A second check that needs to be completed is the ability of your car to a caravan. Our sales team can take the details of your towing vehicle and match it to your chosen caravan. The whole process is known as outfit matching and the following areas are taken into consideration:

Gross vehicle weight

This is the total mass of the car with occupants, fuel and payload. This value can be found on the cars VIN plate.

Gross train weight

Again, this can be found on the vehicles VIN plate and this weight dictates the total weight of the car and caravan.

Max towing capacity

The car manufacturer will have a maximum value of what the car is capable of towing. This can be calculated like this:

Max towing capacity = Gross vehicle weight – Gross Train Weight

Nose weight

This is the maximum weight that will bear down on the tow bar, again dictated by the car manufacturer and the tow bar manufacturer.

If all this sounds too complicated, don’t worry. Our sales team will simply take the details of your car (i.e) the make, model and age, and compare it to your chosen caravan. A report is generated and you will clearly see how well your towing vehicle compares to the caravan.

You may have also heard a phrase titled “The 85% rule”. This is not legislation, but a recommendation or “rule of thumb”. The recommendation states that a fully loaded caravan should not be more than 85% of the kerb weight of the tow car. If your chosen outfit does not quite match up, our sales team will be able to advise you with recommendations on vehicle variants, or similar caravan models that may also help.