Towing rules by state and territory

Towing speed limits, mirrors, learner and P-plate restrictions, safety chains, lights and size limits across Australia's states and territories, and where they differ.

Facts checked

Rules change. Check before you go

This page summarises each state and territory's towing rules as we read them in September 2026, from the road rules and licensing regulations themselves and the transport authorities' guidance. Rules change, and some of that guidance is several years old. Before a trip, check with the authority for every state you will drive through.

The pattern is simple. Trailers are built to national rules, the Australian Design Rules and Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1 (VSB1). How you may drive with one, and who may drive, is set state by state, and that is where the differences come from. Where a state has no towing-specific rule, the tables say so, and the general rules for every driver apply.

Speed limits when towing

Most of Australia has no special speed limit for a car towing a caravan: the posted limit applies, as for everyone else. The table shows the two exceptions: WA caps any vehicle towing, and NSW caps rigs rated over 4.5 t, by the vehicle's GVM or the combination's GCM. If you are on L or P plates, your licence speed limit applies on top; it sits with the other L and P rules in the learner and P-plate table below.

State Towing speed limit
WA 100 km/h for any vehicle towing, or the posted limit if lower
NSW 100 km/h on roads signed above 100 km/h, if the vehicle's GVM or the combination's GCM rating is over 4.5 t. It goes by the ratings, not what the rig weighs on the day, so it catches many utes and large 4WDs towing anything
SA The road's speed limit; SA's Driver's Handbook gives no separate towing figure
TAS No towing-specific limit: the posted limit applies. Where no limit is signed outside built-up areas, the default is 100 km/h on sealed roads and 80 km/h on unsealed roads
NT No towing-specific limit: the posted limit applies. Unsigned roads outside built-up areas default to 110 km/h, and some highway sections are signed at 130 km/h
VIC No towing-specific limit for a car: the posted limit applies
QLD No towing-specific limit for a car: the posted limit applies
ACT No towing-specific limit for a car: the posted limit applies

Where the VIC, QLD, TAS and ACT rows say "for a car", it is because those road rules do have a 100 km/h cap, but only for buses over 5 t and vehicles over 12 t GVM. They are not written for a car and caravan.

Your vehicle can add its own limit too: RACQ advises that some manufacturers restrict speed when towing above certain weights, typically to about 80 km/h. That limit is in your owner's manual, not on a road sign. Tyre load ratings explains one reason a manual may set one.

Towing mirrors

Behind this table sits one basic rule in the vehicle standards: your mirrors must let you clearly see the road behind and any vehicle following or overtaking. The NT, Tasmanian and ACT standards say it in those words. A caravan wider than your car blocks that view through standard mirrors, which is why several authorities spell out when you need towing mirrors.

State What the rules and authority say
NSW If you cannot see down the length of your caravan from the driver's seat, you must have extended mirrors
ACT Same as NSW, under its vehicle registration regulation
WA If you tow a load wider than your vehicle, you must have towing mirrors
QLD Extra mirrors if required; a rear camera does not replace mirrors. Queensland Police say drivers must be able to see down the full length of the vehicle and caravan, and a camera alone may lead to enforcement
VIC Use extension mirrors if needed for a good view; don't let them stick out too far; remove them when not towing
TAS The basic rule above, in those words. Extra mirrors are allowed, and Transport Tasmania's towing bulletin lists them as something to consider
NT The basic rule above, in those words. Extra mirrors are allowed
SA SA Police's caravan checklist says all mirrors, including extension mirrors, should give a clear view. The mirror rule itself sits in SA's Road Traffic (Light Vehicle Standards) Rules 2018

Learner and P-plate drivers

This is where the states differ most, from no restriction at all to no towing until you are off your Ls. Where a state sets no towing restriction, your ordinary licence conditions still apply. Read each row across: the speed column covers only the drivers that state lets tow, so a learner who may not tow has no towing speed to know.

State Learners Provisional (P) drivers Speed limit when towing on L or P plates
NSW May not tow P1: may tow a trailer whose unloaded mass is no more than 250 kg, with a P plate on the back of the trailer. P2: may tow, no weight limit listed; P plate on the back of the trailer P1 90 km/h, P2 100 km/h
VIC May not tow P1: may not tow, except for work at an employer's request, for farming, fishing and similar, or with a full licence holder beside you. P2: no towing restriction No P-plate speed limit
QLD May tow; no towing restriction. L plates must be clearly legible from 20 m behind May tow; no towing restriction. P plates must be clearly legible from 20 m behind No L or P speed limit
WA May tow, within learner permit conditions, including a supervising driver May tow; no towing-specific restriction, the provisional licence conditions apply Learners 100 km/h. No P-plate limit
SA SA-issued learners may tow, in a vehicle of 4.5 t or less SA-issued P drivers may tow, in a vehicle of 4.5 t or less P1 and P2 100 km/h
TAS May not tow P1 and P2 may tow. If the trailer hides your rear P plate, put one on the back of the trailer P1 100 km/h. No P2 limit
NT May tow; L plate on the back of the trailer May tow; P plate on the trailer Learners 80 km/h, provisional 100 km/h
ACT May tow only a trailer with a GVM of 750 kg or less The same 750 kg limit, until you have held a provisional licence for 1 year No L or P speed limit

One genuine disagreement sits behind the NSW row: a 2022 Transport for NSW caravan brochure says provisional drivers may not tow a caravan, while the current NSW Government licence pages restrict only P1. NSW P2 drivers should confirm with Transport for NSW before towing one.

Your home state's conditions can follow you: NSW P1 and P2 conditions apply in other states, and Victoria applies its learner towing ban to interstate learners. On L or P plates, check both your home state's row and the row for the state you are driving in.

Safety chains

The chain rules are largely shared across the states, and they scale with the trailer's ATM (see ATM vs GTM):

Chains are made to an Australian Standard, which QLD and WA both cite. They should be short enough that the drawbar cannot hit the ground if the coupling lets go, as NSW and QLD both say; that is the whole point of them. Queensland adds: no padlocks.

Beyond those shared points, the differences are in the detail:

State What the authority says
NSW Chains as short as practicable, and crossed if there are two
VIC You must have a safety connection device (chains, cables, shackles). Cross two chains under the drawbar. Rated D-shackles are recommended, not mandatory, rated at least 1.5 times the ATM
QLD Chains required on trailers without breakaway brakes and on pig trailers with rigid drawbars (which includes most caravans)
SA Trailers without breakaway brakes must be attached by a chain or cable
TAS Crossing two chains is described as best practice
NT Safety chains must securely attach the trailer

Lights and number plates

Under VSB1, a trailer's lamps must work together with the matching lamps on the towing vehicle. States add their own points:

Width and length

"Do not overtake turning vehicle" signs differ. NSW says to attach one if your combination is 7.5 m or longer. In Queensland one may be fitted at 7.5 m, and it is mandatory if you need to straddle two lanes when turning. A 2015 WA bulletin says it is an offence to display one on a combination under 7.5 m.

The towing mirrors from the section above do not use up the 2.5 m: Queensland's licence handbook notes that mirrors are not counted in a vehicle's width. VIC, as in the mirrors table, still asks you not to let them stick out further than you need.

Common questions

What is the speed limit when towing a caravan?

In most states, the posted limit. As the speed table shows, WA caps any vehicle towing at 100 km/h, and NSW caps a vehicle or combination rated over 4.5 t at 100 km/h on roads signed above that (see GCM). On L or P plates your licence limit applies too, and so does any limit in your vehicle's manual.

Can a P-plater tow a caravan?

It depends on the state and the licence stage, and the learner and P-plate table above sets it out row by row. In short: QLD, WA, SA, TAS and the NT set no towing restriction on P drivers. The limits fall on Victorian P1 drivers, who mostly cannot tow; NSW P1 drivers, who can tow only a trailer weighing 250 kg or less unloaded; and ACT P drivers, who can tow a trailer over 750 kg GVM only after a year on their licence.

Do I need towing mirrors?

If the caravan blocks your view of the road behind, generally yes: that is the basic rule behind the mirrors table. NSW and the ACT require extended mirrors if you cannot see down the length of the caravan; WA requires them if the load is wider than your vehicle. In Queensland, a rear camera does not replace mirrors.

Do safety chains have to be crossed?

In NSW, two chains must be crossed. Victoria says to cross them under the drawbar, and Tasmania calls it best practice. The safety chains table above has the rest of each state's detail.

Sources

Authorities

Motoring associations (advice)