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Kerb Weight has two definitions. The old one is the basic operational unladen weight of the towing vehicle including a full tank of fuel. The new one, which most manufacturers are now following, follows European Directive 95/48/EC which specifies the kerb weight as a car in ready to drive condition with the fuel tank 90% full, a driver on board weighing 68 kg and luggage of 7 kg.

The advice for outfit matching is for the caravan to not exceed 85% of the towing vehicle kerbweight.

Question is, 'which kerbweight definition is this based upon?. 

I have no idea! For towing I follow my own rule of thumb, I always have the kids on board ( big kids!) and a bootfull of gear so the cars kerbweight is significantly higher than empty, I'm towing at around 92% of the official kerbweight so I do tend to make sure the car is loaded with the heavy gear and my noseweight is slightly high (around 85kg)

I know that people will probably question the above, however it gives me a very stable tow, I have towed this van for over 5000m now without a wobble and at 65mph on french motorways most of the time.

The driver is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is in a safe and roadworthy condition. Exceeding an authoritive guideline, such as the CC 85% rule, could be construed, by the police or insurers, as rendering the vehicle unsafe or unroadworhthy, following an accident.

Quote: Originally posted by navver on 30/8/2009

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Exceeding an authoritive guideline, such as the CC 85% rule, could be construed, by the police or insurers, as rendering the vehicle unsafe or unroadworhthy, following an accident.

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Quote: Originally posted by RogerL on 30/8/2009

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For calculating 100% legal maximum for B-only licence holders since 1/1/97, the higher EC definition is used as it's an EC restriction on licence holders.

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Quote: Originally posted by navver on 30/8/2009

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The driver is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is in a safe and roadworthy condition. Exceeding an authoritive guideline, such as the CC 85% rule, could be construed, by the police or insurers, as rendering the vehicle unsafe or unroadworhthy, following an accident.

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as weights vary from vehicle to vehicle look on your v5c registration document. sect 4g will state a "mass in service" weight.

this is the true weight of your vehicle as it left the factory. use this weight to work out all other relevent weights in terms of %'s. that way there is no need to worry about what way you calculate kerbweight.

mat

I appreciate that exceeding the 85% guideline is not illegal, however there is no written law that says you can't eat or drink (non alcoholic) whilst driving yet some people have been prosecuted for this. The police construed it was illegal by saying they have been driving without due care & attention.

I just wonder, if there were an accident, perhaps with someone hurt, they would similarly construe that the outfit was unsafe as an authoritative guideline has been broken and that the driver was at fault for not ensuring his outfit is safe. After all, how else are they going to define whether the outfit is safe.