B96 License: Am I Allowed to Drive With a Trailer, Caravan, or Motorhome?

What Am I Allowed to Drive With the B96 License?

You may drive a Class B car towing a trailer where the combined permitted mass sits above 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg. The 750 kg trailer cap that limits plain Class B falls away, so the trailer itself can be much heavier.

Here is how the three tiers compare in plain terms:

• Class B alone: combination up to 3,500 kg permitted mass. A trailer over 750 kg is allowed only if the total still stays under that figure.
• B96 extension: combination from 3,500 kg up to 4,250 kg permitted mass.
• BE licence: needed once the combination would exceed 4,250 kg, with the trailer itself allowed up to 3,500 kg.

A few real combinations make it concrete. A 2,000 kg estate car plus a 2,000 kg caravan totals 4,000 kg, which needs B96. The same car with a 1,400 kg tourer totals 3,400 kg and stays inside plain Class B. A 2,500 kg pickup with a 2,000 kg plant trailer totals 4,500 kg, which already pushes you into BE.

How Many kg Is the Trailer Allowed to Weigh With B96?

There is no fixed kilogram cap on the trailer by itself. What counts is the sum of the two permitted gross masses, the car and the trailer, which must not exceed 4,250 kg. You will find each figure in field F.2 of the registration document.

Now to the so-called 60/40 rule, because it causes a lot of confusion. It is not a B96 licensing rule. No 60/40 split decides which entry you need. The only legal trigger is the combined permitted mass above. The 60/40 idea is a handling guideline, the common advice that the towing car should be heavier than the loaded trailer so the combination tracks steadily and brakes predictably.

Two real limits do depend on your specific car, though, and we always recommend checking them. The first is the towing capacity (Anhängelast) in the registration papers; the trailer’s actual loaded weight must not exceed it. A detailed breakdown shows why a combination drives more safely when the car outweighs the load. The second is the nose weight (Stützlast). Under §44 of the vehicle regulations, the nose weight must be at least 4% of the trailer’s gross weight, and an insurer explains that running close to the maximum keeps the trailer from snaking.

What Are the Requirements for the B96 License?

The bar is low. You need a valid Class B licence and to meet the same minimum age as Class B, which is 18, or 17 under the accompanied-driving scheme. No medical certificate is demanded beyond what you already provided for Class B.

To book and complete the course, providers typically ask for:

• A copy of your existing driving licence.
• A valid ID card or passport, with a registration confirmation if a passport is used.
• A current biometric photo, 35 mm by 45 mm, for the new licence card.

After the course you collect a certificate of participation. You then take that, plus your ID and photo, to the local driver licensing office (Führerscheinstelle) to have key number 96 added.

How Much Does the B96 License Cost?

Plan for roughly €300 to €500 for the one-day course in 2026, which is far cheaper than the €800 to €1,000 a BE licence tends to run. The price usually bundles the theory session, the practical exercises and the use of the school’s car-and-trailer rig.

Prices swing with region and provider. In big cities such as Munich, Hamburg or Frankfurt the figure can climb toward €600 to €700, while rural schools sit at the lower end. Some block-course providers advertise rates from about €199 to €349, which work because several learners share one rig and one instructor across the day.

Because there is no exam, you are not paying for test fees or retakes. We would still compare two or three schools nearby, since the spread on an identical day of training is wide.

What Additional Costs Arise After the B96 Course?

The main extra is the administrative fee at the licensing office, usually around €30 to €45 to add key number 96 and reissue the card. That is paid once, after the course, when you submit your certificate.

The process itself is short. You hand in the certificate of participation together with your ID and biometric photo, and the office records the code on a new licence card.

There is a welcome saving here. Unlike a brand-new licence, B96 needs no fresh eyesight test and no first-aid course, because you already cleared those for Class B. So the entry fee is genuinely the only cost beyond the course.

How Does a B96 License One-Day Course Work?

It runs as a single day of training with no test at the end. The rules set a minimum of seven hours, which most schools deliver in one sitting, often using the school’s own caravan as the trailer.

The seven hours are split into theory and practice. The licensing rules require at least seven hours of instruction, typically arranged as:

1. Theory, about 2.5 hours. Weights and combinations, loading and securing, braking distances and trailer behaviour.
2. Manoeuvres on a practice area, about 3.5 hours. Coupling and uncoupling, accelerating and braking, reversing, parking and turning.
3. On the road, about 1 hour. Real traffic, often including a roundabout and a stretch of dual carriageway.

The headline point is simple. No theoretical or practical exam exists for B96, so completing the day to the instructor’s satisfaction is enough to earn the certificate. That makes it the most direct route to towing heavier combinations.