DEBATE- Towing a car on public road, legalities....

[re2500]

Right, this seems to be a very grey area.
Due to my car being off the road for some time it has No MOT or Tax, i need to get the car to Cardiff to have some work done on it before it can be MOT'd.
I dont want to fork out to hire a trailer to transport it 30 miles.

Here comes the Contradicting information......

My brother has a A frame i can borrow in order to tow it. And his Police Officer Neighbour has assured him that as long as the towed vehicle is rigidly attached to the vehicle towing it and the back of the car being towed is displaying a light board and the Plate of the towing car, then the towed car is treat as a trailer in the eyes of the law is the responsibility of the car towing it and doesnt need its own MOT or Tax.................now that makes sense to me!!

Whereas other people have told me that if any wheels of the car are touching the road it must have MOT and tax even if being towed. One of these people was an RAC chap who was recovering me in a blown up car that i had bought 20mins prior and he notice the Tax was expired, he told me he shouldnt really recover me, thankfully he did anyway so i gave him a nice tip.

Does anybody know the definitive answer to this dilema???

[S2central.net]

The RAC man story sounds like rubbish to me... I have A-framed a few cars in my time - fair enough over 10 years ago so maybe law has changed - but this was never in question at the time - its effectively a trailer AFAIK.

I mean - when did you last hear of anyone tax or MOT a trailer or caravan ?

[re2500]

Im pretty sure your right paul, treating it as a trailer makes sense to me.....


but after doing a few searches on the web i begin to doubt myself, lots of people seem to think that you need tax and MOT if the car is touching the road..

Sod it, i'll just hoy it on the A-frame. Providing i drive sensibly and make sure the number plate is displayed and the light board works nicely, i dont think 'Plod' can complain.

[Colesy]

It could be worth making sure the light board covers up the "trailers" old number plate as then ANPR won't be able to catch you.

[spink]

I used to a-frame lots of cars around until a year or so back when i got pissed off with all the stress of it,not once did i get pulled and i did get past/looked at by lots of coppers they were not bothered in the slightest.Heaviest car i pulled was an early s4 which was around 250kg heavier than the car i was towing it with and 1000kg more than the 750kg unbraked trailer rule.On the other hand i got pulled twice in less than 2 weeks towing trailers with cars on,luckily i didnt get weighed

[re2500]

It could be worth making sure the light board covers up the "trailers" old number plate as then ANPR won't be able to catch you.

Good plan

[re2500]

Im feeling quite reassured now that it wont be a problem, cheers guys!!

[simon20vq]

There is a dvla sight with this info but from memory if the towed vehicle is attached with an a frame it becomes a trailer so treat as a trailer. If you use a tow bar then the car needs mot tax and must be insured as its being steered by someone.

[Dan]

Okay, just had a look through the Highway Code and The Traffic Officer's Companion. There doesn't seem to be any specific recommendation with regards to tax & MOT while towing (at least, so far as I can find).

Presumably the logic is that the normal rules apply. Depending on how you interpret the law, MOT could be seen as necessary - however I would be very surprised if this was enforced.

The problem lies more with tax -you need valid tax to even park a car on the road. It's not related to driving it, it needs it just to exist on a public highway in any way, shape or form.

As said above however, if it is properly A-framed and trailerboarded, you're far less likely to run into trouble. Do cover the towed car's plates with the trailer board (and I would remove the front plate, too - just in case).

Needless to say, if you're gonna do something where there is any doubt - drive like a f**king angel in every other way!

[re2500]

Cheers Dan,
I will definitely cover the rear plate on the car, and i can imagine i will probably remove the front bumper and intercooler for better access to attach the A-frame, so there wont be a plate on the front anyway.
Thanks for the advice

[Trist28]

If your policeman (friend) will give you a covering letter stating what he has told you maybe go for it.

The law (I looked into this before a got a trailer).

If any wheels of the car are on the road - the car must be legal - tax/MOT/insurance.
Towing dollies are not legal for normal use due to the weight being towed. Effectively its an un-braked trailer which most cars have a very low limit for safety reasons.

Extract from http://www.ntta.co.uk/faq/
"I have a motor home and want to tow a Fiat Seicento behind it using an A-frame. This car has a kerb weight under 750 kg so am I legal with this outfit? Sorry no is the answer. The law regards this as an unbraked trailer and you are allowed to tow up to 750 kg Gross Trailer Weight, not a car’s kerb weight. The figure you have to use is the car’s Gross Vehicle Weight or Maximum Permitted Weight. This is usually at least 300 - 400 kg more than the kerb weight. We have no knowledge of any car sold in the UK that has a GVW under 750 kg. The only vehicle we know that is completely legal to tow with an A-frame is the French Aixam small "car". This is a full four seater and details can be obtained from Aixam UK on 01926 886100. An A-frame or dolly can only be used to recover a broken down vehicle to a place of safety. Transporting a car is, therefore, illegal. A-frames may be offered with a braking system that applies the car's brakes. These do not conform to the law as the car then becomes a "braked trailer" and has to conform to European Directives contained within the Construction and Use Regulations. It does not conform to the European Directive 71/320/EEC and amendments regarding braking requirements in any way. The use of this A-frame for transportation is illegal. It is still OK for use to recover a vehicle to a place of safety.
What unbraked trailer can I tow? You can tow a maximum of 750 Kg with an unbraked trailer but you cannot exceed half the kerb weight of the towing vehicle. You can tow a trailer with a Gross Weight higher than your car’s towing limit as long as you only load it up to that limit. It is illegal to exceed the car’s towing limit."


Its also questionable whether many cars can tow a car trailer with brakes due to the overall weight towed behind. Most folk think the gross weight allowed is trailer + car on it, but you also need to include the towing vehicle (hence I got a discovery TDI). Also while on boring laws etc etc - if you have a trailer and pick a car up for a mate, on the way home you get pulled, if you admit your collecting it for him (hire/reward or not) or are a motor trader you are now supposed to have a tacho fitted in the towing vehicle - makes sense I suppose as a delivery guy could drive 24/7 otherwise!! PITA for us guys though.

However most coppers dont care/have a clue, but a know it all traffic officer may come down hard. Most likely you'll find these on the motorway........

Just go for it live life on the edge lol..

[Rusty]

Hiring a trailer will be cheaper than any fines incurred so perhaps best to just do it properly and then get in MOTd and taxed in Cardiff (I assume you're taking it to Charlie?) so you can drive it home.

[philip walker]

Would prefer to hire a trailer for around £25 per day, rather than dangle off a rope for 30 miles.

As above with regard the "hire or reward" the South Wales feds are sharp on this one.....

Failing this, get a local recovery company would roll you over for I guess £50 cash??

[Benjinkan]

Failing this, get a local recovery company would roll you over for I guess £50 cash??

Yeah, £50-70 is about right. Depending on the garage they may have a deal with a local outfit (I use NG motors in splott, and they just tacked the cost on to the overall bill, £55 if remember rightly)

[Gompa]

I tow cars on a towing bar all the time and never get bothered. If your stupid enough to tow an Audi s2 with a Citroën Saxo (not you personally just saying) then you deserve to get pulled.
As for the trailer a hired one will be in good condition but a nasty old one "borrowed from a mate" would in my eyes be more dangerous than an A frame.