The recreational vehicle market has been booming in recent years: if we often talk on Auto Plus about motorhomes, vans or even converted vans, which are increasingly popular with the French, caravans are not left out.

In effect, a caravan is considered a trailer, which you can tow with your car to go on a trip. Caravans comply with special legislation and in some cases must be registered. Let’s register.

Under certain conditions, the caravan must have a gray card

Like trailers, caravans must be registered under certain conditions: to do this, you need to know the weight of your equipment, the PTAC (total permissible load weight): this corresponds to the weight of your caravan, to which the maximum permissible load on board is added.

If the gross weight of your caravan is equal to less than or equal to 500 kgit is not registration is not required and therefore have a gray card. However, it must have the registration number of your tow vehicle attached to the regulatory registration plate at the back of the caravan.

For whose caravans The total weight is more than 500 kg and less than 3500 kg, you need to register your caravan and therefore apply for design of gray card (or certificate of registration). It is also subject to insurance, like a full-fledged car, and MOT if its PTAC is over 750kg.

Gray caravan card: what the law says

Just like your car, it’s a must gray map of your caravan to be able to move around. In fact, in the event of a roadside inspection, the law enforcement officers will require you to present your vehicle’s gray card, as well as the trailer if its PTAC is over 500kg.

Indeed, according to Article R233-1 of the Traffic Code: “Any driver or, where applicable, any person accompanying a learner driver, must produce, on any request, to representatives of the competent authority: a vehicle registration certificate and, where possible, a certificate on the registration of the trailer, if the total weight of the vehicle (PTAC) of the latter exceeds 500 kilograms. »
“The fact of not immediately presenting to the agents of the competent authority the elements required by this article shall be punished by the fine provided for a violation of the first class; The failure of any person who has been called to produce evidence within five days after having the authority and documents required by this article to produce such documents before the expiration of that period, shall be punished by the fine provided for offenses of the fourth category. »

In practice, a fixed penalty is provided not presenting a gray card is with 11 euros, which can be increased to 33 euros, and no points are deducted for this violation. In case of forgetting, the driver of the vehicle is asked to present the documents within 5 days: if he does not do this, he risks being a fixed fine of €135which can be reduced to €90 or increased to €375 with a maximum amount of €750.

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