As more and more people seem to be converting panel vans to camper vans, the DVLA has responded by updating the requirements to register a vehicle as a camper.
As of October 2019, the DVLA has updated its rules for registering a campervan conversion as a motor caravan. If you plan on living in your van conversion, it’s not strictly necessary for you to register as a motor caravan or meet the exact requirements - as long as you’re comfortable sleeping in it. Despite this, there are several benefits to gain from getting your conversion registered as such with the DVLA.
If your campervan fits the bill, then there are a few other requirements it must meet for motor caravan registration, these are split into external and internal features.
The external features the DVLA expects to see in your van are:
- Two or more windows on at least one side of the vehicle’s body. This doesn’t include windows on the driver or passenger doors. This is to allow sufficient daylight into the living area
- An additional door to allow access to the living quarters of the van (excluding the driver and passenger doors). If there’s a window on this door, it counts separately as a window on the body
- Motor caravan-style graphics on each side of the vehicle
- An awning bar on either side of the vehicle for a canopy attachment to fit
- A high top roof, excluding pop-top elevating roofs
Internal features necessary to gain motor caravan registration are:
- A table and seats
- A sleeping space, this is allowed to be converted from seats
- Facilities for cooking
- Facilities for storage
Everything you need to apply can be found on the government site here.
Although it’s not strictly necessary to register your conversion as such, there are some benefits you might find from doing so, such as:
Lower insurance costs - having your vehicle registered as a leisure vehicle and not just a panel van can result in less expensive insurance. As campers usually make fewer claims, do fewer miles and avoid the more risky nature of commercial use. Campervan insurance is usually 10 - 50% cheaper than standard van insurance.
This can also apply to contents insurance, due to the nature of belongings expected to be inside the van - personal items are typically cheaper to insure than those intended for commercial use such as tools and building materials, etc
A van under 7.5 tonnes is limited to 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways. Registered as a motor caravan, and weighing 3,050kg or less unladen, it can do 60mph and 70mph, the same as a car.
Could result in slightly cheaper MOT costs if your camper is heavy enough - between 3,000 and 3,500kg, vehicles that would typically come under Class 7 for MOTs will instead be assessed under the less costly and restrictive Class 4 rules if registered as a motor caravan.
Simpler identification when travelling – Some ferry operators, campsites or other organisations distinguish between commercial vans and campervans/motorhomes. Having the vehicle correctly described may sometimes make its intended use clearer, although booking categories and prices are set by individual operators and often depend on vehicle dimensions rather than the V5C body type.