More trailer.
No test.

B96 allows combinations up to 4,250 kg and asks only for the driver course. BE allows combinations up to 7,000 kg and ends with a practical test at the TÜV.

The effort differs to match. B96 is done in a day, with no test appointment and no waiting for a slot. For BE you drive practice lessons with a combination plus five compulsory special drives, and the TÜV appointment comes at the end.

Which one you need is decided by weight alone. Add up the maximum authorised masses of car and trailer from field F.1 of the registration documents: under 4,250 kg B96 covers it, above that there is no way round BE.

No. B96 does not end with a test but with a certificate of attendance.

The course has a theory part, a practical part with the combination and an hour of driving in real traffic. There is no examiner and no assessment — what counts is that you took part.

With the certificate you go to the Straßenverkehrsamt, which enters key number 96 on your licence. At no point is there a TÜV appointment.

Yes. The course runs alongside your class B training, and key number 96 is entered together with the class B licence.

The only requirement is that you hold class B or are taking it with us at the same time. Because B96 has no test, it clashes with no test appointment — it fits on any free day.

For anyone who already has a caravan or a horsebox at home, that is the usual route. Starting years later means the same course, but a second trip to the Straßenverkehrsamt.

Yes. Key number 96 is recognised across the EU — you may drive combinations up to 4,250 kg in every EU country.

It is printed on the EU card licence beside class B and is read at a check like any other key number. Within the EU you do not need an international driving permit for it.

What can differ abroad are the rules for the combination itself, such as the maximum speed allowed with a trailer. Those are in each country's own law, not on your licence.

No. There is nothing to pass: at the end there is a certificate of attendance, no mark and no result.

That changes how the practical part runs, too. Anyone still unsure about reversing with a trailer keeps practising instead of working towards an appointment — there is no second attempt because there is no first one.

That is exactly what the practical part is for. Manoeuvring with a trailer feels back to front for the first few minutes, and after that it sticks.

Around seven hours in total — manageable in a single day.

It splits into 2.5 hours of theory, 3.5 hours of practice with the combination and an hour of driving in traffic. You practise with a real trailer, not with a model.

We agree the exact date with you. After that all that is left is the trip to the Straßenverkehrsamt with the certificate of attendance, and the 96 is on your licence.

No. Trailers up to 750 kg maximum authorised mass may always be towed on class B, whatever the towing vehicle.

Only above that does the arithmetic start: as long as car and trailer together stay under 3,500 kg, class B still covers it. The range B96 is meant for begins after that and ends at 4,250 kg.

Watch the maximum authorised mass in field F.1 rather than the unladen weight. A light trailer with a big payload allowance is formally over the line quickly — even while it stands empty in the yard.