Do I Need an EB Licence? Towing Checker
A free checker for South African towing. Enter the plated GVM, tare and brakes to see whether you need Code EB, whether the trailer brakes are enough, and how much bakkie payload is left after people and kit.
EB licence towing check
Do you need an EB licence to tow that trailer or caravan?
Type the plated numbers from the bakkie and the trailer. The first tab answers the licence, brake and plate questions. The second tab shows how much payload is left after people, a canopy and kit. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Optional, if you have the figures
Typical accessories, not weighed
Seeded from SA4x4 Trail Savvy typical figures. Tick what is fitted and edit the kilograms if you have a better number. A canopy counts as cargo unless the tare was re-certified.
Plates beat brochures, a weighbridge beats this page. Overloading is an NRTA offence and may affect cover or a claim, subject to the policy and facts. This is a pre-trip screen, not a certificate, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the disc, the plate or a registered weighbridge.
Reg 99 and Reg 151 as read 27 August 2026. Bakkie presets reviewed 27 August 2026. Your plate wins.
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More on this: How to Get a Driving Licence · Car Licence Renewal Cost Calculator · Vehicle Cost of Ownership · Toll Fees Calculator
Do I need an EB licence to tow a trailer in South Africa?
The line everyone argues about on 4x4 forums is 750 kg, and it is simpler than most driving-school pages make it. Regulation 99 says a Code B licence covers a light vehicle with or without a trailer whose plated GVM does not exceed 750 kg. Code EB is the same vehicle with a trailer whose GVM is more than 750 kg. That is the trailer's plated GVM, not how heavy it is today empty, and not the mass of bakkie plus trailer added together.
A page that tells you EB is only needed when the trailer is over 750 kg and the combination is over 3 500 kg is mixing two different checks. Combination mass is a plated GCM problem. The licence test does not AND the two. Type your own numbers above and the first tab keeps them apart.
Payload is the second question, the one bakkie owners actually live with. GVM minus kerb is what is left for people, a canopy, a rooftop tent, water and the trailer's nose weight. A canopy is cargo unless the tare was re-certified. Weigh it. This page is not a weighbridge and it is not legal advice.
Code B versus Code EB, and the old Code 8
Code B and Code EB cover the same light vehicles: a car whose tare is 3 500 kg or less, or a bakkie, minibus or bus whose GVM is 3 500 kg or less. The E is the trailer. EB also covers an articulated combination whose truck-tractor GCM is 3 500 kg or less. Motorcycle codes A and A1 cannot tow.
Cards issued before 1 March 1998 used different numbers. An old Code 08 or Code 8 was usually converted to EB when the plastic card was printed. That is the usual case, not a promise. Read the code on the card. Code 05 and 07 convert to a restricted Code B for tractors or mobile equipment, not a general bakkie-and-trailer licence.
What can I tow with a Code B licence?
A trailer or small caravan whose plated GVM is 750 kg or less. 750 kg still passes. 751 kg needs EB. That is why a 750 kg unbraked box trailer is the classic Code B tow, and why a family caravan almost never is. The calculator above uses the plated GVM you type, so a 1 400 kg GVM trailer behind a Hilux fails the licence check on Code B even when the brakes and the plate have headroom.
Trailer brakes, unbraked versus overrun versus service
Regulation 151 compares the trailer's GVM to the drawing vehicle's tare. Tare, not kerb. Fuel is left out of tare, so feeding a brochure kerb into the brake test would under-require the kit. The bands sit at 750 kg and 3 500 kg, then split again at half the tare and at the tare itself.
| Trailer GVM against the bakkie's tare | Minimum kit |
|---|---|
| 750 kg or less, and GVM is half the bakkie's tare or less | Parking brake, or another way to keep it still |
| 750 kg or less, GVM above half the tare but not above the tare | Parking plus overrun or service |
| 750 kg or less, GVM above the bakkie's tare | Parking plus service; overrun is not enough |
| 751 to 3 500 kg, GVM not above the bakkie's tare | Parking plus overrun or service |
| 751 to 3 500 kg, GVM above the bakkie's tare | Parking plus service |
| Above 3 500 kg | Parking plus service |
Worked numbers from an 1 880 kg tare bakkie, the Focus on Transport oracle. A 700 kg trailer only needs a parking brake or holding device, because 700 is 750 or less and under half of 1 880. A 1 500 kg trailer needs parking plus overrun or service. A 2 000 kg trailer needs parking plus service; overrun is not enough, because 2 000 kg is above the bakkie's tare. Service brakes must be operable by the driver while the combination is moving.
GVM, tare, GCM and payload
GVM is the maximum mass of that vehicle and its load. Tare is the empty ready-for-the-road mass without fuel, and it is the figure on the licence disc. GCM is bakkie plus trailer together, plated on the drawing vehicle. Payload left on the bakkie is GVM minus kerb. Toyota and Ford publish kerb (full fuel, no people). Isuzu publishes tare. The second tab uses whichever you type, and will add fuel to tare if kerb is blank.
The plate also caps the trailer. Max trailer by plate is GCM minus GVM. If the handbook braked-tow figure is lower, that lower number wins. A Hilux 2.8 Raider 6AT with kerb 2 120 kg, GVM 2 910 kg and GCM 5 850 kg can advertise 3 500 kg braked, but GCM minus GVM is 2 940 kg once the bakkie is at GVM. Toyota's own worked example: a 3 500 kg trailer only leaves 230 kg on that bakkie. There is a longer explanation of tare on the car licence renewal calculator.
How to get an EB licence
Process outline only. You take a learner's for the new code, then a K53 practical with a trailer over 750 kg GVM at a driving licence testing centre. The documents, Gauteng online booking and a realistic 2026 wait for the plastic card are in how to get a driving licence in South Africa. Do not treat a rand figure on a blog as current. Government plus lessons in 2026 is quoted anywhere from about R2 500 to R7 000 all-in. Check the testing centre. The 750 kg line does not move with the fee.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an EB licence to tow a trailer in South Africa?
You need Code EB when the trailer's plated GVM is more than 750 kg. Code B covers a light vehicle with a trailer whose GVM is 750 kg or less. The 750 kg line is the plated GVM, not how heavy the trailer is sitting empty today. Combination mass over 3 500 kg is a separate plated GCM check, not part of the licence test.
Do I need an EB licence to tow a caravan?
Same rule as a trailer. If the caravan's plated GVM is 750 kg or less, Code B is enough. If it is 751 kg or more, you need Code EB. Most family caravans sit well over 750 kg GVM, so EB is the usual answer, then you still check brakes and the bakkie's GCM.
What can I tow with a Code B licence?
A light vehicle (tare 3 500 kg or less, or a bakkie, minibus or bus with GVM 3 500 kg or less) with or without a trailer whose plated GVM does not exceed 750 kg. Articulated combinations are out. Brakes and the plated GCM still apply even when the licence is fine.
What is the difference between Code B and Code EB?
Both cover the same light vehicles. The E is the trailer. Code B stops at a trailer GVM of 750 kg. Code EB covers a trailer whose GVM is more than 750 kg, and also an articulated combination whose truck-tractor GCM is 3 500 kg or less. EB includes everything B allows.
Is Code 8 the same as Code EB?
An old Code 08 or Code 8 card, issued before 1 March 1998, was usually converted to Code EB when the plastic card was issued. That is the usual case, not a guarantee. Read the code printed on the card you are carrying. Code 05 and 07 convert to a restricted Code B for tractors or mobile equipment.
Can I tow a 750 kg trailer on a B licence?
Yes, if 750 kg is the plated GVM. 750 kg is still Code B. 751 kg is Code EB. The unbraked-trailer rule is a separate brake check: even a 700 kg GVM trailer needs more than a parking brake once it is heavier than half the drawing vehicle's tare.
How do I get an EB licence, and what does it cost?
You apply for a learner's for the new code, then pass a K53 practical with a trailer over 750 kg GVM at a driving licence testing centre. The documents, Gauteng online booking and a realistic 2026 wait for the card are in the how to get a driving licence guide on this site. All-in cost, government plus lessons, is a wide band. Sources in 2026 disagree from about R2 500 to R7 000. Fees rot, the 750 kg line does not. Check your testing centre rather than a number on this page.
What is GVM, tare and GCM on the plate?
GVM is the maximum mass of that vehicle and its load, as specified by the manufacturer. Tare is the empty ready-for-the-road mass, without fuel. GCM is the plated maximum of bakkie plus trailer together. The licence disc shows tare. Payload is GVM minus kerb. There is a longer note on tare on the car licence renewal calculator on this site.
Does a canopy or rooftop tent count against payload?
Yes, unless the tare was re-certified after it was fitted. A canopy, roof rack, fridge, water and a rooftop tent are cargo sitting inside the GVM. The chips in the second tab are typical SA4x4 figures, not a weighbridge. Nose weight of the trailer also sits on the bakkie, not on the trailer GVM.
What brakes does my trailer need?
Regulation 151 compares trailer GVM to the drawing vehicle's tare, in two bands at 750 kg and 3 500 kg. A 700 kg trailer behind an 1 880 kg bakkie only needs a parking brake or holding device. The same bakkie with a 1 500 kg trailer needs parking plus overrun or service. At 2 000 kg, overrun is not enough and you need service brakes the driver can apply from the cab.
Is EB license the same as EB licence?
Yes. South African law and this site spell it licence. Searchers and almost every competitor page use the American license. Same card, same 750 kg line. The car licence renewal tool on this site treats license disk the same way.
Does this replace a weighbridge?
No. Plates beat brochures, a weighbridge beats this page. Overloading is an NRTA offence and can sink an insurance claim. Type the numbers off your own disc and plate, then go and weigh the combination before a long trip.
Related tools
Licence codes from Regulation 99 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000. Trailer brakes from Regulation 151, sub-regulation (1) as substituted by GNR.1341 of 25 September 2003. Bakkie presets are brochure figures reviewed 27 August 2026; the data plate wins if they differ. Accessory defaults are typical SA4x4 Trail Savvy masses, labelled typical, not weighed. This is general information, not legal advice. Last checked 27 August 2026.