Quick answer
Give your trailer a quick visual check before every tow, and a thorough inspection at least once a year. Many manufacturers recommend a full service yearly or every 6,000 miles, whichever comes first, with extra attention to wheel bearings and brakes. The pre-tow check covers tyres, lights, coupling and load security; the annual check adds bearings, brakes, the chassis and the electrics. Most light trailers do not need an MOT, but they must still be roadworthy, and lights are the part most likely to let you down, so they are worth checking every single time.
| Check | Before every tow | At least yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres and pressures | Yes | Yes, plus age and wear |
| Lights and electrics | Yes | Yes, plus wiring and plug |
| Coupling and breakaway | Yes | Yes, plus wear |
| Wheel bearings and brakes | Quick feel | Full inspection |
| Chassis and security | Visual | Detailed |
A trailer spends its life being loaded, jolted and left out in the weather, and then asked to behave perfectly at 60mph on a motorway. A little routine maintenance is what keeps that bargain honest. You do not need to be a mechanic for the regular checks, and knowing what to look at, and how often, is most of the battle. Here is the checklist we would run ourselves.
Before every tow: the two-minute check
Quick, habitual, and the single best thing you can do for safety:
- Tyres: pressures correct, no cuts or bulges, plenty of tread. Trailer tyres often fail from age and cracking rather than mileage, so look at the rubber, not just the depth.
- Lights: walk round with a helper and check tail, brake, indicators and fog. This is the most common roadside fault by a mile.
- Coupling: properly seated and locked on the towball, with the breakaway cable or secondary coupling attached.
- Load: secured and balanced, with the right noseweight on the hitch.
At least once a year: the full inspection
This is where the trailer earns its keep for another year. Many makers, including the big UK names, advise a service annually or every 6,000 miles, whichever falls first. Braked trailers in particular need their running gear looked at properly.
- Wheel bearings: jack up and feel for play and roughness. Repack or replace as needed.
- Brakes: on braked trailers, check the shoes, the auto-reverse mechanism, cables and the handbrake.
- Coupling and damper: check for wear and that the damper is still doing its job.
- Chassis and welds: look for rust, cracks and loose fixings, especially around the axle and drawbar.
- Jockey wheel and props: wind smoothly, clamp tight, no excessive play.
- Lights and wiring: the full electrical check below.
If your trailer is heavy, used commercially, or you are not confident with brakes and bearings, this is the point to use a professional trailer service centre. The checks above are the owner’s side of the job.
Do trailers need an MOT?
For most ordinary trailers towed by cars, no. There is no MOT for light trailers in the UK, but the law still requires them to be roadworthy at all times, which is exactly why the checklist matters. Larger and commercial trailers over a certain weight can fall under annual DVSA testing, so if you tow for a living, check where your trailer sits. Our guide to official UK trailer lighting standards links through to the relevant GOV.UK guidance.
The electrical check: where most failures hide
Lights and wiring cause more trailer trouble than anything else, because the plug and earth live in the worst possible environment for an electrical connection. As part of your service:
- Clean the plug and socket faces and protect them with dielectric grease.
- Check the earth point on the chassis is solid and corrosion-free.
- Run through every light with a helper, and inspect the wiring for chafing where it passes the chassis.
- If a light is dead, our fault-finding guide walks through it, and our wiring guide shows what each pin should do.
The easiest upgrade on the list: LED lights
If your service keeps turning up tired, flickering or water-damaged bulb units, switching to LED is the upgrade that pays for itself. LEDs are sealed against the weather, have no filament to shake loose, light instantly and last many times longer, so next year’s check is far less likely to find a dead lamp. You can usually fit them without running new wiring, and they are all E-marked and road-legal.
Have a look at our rear lights, side lights and the full LED trailer lights range, or read up on why waterproof LED lights are worth it and how to choose the right lights for your trailer. Need a hand working out what fits? Get in touch and we will help.
