Certificate of Conformity confusion

Mass in Running Order is the weight of the car in basic configuration without any factory fitted options over and above what the manufacturer deemed to be standard equipment for the purpose of type approval. Actual mass, as the name implies, includes all the factory fitted options on your particular car and is the figure that comes closest to kerbweight.

Mass in Running Order is a bit abstract and doesn’t really reflect actual conditions. It is almost invariably less than the actual weight, hence the difference of 128kg.

Thank you for your reply. So, I take it from that I should use the actual mass figure when working out towing figures? I am going to get the vehicle weighed for peace of mind anyway.

Yes, it's as close as you'll get without actually weighing the car. Don't forget that the 'Actual Mass' will not include anything that the dealer may have fitted, such as a towbar, for example.

Many thanks for your help.

Am I missing something I`ve never heard of anyone weighing the car to "work out towing weights"?  If you need to go that far you are probably sailing too close to the wind anyway.

After that comment Tigi, I hope you have a tin helmet on.

After reading a lot of posts on here and other sites it can be quite confusing to a novice when it comes to weights. There seem to be a lot of different terminology involved and also what is included in the weights (full tank/half tank/driver weight included or not.) When working out towing weights on outfit matching sites the kerb weight figure used for my car, a 2016 Nissan Qashqai 1.6dci auto, is 1505kg (give or take depending on model.The model I have is rare and not included on uk websites)  Max towing weight 1400kg. I asked on here if anyone knew what the difference was in mass in running order and actual mass. In my case an increase of 128kg. taking the weight up to 1608kg. As there seems to be a lot of emphasis placed on the 85% guide I wanted to get the formula right. A few pounds spent on a weighbridge check would just be for peace of mind, would give me the exact weight of the car and I would also know exactly which figure to use given the advice from earlier in the thread.

All credit to you 'TandK' for at least making the effort to understand the weights, and there is no harm at all in weighing the vehicle. Understanding is far better than ignorance 👍

Thank you "Metheven" I see a lot is made of the weight of the caravan and several times I have seen posts and youtube videos reccomending that they be taken to get them weighed, so it seems to me that if you are going to do that then why not the car as well. I know that you could take them both at the same time and do it in one visit but not when you are working out what weight van you can buy. Thanks to the posts on here I am now sure and confident about how much I can pull!

Just a note on the side:

Kerbweight, by definition, doesn’t include the driver, but it does include a full tank.

Mass in Service and Actual Mass does include the driver, but only a 90% full tank.