D1+E Licence: Towing a Trailer Behind a Minibus
D1 lets you drive a minibus with a trailer up to 750kg. Anything heavier on the back needs D1+E, a separate entitlement with its own practical test.
Category D1+E covers a D1 minibus towing a trailer over 750kg. You must hold full D1 first, then pass a further practical test in the minibus and trailer combination. Drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 may already hold a restricted D1+E, so check your licence before booking anything.
Who needs category D1+E
Most minibus work never needs a trailer. D1+E becomes relevant when a group travels with its kit: sports clubs carrying equipment, outdoor education centres with canoes or bikes, music and theatre groups moving staging, and community transport services carrying mobility aids. A luggage trailer that looks small can still be over 750kg once it is loaded, so the plated maximum authorised mass of the trailer is the figure that matters, not its size.
- Youth and sports clubs towing kit trailers to fixtures
- Outdoor activity providers with canoe, cycle or equipment trailers
- Community groups carrying wheelchairs or mobility equipment
- Event and touring groups with heavier luggage trailers
Check what you already hold
If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997, you were usually granted D1 and D1+E, normally restricted to driving not for hire or reward. That covers many volunteer drivers, but paid driving work generally needs the full entitlement gained by test. If you passed on or after 1 January 1997, you will not hold D1 or D1+E unless you have taken those tests. Our guide to what a D1 licence is explains the codes you will see on your card.
How you get a D1+E licence
Hold full D1
D1+E is added on top of D1, so the minibus test comes first. Our D1 course is £995 with the medical, theory and test.
Train with a trailer
Lessons focus on the combination: reversing with a trailer, extra length on turns and braking with a loaded trailer behind.
Coupling skills
The practical test includes uncoupling and recoupling the trailer safely, so that is practised until it is routine.
Take the test
The D1+E practical test is taken in a suitable minibus and trailer combination.
D1+E licence cost
The D1+E licence cost depends on how much trailer experience you already have and how many hours you need in the combination, so it is quoted after a conversation rather than as a fixed package. The first stage, D1, has a published price of £995. Call us with the trailer you plan to tow and your current licence and we will explain the route and cost before you commit.
Driving a minibus and trailer safely
A minibus already carries passengers who feel every brake and bend. Adding a trailer makes the combination longer, slower to stop and more sensitive to crosswinds and uneven loading. Good D1+E training spends time on planning: where you can turn round, where you will park, and how to load the trailer so the nose weight is right. Those habits matter as much as passing the test.
Not sure whether your trailer is over 750kg? Check the plate on the trailer for its maximum authorised mass and tell us the figure when you call.
Questions we get asked about this
A D1 minibus towing a trailer heavier than 750kg.
Yes. Full D1 entitlement must be held before you can take the D1+E test.
It depends on your experience and the hours needed. D1 itself is £995 with us; call to discuss the D1+E stage.
You may hold D1 and D1+E, normally restricted to not for hire or reward. Check your licence card for the categories and codes.
Where to go next
- D1 minibus training £995, the first step before D1+E.
- C1+E training the lorry and trailer equivalent.
- Trailer training which trailer entitlement you need.
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