Best Towing Mirrors

When it comes to towing mirrors, it doesn't pay to be a penny-pincher. Not only do they come in extra handy when you need to see at the rear of a long and tall trailer or caravan, but they're also a legal requirement for caravans and other vehicles that are wider than the towing car. That's because blind spots can easily conceal a cyclist or a car at the rear, which makes overtaking manoeuvres extremely dangerous, even at low speed. When you're towing boats, trailers and caravans, you need to be able to rely on all the features that some of the best towing mirrors have. So, don't 'tow blind'. Before you drive off on holiday, make sure you not only eliminate blind spots, but deck out your car or motorhome with the best towing mirrors money can buy. Here's what you should be looking for:

Safety
First and foremost, your caravan towing mirrors need to be safe and legal. If they're not, you risk being fined up to £1,000 and getting penalty points, as gov.uk explains.

So, make sure you buy a pair of original products from a reputable caravan accessory dealer. Look for 'e-marked' products compliant with the latest EU safety legislation. The mirror housing will display a lowercase 'e' and a serial number beginning with '03' if it complies with EEC regulations, or an uppercase 'E' and a serial number starting with '02' if it meets UNECE standards. The number immediately after the 'e'/'E' is the country code that indicates where the mirror was tested (11 stands for the UK).

If you're afraid your towing mirrors may be stolen, then look for clamp-on models that enable you to take them away easily but leave the clamps in place whenever your car is unattended.

Fitting
Your towing mirrors should fit your wing mirrors. Think of them not just as an extra pair of eyes, but rather as an extension of your 'eyes' (the wing mirrors). Whether they're fitted with screws, clamps or tensioning straps, they must ultimately fit your wing mirrors and stay put. Look for easy-to-fit wing mirrors that you can fit on either side of car.

Be extra careful with automatically folding wing mirrors. You should fit your towing extension mirrors so that they don't damage your car when your wing mirrors fold inwards. No point splashing out on the best towing mirrors on the market if they don't fit properly.

At the same time, you need to look for versatile caravan mirrors, because they're likely to outlast your caravan or your car, if they're good quality products. Think ahead and look for towing mirrors that are likely to fit most cars and give you a clear view even if you end up switching to a different type of caravan.

Quality and Features
Whether you're looking for a hard-wearing, no-frills product or a feature-packed mirror, you'll be spoilt for choice. One-off blind spot mirrors, custom slip-on towing mirrors and even permanent ones come in all shapes and sizes. Larger, clamp-on mirrors can be tear-shaped, rectangular, trapezium-shaped or irregular, while slip-on blind-spot mirrors tend to be round and small. Next, you need to choose between convex and flat surfaces. The former have a larger viewing area but distort the image, while the latter yield a smaller viewing angle. Some models, such as the Milenco Grand Aero 3, come in both versions. Ultimately, though, you'll need your caravan towing mirrors to be compact and easy to store. Depending on the features you're interested in, you're bound to find the convex caravan mirrors, telescopic mirrors, LED mirrors and even heated mirrors to suit your needs.

Adjusting
One of the first questions you should ask your caravan accessory trader, if this is your first purchase, is if the caravan mirrors come with instructions. Some of the best, such as Milenco towing mirrors currently on the market don't, because they're designed so that you intuitively know how to fit and adjust them. But the first fitting will always be a 2-people job, with one person tilting the mirror by hand and another person behind the wheel, checking the view. Most caravan towing mirrors will show the road surface behind and alongside the towed caravan, part the wheel arch, and possibly even the grab handle and the side light. Ideally, you'll need caravan mirrors that also show you the top and the bottom of the caravan, to help you park in forested and muddy areas.

Stability
Once you've fitted and adjusted your caravan towing mirrors, you should test them to make sure that they don't move, shake or vibrate as you're driving. Check that they don't budge on a bumpy road at high speed.