The short answer
B96 is a course without a test and covers combinations up to 4,250 kg maximum authorised mass. BE is a course with a practical test, for trailers up to 3,500 kg in a combination up to 7,000 kg. Both require class B. Which you need is decided purely by the vehicle documents.
Caravan, horsebox, boat trailer, car transporter: once the trailer gets heavy, class B on its own is not enough. Which extension you need is not a matter of taste — it comes out of two numbers in the registration documents.
What class B alone already allows
- Any trailer up to 750 kg maximum authorised mass
- Heavier trailers, as long as towing vehicle and trailer together do not exceed 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass
For a small box trailer behind a compact car that is often enough. For anything that looks like a holiday or a horse, usually not.
B96 — a course instead of a test
A driver training course with a theory and a practical part, ending in a certificate of attendance. No appointment at the testing organisation, no test fee, no failing. It lets you drive combinations up to 4,250 kg maximum authorised mass — and trailers over 750 kg as long as that limit holds. How to work it out is a post of its own.
BE — real training, a real test
Driving lessons with a trailer and a practical test at the testing organisation; there is no theory test, because the theory from class B is recognised. It lets you tow trailers up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass in a combination up to 7,000 kg. That is the range where larger caravans, two-horse trailers and heavy work trailers sit.
We do not recommend the bigger class
If your combination stays under 4,250 kg, B96 is enough — and BE would be effort without benefit. Bring both registration documents to the first consultation and we will work it out together before you sign up for either.
Requirements
Both require you to be 18 and to hold class B — already, or acquired here in parallel. There is no BF17 route to either. Both are recognised across the EU.
What you notice behind the wheel
In reverse a trailer steers the wrong way round, the braking distance grows, crosswind on the motorway becomes a subject, and the trailer cuts the corner when you turn. That is the actual content of both courses — the paperwork is the smaller part.