9-seater car on a B licence: seats, weight and towing

• A category B licence lets you drive a vehicle designed for no more than eight passengers besides the driver, so nine seats in total, with a maximum authorised mass of up to 3,500 kg. Both conditions apply at the same time.
• What counts for your licence is what is entered in the vehicle's registration documents. An empty vehicle or removed seats change nothing.
• On a basic B licence, you can tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of up to 750 kg behind a nine-seater. The combination may then weigh up to 4,250 kg.
• You can tow a trailer over 750 kg on a basic B only if the vehicle and trailer together come to no more than 3,500 kg. With a large nine-seater, that rarely works out.

A 9-seater car you can drive on a B licence is typically the passenger version of a van, such as the Volkswagen Caravelle or the Ford Tourneo Custom. Unlike a seven-seat SUV, it easily brings the driver up against the limits set by category B: the number of seats, and the mass of the vehicle and of the combination with a trailer. The same model is also sold with different numbers of seats, different maximum authorised masses and different towing capacities. Anyone choosing a vehicle for a large family, a sports club or a group of friends needs to know which figures in the documents decide the licence question, and how much is then left for people, luggage and a trailer.

Under the EU driving licence directive (2006/126/EC), category B sets two conditions that the vehicle must meet at the same time:

Nine-seat versions are common among used vehicles: the Volkswagen Caravelle T6 and T6.1 (2015–2024), the first-generation Ford Tourneo Custom (2012–2023), the Renault Trafic (from 2014) and the Opel Zafira Life (from 2019). Not every version has nine seats, though. A single passenger seat instead of the front double seat, or a different rear layout, cuts capacity to eight seats or fewer. Labels such as "passenger", "Kombi" or "minibus" in an advert are not enough. What counts is the number of seats and the maximum authorised mass entered in the registration certificate of the specific vehicle.

Yes. A nine-seater has nine seats in total: one for the driver and eight for passengers. If you need to carry nine passengers plus a driver, you are looking for a vehicle that a B licence does not cover.

For your licence, what counts is how many passengers the vehicle is designed for, not how many it is carrying at the moment. You cannot drive a minibus with ten or more seats on a B licence even when it is empty, and removing some of the seats won't help. It also works the other way round: seats that someone has added to the load area of a van and that are not entered in the documents are not seats for carrying people.

The maximum authorised mass is the upper limit for the laden vehicle, meaning the vehicle, the people and the load together. It is not the weight of the empty vehicle. With a nine-seater, you therefore need to separate two questions:

• Are you allowed to drive the vehicle on a category B licence? This depends on the registered maximum authorised mass, not on what the vehicle weighs at the moment.
• Is the vehicle allowed on the road loaded like this? The actual mass must not exceed the vehicle's maximum authorised mass or the permitted load on each axle.

So you cannot drive a vehicle with a maximum authorised mass over 3,500 kg on a B licence, even empty. And a nine-seater under 3,500 kg can still be overloaded with people and luggage, even though you are licensed to drive it.

How much weight is left for people and luggage?

You can work out the payload from the documents: subtract the vehicle's mass in running order from its maximum authorised mass. What remains has to cover all nine people and their luggage, which in a nine-seater soon adds up. A higher mass in running order means a smaller margin. Weight goes up mainly with a high level of equipment, all-wheel drive or a longer body. Two examples of the same model with the same maximum authorised mass can therefore have very different margins for luggage.

Boot volume tells you nothing about the weight of the load. If you will regularly travel with every seat taken, for example with the club to matches or with the family to the mountains, it is worth weighing the vehicle once, loaded the way you actually drive it.

On a basic category B licence, you have two options:

1. A trailer with a maximum authorised mass of up to 750 kg. A vehicle of up to 3,500 kg and such a trailer can weigh up to 4,250 kg together.
2. A trailer with a maximum authorised mass of over 750 kg. The vehicle and trailer together may weigh no more than 3,500 kg.

With a nine-seater, the second option is almost always out of the question. A heavier trailer only fits within the 3,500 kg total behind a vehicle with a maximum authorised mass of up to 2,750 kg, and large passenger vans that light are the exception. In practice, on a basic B licence, count on a trailer of up to 750 kg: enough for a small luggage trailer, but usually not for a caravan or a car transporter trailer.

Example combinations: when a basic B licence is enough

The table shows the maximum authorised mass of both the vehicle and the trailer:

For the trailer, too, the registered maximum authorised mass is what counts. You cannot tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of 1,300 kg behind a nine-seater on a basic B licence, even if it is empty.

A tow bar does not mean any trailer will do

Besides the driving licence, the vehicle's own technical limits also apply: the permitted mass of braked and unbraked trailers, the permitted mass of the combination and the vertical load on the tow bar. You have to meet both, the scope of your licence and the vehicle's limits. If you plan to tow regularly, choose the vehicle and trailer together: before buying, simply compare the specifications of the trailer you have in mind with the figures in the vehicle's documents.

A basic B licence is not enough if:

• the vehicle is designed for more than eight passengers besides the driver,
• the vehicle's maximum authorised mass exceeds 3,500 kg,
• the trailer has a maximum authorised mass over 750 kg and the combination exceeds 3,500 kg.

You then need an extension to your licence, such as code 96 for combinations of up to 4,250 kg, or a different category, such as BE, depending on the specifications of the vehicle and the combination. It is better to settle this before choosing a vehicle than to find out after buying that you can take the whole crew, but not the trailer with the boats or bikes.

• The number of seats in the advert doesn't match the documents. Sellers like to write "9 seats" even for a vehicle with eight registered seats or an extra bench fitted later. Only the documents count.
• Conversion from a panel van. Goods vans converted into passenger vehicles are common among nine-seaters. The seats must be registered and match the actual layout. Otherwise you risk problems when transferring ownership and at the periodic roadworthiness test. For vehicles offered by Carvago, the CarAudit™ inspection includes a check of the available information on the car's history and legal status.
• A tow bar that isn't registered. A tow hitch on the vehicle doesn't mean it is approved or that the vehicle may tow the trailer you need.
• A heavier version with the same name. A long body, all-wheel drive or high equipment levels raise the mass in running order and eat into the payload.
• Misconceptions about combinations over 3,500 kg. With a trailer of up to 750 kg, a basic B licence covers you up to a total of 4,250 kg. A trailer over 750 kg, on the other hand, practically never fits within the limit with a nine-seater.

Used nine-seaters in a specific version, with nine registered seats, the right body length and a tow bar, are limited in number on any local market. Carvago offers around one million cars from dealers in several European countries, so the choice in practically every segment is larger, usually many times larger, than on the local market. The chance of finding exactly the combination of seats, body and equipment you need is therefore much higher.

Before it is sold, every car is inspected by a technician as part of CarAudit™ with up to 270 checkpoints. The inspection includes a check of the available information on the car's history and legal status, an inspection of the exterior, interior and technical components, diagnostics and a test drive. You know the result before you decide to buy, and Carvago guarantees the condition stated in the CarAudit™ certificate.

Carvago buys the car from the original seller before the sale, becomes its owner and takes on the associated risks. You therefore buy directly from Carvago, even when the car comes from abroad. Once the purchase is approved, Carvago uses a power of attorney to arrange registration of the car in the customer's country, including all the paperwork, and as standard delivers it right to your door. After handover, you can drive straight off.

Can children in child seats travel in the third row?

Yes, provided the child seat can be fitted on that seat as its manufacturer specifies. Nine-seaters differ mainly in their anchorage points and access to the rear rows, so it is worth trying your child seats in the vehicle when you view it.

Does a long body help when travelling nine-up?

Yes, it offers more space for luggage behind the last row. But a longer vehicle usually weighs more, so there may not be more payload left for luggage. Choose the long version based on both volume and payload.

Will a roof box solve the lack of space?

It helps with bulky, light items such as skis or sleeping bags. But the weight of the box, the roof bars and the contents counts towards the vehicle's load and must also fit within the permitted roof load. On tall passenger vans, a roof box also makes loading awkward.

1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2006/126/oj/eng
2. https://carvago.com/car-delivery
3. https://carvago.com/caraudit
4. https://carvago.com/how-carvago-works