DVLA requirements for change to motor caravan

[NickB]

BTW I asked two commercial VW converters in Malvern what was happening..... both shrugged their shoulders and said that they don't waste their time anymore with vehicle body type reclassifications as the customer buys the vehicle as it's presented not what's on the V5c

 

[Squiffy]

Yes pity about Malvern Nick maybe next time. Thanks for clarifying the conversation, it will be very interesting to see what the converters like Swift Auto trsil and the like say, in fact tomorrow just out of interest I'll phone Swift customer services saying I was thinking of buying a conversion and I have just heard this news which has put me off buying " Whats the score" and see what they say. Phil

 

[Squiffy]

I just wonder what the situation would be if you had a van that looked like a motor caravan and was reported to the police for some reason and when finally stopped you were accused of travelling in a vehicle that was not as described on the V5 i.e. a panel van ?. Phil

 

[NickB]

Good idea Phil re Swift stress the panel van conversion versions... regarding police stops I brought that up as well.... according to the DVLA chap (who btw was on script but really on the ball) "he" suggested if an open top two seater sports car was stopped by the police for whatever reason and it had a cooker 2 beds and everything else it wouldn't matter a jot to the police because is really an open top two seater sports car... and what the user wants to do with it is between him and his insurers.

 

[Squiffy]

In all honesty Nick it makes it easier for us too, as you would have to reach an agreed value with your insurer any way regardless of it being called a motorhome or van with 15 grand of equipment installed. The only thing that was a blocking situation was insurers would not insure you until the V5 had been changed by law but if that rule that you have to change use to motor caravan is now defunct then great. The only fly in the ointment is that the insurers don't now try to hike the premiums. Phil

 

[NickB]

Again you are 100% spot on... I phoned Adrain Flux on Friday... they knew all about this ... they asked about my van I told them everything I'd done.. they asked if it looked like a motor caravan (in my opinion yes) paid them £48 to increase the market value up to £35k job done... next is to agree a fixed value of whatever say £x+ with valuations which costs a one off £110 ish... as I said they knew Motor caravan for panel van conversion is over ( subject to riots on the streets or DVLA changing)

 

[Squiffy]

"Subject to riots on the streets or DVLA changing"

 

[Millie Master]

What a captivating read all this has been for me, well done @NickB and of course @Squiffy for your usual knowledgeable responses.

So how will all this play into the powers of the DVSA and any road side checks, oh and how about the significant reductions in VED and the associated reductions in insurance premiums that currently exists between a van and a converted van etc. etc.

All of this suggests to me that the DVLA are trying to reduce their work load and it is us the public who will end up worse off!

Phil

 

[NickB]

Oh I wish I had a crystal ball (or motor caravan) but alas I've got a van/side windows.

 

[NickB]

Anyone who wants to hear this first hand give the DVLA a call on tel. 0300 790 6802
Or the DfT on tel. 0300 330 3000
Enjoy the glow.

 

[NickB]

BTW... there is one further influencing body... The International Vehicle Standards Commission contactable on ivs.enquiries@dft.gov.uk
anyone fancy an email exchange with them... sadly I've given up.

 

[wildebus]

What a captivating read all this has been for me, well done @NickB and of course @Squiffy for your usual knowledgeable responses.

So how will all this play into the powers of the DVSA and any road side checks, oh and how about the significant reductions in VED and the associated reductions in insurance premiums that currently exists between a van and a converted van etc. etc.

All of this suggests to me that the DVLA are trying to reduce their work load and it is us the public who will end up worse off!

Phil

What "significant reductions in VED" are you referring to? Road Tax never changes with a Reclassification, as the Tax Category (N1, N2, M1, M2, etc) would never get changed despite the change of use. The only time Road Tax changes is if it changes to/from an PHGV (or is a Disabled Users transport which is exempt from Road Tax I understand?)
Insurers (at least the specialists) are happy to insure conversions as Campervans as long as they meet the published internal requirements of the DVLA for a Campervan.
These requirements are still important in fact for the larger conversions as it affects MOTs. If a >3.5t vehicle is converted, then it is down to the MOT station to agree it should be tested as a Motor Caravan so it still needs to met the criteria for that test

 

[NickB]

Yes I understand the official wording for MOT is "vehicle tested as presented" so a vehicle presented as a motorhome, camper, motor caravan or whatever is tested as such.
I don't have anything to report or have an opinion on VED I didn't test this when I spoke to the DVLA and Dft.

 

[Millie Master]

What "significant reductions in VED" are you referring to?

You are of course right Dave, sorry for that but I had been gliding all day and my brain was a bit numb when I typed that last night!!

But when it comes to insurance, my then broker and indeed the one I am with now wanted to see proof that the V5 had been reclassified, and as for the DVSA bods out on the road, how will these changes be interpreted by them?

Phil

 

[Squiffy]

It also remains to be seen if these changes are going to intrude into the MoT test criteria too, it may not but then it just may do, this is another avenue which might be made a dead end street. Phil

 

[Squiffy]

The possibility is that the MoT station may not be able to test the vehicle as presented anymore if it no longer has V5 classification "motor caravan" they may have to test it as an HGV, after all if the Police do not care what you have done to the inside then it is an HGV vehicle and I suppose they would expect to see a certificate to say that it has met HGV test standards? This could be where the " Only vehicles constructed on base chassis" comes into play i.e. coach built. As the vast amount are constructed on >3.5 ton chassis so these will be allowed the " Motor caravan" status this will of course more or less kill the self build club as building coach built is a far different story to conversion and Type approval comes into play. Maybe this is the intention to curb our right to build Motorhomes over 3.5 ton. Time will tell. ☹Phil

 

[NickB]

General question about the www.gov.uk/speed-limits web page.
If you look carefully it states 3.05 tonnes.
I questioned this and was told that was NOT a typo.
On the other government websites DfT and DVSA a boundary weight of 3500kg is shown.
To the best of my understanding 1 tonne (in common parlance a metric ton) is 1000kg.
Am I missing something or has the DVLA slipped in this boundary weight reduction un-noticed.

 

[Squiffy]

There is minimal difference between metric tons and imperial tons, so it would seem to me that one or the other has made a typo, 3.05 seems a very odd number as far as I am aware there is no commercial vehicle class of that weight.

 

[Squiffy]

Ok folks just been onto DVLA, and its as I originally thought that its all to do with vans that have been converted and do not look like motorhomes. Their criteria has not changed other than they are being far more strict in their assessment of what a van looks like, if externally it does not at first glance register to the eye as a motorhome, it will be classed as a van with windows, she stressed it must look like a motorhome that stickers on their own does not make it a motorhome. So folks you can all stand down and carry on as they say, nothing has changed, make it look like a motorhome and your V5 will be changed to "Motor caravan " I did stress even if it is self built and she said yes there is no discrimination if it looks like a motorhome then it is a motorhome adding provided all the other criteria are observed. . Phil

 

[Squiffy]

This is as I suggested that they have to clamp down on professional converters putting all round privacy glass on their conversions as they don't look like motorhomes, and this is probably why so many salespeople were so evasive when I asked them about this V5 problem, they knew that it had not changed in criteria but thay have been warned that the move to all round glass puts it into van with windows. Phil