Method for operating a tail lift (2, 2a, 2b) in a motor vehicle comprising a towing vehicle and a trailer vehicle which is connectable thereto, having a relevant lift and pivot mechanism mounted on the motor vehicle by means of connecting components, which mechanism can be motor driven, in particular hydraulically driven, having a platform which can be raised and lowered by means of the lift and pivot mechanism and can be held in a selected position in all lifting positions, the platform, when raised to the level of a cargo space of the motor vehicle, also being pivotable from a horizontal pivoting position into a vertical pivoting position in which the platform closes the cargo space of the motor vehicle or is positioned behind a door which closes the cargo space, and conversely being pivotable from the vertical pivoting position into the horizontal pivoting position, or it being possible to bring the platform into a stowed position below the cargo space of the motor vehicle, in which process mutually pivotable platform regions are pivoted with respect to one another and folded, and having a drive for the lift and pivot mechanism, the lifting, lowering and pivoting of the platform or of parts of the platform being controlled by means of an electrical or electronic control apparatus (26, 26a, 26b), a remote control (40, 40a, 40b) for remotely controlling the electrical or electronic control apparatus (26, 26a, 26b) based on wireless and in particular digitally coded communication being provided having a hand-held operating part which can be carried by the operator, having a first transmitting/receiving part associated with a first control apparatus for a first tail lift on the towing vehicle, and having a second transmitting/receiving part associated with a second control apparatus for a second tail lift on the trailer vehicle, the hand-held operating part and the first and second transmitting/receiving parts (44a, 44b) comprising transmitting/receiving apparatuses (46, 48a, 48b) which are designed for wireless communication, characterized in that the state of at least one connection parameter between the towing vehicle and the trailer vehicle is detected, and in that, upon determination of a particular state of the connection parameter, the hand-held operating part and the second transmitting/receiving part are automatically coupled such that the hand-held operating part and the second transmitting/receiving part can be connected wirelessly by means of the remote control in order to operate the second tail lift of the trailer vehicle, and/or the first transmitting/receiving part and the second transmitting/receiving part are automatically coupled such that the hand-held operating part and the first transmitting/receiving part and also the first and second transmitting/receiving parts (44a, 44b) can be connected wirelessly by means of the remote control (40a, 40b) in order to operate the second tail lift of the trailer vehicle, the coupling between the hand-held operating part and at least one transmitting/receiving part (44a, 44b) or between the transmitting/receiving parts (44a, 44b) taking place in both cases by means of wirelessly exchanged signals.