Tow Car Tyre Pressure When Towing Uk
When towing in the UK, set the tow car to the manufacturer's towing or fully-laden tyre pressures before you hitch up. If there is no special towing figure and the fully-laden rear pressure is the same as normal, TyreSafe's fallback is to raise rear pressures by about 4-7 psi, but only within the vehicle and tyre limits.
The rule order
- Check the vehicle handbook for a towing pressure table.
- If there is no towing table, use the door placard or fuel-flap fully-laden pressures.
- If the full-load rear pressure is the same as normal and no towing recommendation exists, use TyreSafe's limited fallback.
- Check cold before towing. Do not reduce pressure because a hot tyre reads higher after driving.
TyreSafe towing safety guidance tells drivers to adjust tow vehicle pressures to the manufacturer's towing recommendations. The Highway Code also requires tyres to match the manufacturer's specification for the load being carried.
TyreSafe fallback, explained carefully
TyreSafe caravan advice gives a practical fallback where no special towing recommendation exists: set the rear tyres to fully-laden pressure; if full-load equals normal, increase rear pressure by about 4-7 psi or 0.3-0.5 bar. This is not a licence to overinflate. It is a fallback for a narrow case where the handbook lacks a towing number.
Completed pre-tow template
| Check | Write your value | Done? |
|---|---|---|
| Tow-car front normal pressure | From placard/handbook | |
| Tow-car rear towing or laden pressure | From handbook first | |
| Fallback used? | Only if no towing figure and full-load equals normal | |
| Caravan tyre pressure | From caravan plate/handbook | |
| Spare checked | Car and caravan if fitted | |
| Cold check completed | Before driving to the hitch-up point if possible |
Common mistakes
- Setting only the caravan tyres and forgetting the tow car rear axle.
- Using the normal solo-driving pressure with a fully loaded boot and nose weight on the tow ball.
- Adding the 4-7 psi fallback even when the handbook already gives a towing figure.
- Bleeding hot tyres after a motorway run.
If you need a home-and-road top-up tool for routine towing checks, a dual-power inflator can be relevant when its published limits suit your tow car and caravan. The same-site Oasser dual-power tyre inflator is one option to compare after you know your required pressures. For the caravan side of the job, use the separate caravan tyre pressure checklist.