B96 test: how to practise reversing with a trailer

Reversing is one manoeuvre in the practical B96 test, which checks your ability and behaviour while driving the combination. Practise with an instructor and a compliant vehicle, learning to monitor your path, mirrors and available space.

What to check while reversing

The MIT circular includes reversing among the manoeuvres in the practical code 96 test. During lessons, ask your instructor to show how the trailer’s path changes when you turn the steering wheel and how to correct it with gradual movements. Move slowly, check both mirrors and keep track of space beside and behind the combination. Do not rely on one view: the trailer can move quickly in relation to the car.

The rules do not set one universal sequence of steering movements for every vehicle and test area. The combination’s setup and length, the available space and the examiner’s instructions affect the manoeuvre. Before starting, make sure you understand the requested path and know where to stop if you lose control of the line or no longer feel safe. Ask your instructor to repeat the manoeuvre in a controlled setting, correcting one mistake at a time instead of speeding up or making sharp steering inputs.

Practise safely for the test

Practical preparation should take place with an instructor and a combination that meets test requirements. Before booking, check which features the towing vehicle and trailer must have and which manoeuvres your UMC requires. During practice, notice the reference points your instructor uses to decide when to correct the path, but do not memorise steering positions as a formula: the available space and vehicle may differ on test day.

B96 is code 96 added to category B. It covers combinations with a maximum authorised mass over 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg, subject to the MIT conditions. Reversing is only one part of the ability and behaviour test; you must be able to control the full combination. Quiz Patente Ufficiale can help you review general traffic and towing theory, while the reversing manoeuvre requires practical instruction. Do not mistake a good quiz result for the practical preparation the test requires.

Quiz Patente Ufficiale helps you review general theory with exam quizzes, study chapters and mistake review. Practise B96 reversing with an instructor.