The answer options
- The combination of your trailer and towing vehicle cannot weigh more than 3,500kg
- Your empty trailer can weigh 3,500kg
- Your trailer can carry a maximum load of 3,500kg
- The combined weight of your trailer and load cannot exceed 3,500kgCorrect
Why that is the answer
Maximum Authorised Mass, or MAM, is the absolute limit a trailer can legally weigh when fully loaded. This includes the unladen weight of the trailer itself plus the weight of any load being carried. Drivers often mistake MAM for payload, but payload is just the weight of the cargo. Exceeding the MAM is unsafe and illegal, as highlighted in official DVSA guidance, because overloaded trailers severely affect vehicle handling and braking performance.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from vehicle loading appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More vehicle loading questions
- A trailer braking system must have a safety device fitted. What is this device?
- A vehicle should never be overloaded. Who is responsible for ensuring this?
- Are passenger allowed to travel in a caravan when been towed?
- How will the handling of your car change if you have a large load on your roof rack?
- Sometimes you may need to increase your tyre pressure to above the normal value. When would this be necessary?
- What is the maximum authorised mass (MAM) you can tow in any trailer, having just passed your driving test?