The best caravan towing mirrors will play an important part in making sure you and your tourer arrive safely at your destination.
There has been quite a debate both on and offline in recent years about whether caravan towing mirrors are strictly necessary, as modern cars have large mirrors that can do the job for you (or so the theory goes).
Well, the most recent edition of the Highway Code (which you can view online) is quite clear. It says, “If your vehicle is narrower than your trailer or load, or your trailer or load obstructs your rearward view, then towing mirrors MUST be used.”
There is a perfectly good reason for this. The best towing mirrors give you full sight right down the sides of your tourer, not just the front section, so you can rest assured the way is completely clear before you turn or change lanes.
Choosing the right towing mirrors can sometimes be tricky – even if you have the best tow car, it can still be a challenge to make sure they will fit the existing mirrors on your vehicle. Given that so many of these mirrors rely for their stability mostly on parallel clasps, towing mirrors that are more than usually curved can be a problem.
In fact, even if you pick any of the mirrors we feature below, we would still recommend that each time you fit them for the first time on your journey you drive a short distance, then pull over, and make sure they are still fastened securely. It may sound like a chore, but take it from us: it’s better than being en route to the best caravan park and then watching your towing mirror, hit the side of your car or caravan and then sail off into oncoming traffic behind you.
In this guide, we’re sharing our favourite caravan towing mirrors on the market.
If you’re looking for more towing accessories, be sure to check out our best caravan sat nav guide too, to help with your navigation.
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The best towing mirrors are:
Milenco Grand Aero Platinum towing mirrors
Milenco 2899 Universal Aero 4
Maypole Deluxe Extension Towing Convex Rear View Mirrors (MP8327)
Crusader Universal Towing Mirrors
Towsure Rock Steady Towing Mirrors
Streetwize Rock Steady Motorhome Car Towing Mirrors
The best caravan towing mirrors are:
Milenco Grand Aero Platinum towing mirrors
Reason to buy:
- Stable, flexible rubber grip clamps to help fit all vehicles
Reason to avoid:
- Most expensive set on our list
Milenco is a very well-known name in the caravan sphere.
When we put these to the test, we were very impressed, finding they offered stability with very little vibration, as well as providing clear visibility of the road and traffic, things that you’d look for in the best towing mirrors.
Something that we like about them is that they are supplied as ‘one size fits all’. They’re suitable for standard and the increasingly popular 2.5m-wide tourers, and come with ‘automotive glass’ – this is the same as you get with most cars.
Thanks to the clamps, these caravan towing mirrors should also fit most vehicles, as they come with a flexible rubber grip which goes around a stainless-steel spring pad.
Full review: Milenco Grand Aero Platinum towing mirrors
Milenco 2899 Universal Aero 4
Reason to buy:
- Extra wide, so suitable for all caravan widths.
Reason to avoid:
- As they fit on the top side of the mirror only, you really have to make sure they are securely fastened. They also may not fit all mirror shapes.
This pair of convex towing mirrors is another entry from Milenco. They are 41cm long – 10cm longer than their Aero 3 predecessors. This extra length means they should easily accommodate even the 8ft wide caravans that are becoming increasingly popular.
You can also angle them to make sure you have the best view. The Aero models attach entirely by clamps which you fit to the upper edge of your existing mirrors and tighten. This means there’s only minimal contact with your tow car’s paintwork.
Milenco is a big name in the industry, so you can expect to find excellent quality and durability in these, something we look for in the best caravan towing mirrors.
Maypole Deluxe Extension Towing Convex Rear View Mirrors (MP8327)
Reason to buy:
- Aerodynamic shape
Reason to avoid:
- Convex only
These towing mirrors from popular brand Maypole have a more aerodynamic oval shape and are also heavier than many other sets, at well over 1kg. But they fix via three different points to your tow car’s mirrors, which should help to increase stability and minimise vibration when you’re on the road.
Made with convex glass, these towing mirrors can be oriented either horizontally or vertically, for added practicality. The viewing area itself measures 11cm X 36cm x 13cm.
The design comes with full European approval, and full fitting instructions are included. These are not the easiest to fit, but should stay in place once correctly in position.
Crusader Universal Towing Mirrors
Reason to buy:
- Extra security cable
Reason to avoid:
- Different mirrors may take some getting used to.
These scissor-fit mirrors clip on with straps, which is a fairly common arrangement, but handily (and unusually for modern towing mirrors) they also have a security cable.
You can clip this to itself around the mirror – in the event of one of the mirrors working itself loose, it will stay attached to the car until you are able to stop and refit it. This saves you losing the mirrors on the road while you’re driving along.
Another unusual feature is that one of the mirrors is flat while the other is convex. This allows you to get the best choice of vision when you are out and towing a caravan.
Towsure Rock Steady Towing Mirrors
Reason to buy:
- Sturdy and strong
Reason to avoid:
- Heavy
Weighing in at more than 5kg, these heavy convex mirrors certainly should be rock steady when you’re towing, even at higher speeds.
They feel sturdy too, because their design means that they clip onto both the top and bottom of your tow car’s wing mirrors.
As with the Crusader Towing Mirrors above, these are supplied with one flat surface and one convex. They also come complete with a storage bag, so your mirrors will be protected when you’re pitched up on site, or you’re stowing your mirrors away at the end of the touring season.
Like Milenco, Towsure is a brand that covers all sorts of accessories for caravans, so that should give you extra confidence.
Streetwize Rock Steady Motorhome Car Towing Mirrors
Reason to buy:
- Flexible
Reason to avoid:
- Could be fiddly to fit
These particularly flexible mirrors have been designed to be compatible not only with tow cars but also for those of you who tow your caravan with a van or motorhome.
One of the mirrors is convex while the other is flat, and they fix onto your tow car’s wing mirrors with two straps and four clasps on each of the units. They should be easy to adjust even while you’re sitting in the driver or passenger seat.
Strong synthetic fastenings around the back of each tow car mirror should help keep them firmly in place when you’re towing, and they also conform to E11 regulations for added peace of mind.
Is it illegal to tow without towing mirrors?
When you’re towing a caravan, you need to be able to see four metres out from your caravan and 20 metres behind the driver. What this means is you’re going to need caravan towing mirrors to ensure you’re towing legally, unless you have a very narrow caravan and a very wide tow car.
Even if you have a big 4×4 tow car, it’s still unlikely that it would allow you to see that far out.
Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to £1,000 and 3 penalty points.
Why do I need towing mirrors?
A caravan would create a significant blind spot when you’re towing if you didn’t have towing mirrors, as you wouldn’t be able to see enough of the road behind and to the side. This means you may not be able to see overtaking traffic in your car’s mirrors until they’re already in line with your tourer. In comparison, with the correctly adjusted towing mirrors, you’d have plenty of notice, allowing you to safely decide when to change lanes. In short, they help you stay safe and legal when you’re on the road.
What is the best type of towing mirror?
The most common type of towing mirror will use clamps – these attach to your towing vehicle’s mirror housing and should, when set up correctly, offer minimum vibrations and a clear view. It’s worth noting that if the housings are heavily cowled though, they can be tough to fit.
Then there are ones that use suction cups – these attach to your car’s mirrors and move with the mirror to give you a fine-tuned view. However, these will also partially block the view from your car’s mirrors. More budget mirrors will use rubber straps.
Another type will be electrically adjusted via remote control – however, these will cost more.
When you’re choosing the right set of towing mirrors, you’ll want to choose a pair which can be securely fitted and can be adjusted to suit different sizes of car mirror.
What is the difference between a convex mirror and a flat mirror?
Convex mirrors will have a curved surface, giving you a wider field of vision. While this is useful, it has the downside of meaning an approaching vehicle could be nearer to you than it seems in the mirror. In contrast, a flat mirror will not distort your view but will give you a narrower field of view. Some drivers prefer to have one of each, with a flat mirror on the driver’s side and a convex mirror on the passenger side – some sets will cater to this, providing one of each type.
Written with contributions from Peter Byrne
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