chain must be made clearly visible within a reasonable distance from either side to other road users. This is usually done by tying a coloured flapping cloth in the middle of the rope or chain.

The person in the broken down vehicle must be a qualified driver as he is actually driving the vehicle. A further point is that if it is dark then the broken down vehicle must have its lights on as it would under normal circumstances."

Note: Vehicles are only to be towed on motorways, for the minimum distance necessary, to reach a place of safety where recovery may be effected by a recovery vehicle.

And from Avon & Somerset Police Website :

There is no minimum length of tow rope or chain but the maximum length is 4.5m. Any tow rope longer than 1.5m must be marked to alert other road users. One way of doing this is to attach one or more brightly coloured ties to the rope. The law does not specify the type of rope or chain to be used.
 
this is my towing pole..
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/tb-2-towing-bar

but to stop the "slack" in the connection at each end, I insert a pre cut piece of thick rubber folded back on itself and held by a tielock..
it really makes a more pleasent tow without the over run bangs and on take up of tension while towing, while still leaving the connection free to move about.

note the pole comes with a bit of flappy red flag attached...
 
Thanks all. As far as I can gather, then, you can use a rope to tow a road-legal car, as long as you have an 'on tow' sign in the back and the rope has a flag if over 1.5m and is less than 4.5m long in any case.

As for whether you can deliberately tow a car from one place to another (i.e. not just a motorway breakdown), I guess we'll have to leave that to the discretion of the attending officers (!). I imagine politeness and charm will go a long way here...
 
ive used a dolly to tow my mgtf before, worked well and a blind eye seems to be applied to them (though I am glad i didnt have an accident). The ones used by recovery services are properly braked (unlike the crap usually bought on ebay)

I have also used an A frame to tow a shogun when it broke down. worked ok but i would rather not do it again

just hire a trailer ffs. its so much easier.
 
livers said:
You should tell our bin men..........beacons and hazards!!!!! you don't know where they are turning, but it don't matter any way 'cos they sit in the middle of the road so you couldn't pass even if you knew.:mad:
Click to expand...
builders also use hazards whilst moving to signify they are about to stop suddenly and abandon their vehicle outside a chip shop
 
i've a framed loads of stuff, it's designed as a one man recovery device to a place of safety, better than having a driver with no experence of being towed (but in reality i've used it to tow a 106 from essex to north wales) as long as the cars are tidy and you are using a big car to tow a small car the police dont take much intrest
 
whilst waiting at my local MOT place last winter, I noticed a small french made car that had a handbrake wire loop poking out the front, then noticed to strong metal "fixing points" for an A frame.
turns out the car does minimal driving but get towed behind a big motorhome untill at point of stopping / holidaying.
the wired hook was the adapted handbrake cable "extra" that connected to the over run brake on the A frame when fitted....
it also had a front mounted trailor board plug socket that powered the little cars lights when on tow....
a simple solution to a legal need if at home or continental travelling......
 
but its not legal as only the rear wheels are braked......

edit....but if its really small <750kg it doesnt need brakes at all
 
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