Which Licence Do You Need to Drive a Motorhome or Tow a Caravan in Spain? B, B96 and B+E
It is the question people new to caravanning ask most often, and it nearly always comes too late, once they have already picked out a caravan at the dealer's. Is my ordinary driving licence enough? It depends on weight. With a motorhome, what counts is its maximum authorised mass; with a caravan, it is the towing vehicle and the trailer added together. Here we run through the differences between B, B96 and B+E (the Spanish/EU licence categories) and the figures that decide which one you need to drive without problems.
Which licence do you need to drive a motorhome?
Can I drive a motorhome on a category B licence?
Yes, in most cases. The carnet B (the standard Spanish/EU category B car licence), which almost everyone holds, covers vehicles of up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass (MAM, known in Spain as MMA). That includes cars, 4x4s, vans and a good share of the motorhomes and campervans on the market. Manufacturers know this. That is why so many low-profile and over-cab models are type-approved at exactly 3,500 kg and not a kilo more: it means anyone with a car licence can buy them. For a small or mid-sized motorhome, your car licence is plenty.
Category B weight limits: a maximum authorised mass of 3,500 kg
The figure is clear-cut: 3,500 kg MAM. There is a detail that confuses a lot of people (and it is not a minor one): the MAM is not what the motorhome weighs when it leaves your drive, but the maximum the manufacturer authorises with load, passengers, full tanks and luggage included. That number appears on the vehicle's technical data sheet (ficha técnica), and it is the one the Guardia Civil checks. Look it up before you buy or hire. Driving a vehicle with a higher MAM without the right licence ends in a fine, and the fine is the cheap part of the problem.
What if my motorhome is over 3,500 kg?
Then a category B licence no longer covers it. You need C1, which covers vehicles of up to 7,500 kg. This is the case for many large A-class motorhomes and six-berth motorhomes with a rear garage, which easily go over the limit with two tanks and a reinforced chassis. Check the MAM before you pay the deposit, not afterwards.
Which licence do you need to tow a caravan?
Towing a caravan on a category B licence: conditions and permitted weights
A category B licence also lets you tow a caravan, within limits. A trailer of up to 750 kg MAM can be hitched up with no further conditions. Above that figure the rule changes: the combined MAM of the car and the caravan cannot exceed 3,500 kg. With a 2,100 kg SUV, for example, that leaves 1,400 kg for the caravan, which rules out many family models with bunk beds. Do the sums before you hitch up, not at the petrol station. If your caravan comes in under that figure, you will find everything you need in our guide to caravans under 750 kg you can tow without upgrading your licence.
When you need B96 to tow
B96 fills the gap in the middle. You need it when the towing vehicle and caravan together exceed 3,500 kg but stay at or below 4,250 kg. There is no theory test, just specific training and a practical test, and it is aimed at drivers who fall a few hundred kilos short and do not want to go for the full licence. On paper, a good solution. In practice, many people who go to do the test end up taking B+E straight away and forget about the sums.
When you need B+E to tow a caravan
If the combination exceeds 4,250 kg, you need B+E. It removes the combined MAM cap of B96 and opens the door to twin-axle caravans of 7 or 8 metres, provided the trailer itself does not exceed 3,500 kg. It has its own tests, and manoeuvring carries a lot of weight in them: reversing with the trailer attached and parking in a tight space. Anyone who has squeezed a 2,000 kg caravan into a space between two others knows why.
Differences between the B, B96 and B+E licences for motorhomes and caravans
Category B licence: which motorhomes you can drive
Motorhomes and vehicles of up to 3,500 kg MAM, plus trailers of up to 750 kg with no further conditions. It is the most widely held category and covers most of the leisure vehicles on Spanish roads today. If you are starting out with a motorhome, there is no simpler or cheaper option, with no extra paperwork. If you are still not sure which format suits you best, here we explain the differences between a caravan and a motorhome, including the licence side of things.
B96 licence: an intermediate step for heavier trailers
Designed for drivers who need to tow a little more weight without going all the way to B+E. Once you complete the relevant training, it covers combinations of up to 4,250 kg, with no theory test involved. Useful if the step up you need is small, a few hundred kilos.
B+E licence: no limit on the combined MAM
It is the most complete category for towing. Unlike B96, it sets no maximum MAM for the combination of car and caravan (the trailer itself is still limited to 3,500 kg), so it suits anyone who owns or plans to buy a large, heavy caravan. It takes more preparation. In return, it gives you a free hand to choose a caravan without a calculator in your hand, and for a regular caravanner it is the option we recommend without hesitation.
When is a C1 licence compulsory to drive a motorhome?
Motorhomes over 3,500 kg MAM
C1 becomes compulsory as soon as the motorhome exceeds 3,500 kg MAM, and it covers up to 7,500 kg. It is common at the top end of the market and on very large vehicles, where the extra space and comforts (bigger tanks, wet central heating, a double floor, a garage for motorbikes) are paid for in kilos.
Differences between category B and C1
The big difference is weight. B stops at 3,500 kg and C1 goes up to 7,500, which is what you need for larger motorhomes. To get it you have to pass a theory test and a practical test that are more demanding than the car ones, and rightly so: a seven-tonne vehicle on a roundabout on the V-31 does not brake or turn like a car.
How to find the MAM of your motorhome or campervan
Open the technical data sheet. The figure is there, in the weights section, and it is the only thing that tells you which licence you need. Driving without the right licence is expensive: a fine and, at a roadside check, the vehicle being impounded until someone with the correct licence turns up.
How to work out the maximum authorised weight when travelling with a caravan
What maximum authorised mass (MAM) is and how it affects your licence
The MAM is the maximum weight at which a vehicle can legally be driven: its own weight plus load, passengers, water and luggage. For a caravan, what counts is the caravan's MAM, not what it happens to weigh that day with an empty fridge. The whole licence system is built on this figure, both for driving a motorhome and for towing.
Adding up the weights: motorhome, or towing vehicle plus caravan
With a caravan, the calculation is a sum. The car's MAM plus the caravan's MAM, and the result decides whether B is enough, whether you need B96 or whether it has to be B+E. Do it before your first trip, with both technical data sheets on the table. Ten minutes of sums will save you a fine at the first service area.
Practical examples of weight combinations and licences
A 1,800 kg car with a 1,200 kg caravan adds up to 3,000 kg: category B, no problem. If that caravan were 1,700 kg, the combination would come to exactly 3,500 kg, right at the B limit; with any slightly heavier caravan you are into B96 territory. And if the total goes over 4,250 kg? Then there is no debate: you need B+E.
How do you get a B+E or B96 licence to tow a caravan?
Requirements for a B+E licence
First, you need to hold a category B licence. Then you have to pass the specific B+E tests, which focus on how you manoeuvre with a trailer attached: reversing, hitching and unhitching, tight turns and driving on open roads. The idea is that you come out ready to handle a large trailer safely.
Process and test for B96
Shorter. There is no additional theory test; practical training at an approved driving school (autoescuela) is enough, and the paperwork is sorted sooner than for B+E.
Tips before travelling with a caravan or motorhome
Always check that your licence covers the MAM of the combination and inspect your towing gear: the tow ball, the lighting cable, tyre pressures and the jockey wheel. And think about where you will keep the caravan when you get back. If you live in the Valencia area, at our caravan storage in Silla you can drive in at any time through a level entrance with no slopes, and your car stays inside while you are away. Prices start at €40 a month on an annual contract, and to book a space just drop us a message or call 637 300 602.