Caravan in China, possible? Rent a Caravan in Shanghai.

Is a caravan in China possible? We finally found a rental for a caravan in Shanghai

Now for the first time, we rented a caravan and collected some basic information about what we had discovered and found. Some of the information on this page is from third-party websites and is not necessarily lawful, but it might give you an idea of the possibility of traveling with a caravan.

New regulations for trailers! Needed class C6 driving license from April 2022, and the car registration documentation must show the maximum towing capacity.

“Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver’s Licenses”
will be implemented from April 1, 2022. Add a C6 driver’s license for a light towing trailer model to pull the caravan.

Also, the maximum age of the person who can obtain a C6 driving license has been raised from the previous 60 to 70 years with some needed additional tests.

Beijing Traffic management bureau LINK

Some warning

If your car is not equipped with towing hitch.

When deciding on installation, select a good brand. In our case, we needed to reinforce the hitch in Inner Mongolia as it was bent due to poor quality and the weight balance of the caravan. Check the review of the Chinese MIY caravan from our Inner Mongolia trip

Camping trailer/caravan, then?

Questions and Answers about the caravan on the road in China.

Found some useful information on the internet, but it is in Chinese. Ten questions and ten answers about trailers on the road. Please bear with me, as these are direct translations from the website.

1. Does a camping trailer need a registration plate?
   • Yes, it needs it, since 2008, it has been clarified that all camping trailer needs a vehicle registration, a number plate, and a vehicle registration certificate.
2. Can a camping trailer go on the road?
   • Yes, an official document published in 2015 clearly defined the difference between a camping trailer and a normal trailer and emphasized that the camping trailer can go into the city road according to local regulations and can go on highways as well.
3. Is C1 driving license level enough for pulling a trailer?
   • Yes, since 2016, it has been confirmed that the C1 license can pull the center-axis camping trailer, which is under 2.5 tons in weight, or the normal trailer, which is under 700kg. The trailer is not allowed to carry people. New regulation, C6 driving license needed and totally max. 4500kg gross weight from 1st April 2022
4. Do the different lengths of camping trailers require different grades of driving licenses?
   • According to the above questions, there are no such clear requirements, but as a common understanding, the camping trailer within 8 meters in length, 3.5 in height,2.5 meters in width, and 4.5 tons in weight are acceptable.
   • In some countries, when the total length or mass exceeds the limit, you need an additional grade of license
5. What kind of camping trailers can apply for the registration plate?
   • The center-axis camping trailer with a hook, a total length of 8000mm, a width of 2500mm, and a height of less than 4000mm can apply for the registration plate.
6. The trailer under 700kg needs to apply for the registration plate?
   • The trailer here can be a mini camping trailer or a normal trailer to carry the goods.
7. What is the process of registration of a camping trailer?
   • Prepare the sales receipt, notice the title must be correct; otherwise, it is overly complicated to make a change.
   • Go to check the camping trailer.
   • Register, choose the plate number with the payment slip to receive all the registration licenses.
   • Check the camping trailer in the vehicle management bureau to receive the number plate. all the trailer plates are yellow.
8. What kind of car can pull a camping trailer?
   • If your car can bear the camping trailer’s weight. New regulation, C6 driving license needed and max. 4500kg total gross weight from 1st April 2022
9. What is the highway toll fee standard for a camping trailer?
   • According to regulation, the car with a camping trailer should be charged as one grade higher than the main car. But since many main cars have installed ETC, the system can not recognize the camping trailer, so in many cases, the ETC system deducts the charge according to the main car.
10. Does the camping trailer need compulsory traffic insurance?
    • Yes, otherwise, the car which drags the camping trailer needs to take responsibility when an accident happens.
    • This is unclear to me as other documents state the car’s third-party insurance will cover it. Consult with your insurance company.

Information for the driver with a caravan in China

If you take a new driving license in China, please notice that the law says you cannot have a trailer within the first 12-month period of the probation license, which is the first 6-year license you get (subsequent licenses are 10 years if you never exceed 12 points in a calendar year). If caught with a trailer, it’s an automatic 12 points deducted from your license.

When renting the caravan, there might be limited knowledge of the personnel working for the companies. Also, finding a company that is renting them was a challenge.

For example, asking questions about tow ball weights and recommended tire pressures might be difficult to get the correct answer. So be prepared and if you have not done caravaning before please study it.

Insurance of the caravan in China.

Here is some information I got from the rental company. It states that the car’s third-party insurance covers the caravan.

I’m always a bit suspicious about these, and after my wife called the insurance company, they don’t know if it is covering, and let’s see when something happens.

If it is not clearly stated in the insurance policy that it is not covered, then it should be good to go.

Sorry about the bad translation; this was done using a WeChat translator. In my opinion, we are taking a risk here, but there is nothing else we can do. 

Notice, make it clear what it is covering and how

The insurance should be valid as long as the car is connected to the caravan.

If disconnected and left, for example, at a camping site, I’m unsure if the insurance is valid anymore as the car’s insurance covers the caravan.

A valid driving license of class C6 is needed, and the maximum total length of 14m and the maximum weight of the caravan is 2500kg. If someone has information confirming this, please let me know.

ETC on the road

Car with caravan always is using one grade higher pay-grade as what would be normal. Our car rate is A1, and if having a caravan connected, they should give you an A2 token. As per our experience, many toll stations don’t know the law and are confused about how to treat the caravan. To avoid that, here is a good document. WeChat translation of the needed parts is like this.

“The legal basis for the “trailer” on the road legally”5.2: When a single vehicle tows another trailer, the vehicle type of the combination vehicle shall be higher than the main vehicle type. Car model classification standards for one category are implemented.

A person can only obtain ETC with a Chinese ID, and the car must be registered to a person with a Chinese ID. As my car is registered under me, this was impossible in our case. In many cases, we needed to explain at the toll gate what class our car should obtain for the toll fee.

Below document stating that caravan is allowed on the highways.

JT-T 489-2003 Vehicle Classification of the Toll for highway

I cannot translate this one but look at paragraph 5.2

GB1589—2016 Trailer limits Chinese

Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China

Translated with Google

Road Traffic Safety Law of the Peoples Republic of China, Chinese