Need a 4WD to tow a touring caravan?

I gather that to tow a horsebox or cattle trailer etc you are technically required to have a 4WD vehicle.

Just wondering if the same holds for a touring caravan or is it weight that's the issue?, in which case a caravan is probably ok as not that much weight when empty.

p.s. anyone ever heard of hiring one to drive away? when/if (!) the economic depression clears I'd like to buy one, but would need to be sure her indoors would take to it, wouldnt like to tie up c€10k + unless getting use out of it. So a trial run would be great - located in Mid-West. If got it would site it adjacent to my parents place, that why just renting one at a caravan park wouldnt be a true trial run.

Double Axle trailers or caravans require a 4WD to pull them, preferably a large 4WD. Each 4WD has it's own towing capacity spec which is weight dependant.

There's no legal requirement to use a 4wd. You just need something with the correct towing capacity (although this usually turns out to be a 4wd!)

This any good?

thanks a lot for that Cole, it lead on to a good few more links like whattowcar.com & caravanning4u

The [broken link removed] have a Q&A section which may be of help, they also have a "Try before you Buy" section which unfortunately lists UK companies where you can test a caravan before committing to buy.

Q What does The Club recommend as a safe outfit weight ratio for towing a caravan?
A The principle must be to have the heaviest possible towcar for a given caravan, otherwise the chances of a swaying trailer becoming uncontrollable and snaking are very real. Aim for a towed load 85% of the car’s kerb weight (KW), or the vehicle manufacturer’s towing limit, if lower. The nearer the caravan laden weight approaches the one-to-one ratio, the more careful the driver must be. Remember that the towed weight is the actual laden weight (ALW) that the car is asked to pull (empty weight of caravan plus what you add), not the theoretical Maximum Authorised Weight (MAW) or (from 1999 production models) Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM).