Wiring a 13 pin Euro plug

13 pin trailer & caravan plug & socket wiring

The 13 pin Euro type plug and socket is now fitted on most caravans to supply power and all the road lights. 13 pin trailer & caravan plug & socket wiring is not too difficult as the first 7 pins follow the old 12N (‘N’ type) wiring with 5 additional wires for reverse, a switched and a live power supply. All of this is in one plug, with a secure twist lock.

In 2008 the 13 pin plug replaced the N type lighting plug and the S type Ancillary plug on caravans. From 2012 all trailers with brakes need to have a reverse lamp this required an eighth wire. This moved most manufacturers over to the 13 pin plug for trailers with brakes. Although most still use the 7 pin 12n plug on unbraked trailers. Converters are available to convert either 13pin to 7 pin or 7 pin to 13 pin.

In order for a socket to work effectively on a tow vehicle, we recommend using a vehicle specific wiring loom. If you don’t want to use a dedicated / vehicle specific wiring loom at the least use a 7 way universal bypass relay and a split-charge relay. A vehicle specific wiring loom and relays are there to protect the electrics on modern cars.

Wiring diagram for 13 pin euro trailer plugs and sockets

Below is the 13 pin trailer & caravan plug & socket wiring diagram.

Wiring for 13 pin Euro caravan and trailer electrics

 

Pin No. Colour Function Cable dia
1 Yellow Left Indicator 1.5
2 Blue Fog Light 1.5
3 White Earth 2.5
4 Green Right Indicator 1.5
5 Brown Right tail / Side light 1.5
6 Red Brake / Stop lights 1.5
7 Black Left tail / Side light 1.5
8 Pink Reversing Light 1.5
9 Orange 12v Permanent power from battery 2.5
10 Grey 12v Ignition on (battery charging or Fridge) 2.5
11 White/Black Earth for Terminal 10 2.5
12 White/Blue NOT usually used 1.5
13 White/Red Earth for Terminal 9 2.5

Note:- Pin 12 is not usually used, 12 core cable can still be used to wire this 13 pin plug.

You can find other wiring diagrams on this site (listed below)

7 Pin ‘N’ Type trailer plug wiring diagram.
7 pin ‘S’ Type trailer plug wiring diagram.
Split charge relay wiring diagram.
7 way universal bypass relay wiring diagram.

To purchase components for trailer and caravan wiring please visit – www.towingandtrailers.com