DVLA requirements for van to campervan conversions

[thomasplc]

Hi Folks
I know this has come up before and I have seen photos showing what will / will not be accepted by DVLA but b******d if I can find it anyone able to help?
Ta Phil

 

[tranivanman]

dvla

i did my van a couple of years ago and this is what was required then, if i can manage to attach it to this.!!!!!

no i cant, send me youe e mail and i'll send it to you

bobjames46@hotmail.com

tranivanman

 

[mark61]

Some info here

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/09%20262.pdf

 

[jennyp19]

I used to be a member of the SBMCC club (self build motor caravan club), and all the regs you need for sb is on there.

 

[vronpullover]

phil / dvla

Hi Folks
I know this has come up before and I have seen photos showing what will / will not be accepted by DVLA but b******d if I can find it anyone able to help?
Ta Phil

well...sad to say ..we have meet all there requiements..to have our camper re reg as a motorcaravan ie windows vents and all, but now they are saying a van will never look like a motorcaravan so its not one.... we have asked them what more we can do ..with no reply as yet they have a mound of photos and letters from us ..this is our seconed time applying for it...

 

[n brown]

well...sad to say ..we have meet all there requiements..to have our camper re reg as a motorcaravan ie windows vents and all, but now they are saying a van will never look like a motorcaravan so its not one.... we have asked them what more we can do ..with no reply as yet they have a mound of photos and letters from us ..this is our seconed time applying for it...

i'm not sure if this hasn't been screwed up by well meaning but basically anal folk. i have had a lot of campers,all self built,i would send a few photos of the interior,with one pic showing one door open at the back and the reg on the closed door,so its obviously the same van.i would send a covering letter saying''as you can see from the photos i have converted this van to a camper,please change the v5 accordingly.thanks'' no receipts,no boring explanations blah blah,imagine the guy reading it !who's interested,not him thats for sure! once you ask a bureaucrat a question ,he HAS to answer,that means he has to look up stuff,and he'll hate you for it !
what's happened is a lot of people demanded that the DVLA have a definitive list of requirements so they could tick their little stupid boxes and now it's harder for all of us !last one i did my way was 2 years ago,with no problem[and no decals either !] i would say,try my way and if it doesn't work,escalate !

 

[mumumum4]

Hi,

We took photos of inside and out, showing beds made up, beds down and table up, cooker, toilet, sinks etc. We fitted about 10 photos on 2 sheets of A4 paper. We never had any written information. I took it to the local DVLA office and had the guy there check them over along with the application. We got the changed v5 very quickly, I think it was less than 2 weeks.

We are lucky to have a DVLA office nearby though. Also ours was a minibus with plenty windows, and it was 2 years ago.

As Jenny says the SBMCC website has info on requirements for DVLA.

Good luck

Alison

 

[AndyC]

now they are saying a van will never look like a motorcaravan so its not one...

Well that's bo****ks... The DVLA register converted vans as 'motor caravans' every day, almost every motorhome manufacturer has a van conversion in its range, never mind the specialist converters such as Bilbos, IH, etc. If your conversion has windows and the usual internal fittings then it should be reclassified. If they still refuse ask for the case to be escalated to the DVLA Policy Unit for an explanation of why your conversion does not meet their requirements, when apparently similar ones that are commercially produced are accepted as motor caravans.

AndyC

 

[bodgerndog]

Thanks for all the very helpful links and information, folks. We're just going through this with our converted Transit minibus, been refused once because the table wasn't a permanent, i.e., attached to the wall, fixture. (Because of the layout there's nowhere to put a hinged to the wall table.) On 2 previous campers, both VW T4 conversions, the single column table that fits into the floor was accepted, so I'm hoping the same arrangement will pass here.

This one has permanent beds, sink, cooker, wardrobe etc., all of which were shown on the pics. It does seem as if they've tightened up a lot so we're just wondering what other hoops we'll have to jump through...sigh.

Good luck with yours, vron

 

[Sky]

My van's table doesn't fix to anything; it's free standing. Obviously, it's fold-able and is clipped to the wall inside the wardrobe when I'm driving.

I'm assuming this is OK as it's a coach-built?

 

[bodgerndog]

My van's table doesn't fix to anything; it's free standing. Obviously, it's fold-able and is clipped to the wall inside the wardrobe when I'm driving.

I'm assuming this is OK as it's a coach-built?

I think you're right about that. I suspect that the rules for us highly suspect panel van and minibus converters are different - for some reason the dvla knows and I dont

 

[tranivanman]

dvla

hi all
as with everything in life
it depends who you get to deal with, ,when I sent my application in to change my panel van to a "motor caravan" I did'n't have any problem at all, sent loads of photos of the inside outside and of the number plate showing onthe van so it could be clearly seen as to which vehicle the application was for.

Dont be put off, keep trying.

tranivanman

 

[n brown]

another thing that i find about these guidlines,is that they ARE guidlines as far as i'm concerned.if,like our Gypsy mates ,i don't want a sink,i expect to have that right,as for a 6 foot bed,if it's across the van and only measures 70 inches,then that's fine,or if i'm a dwarf and only want a 4 foot bed then that better be fine too ! trouble is,people ask for rules then worry when they can't always stick to them,and they're often scared to test them.if i want to keep my water in plastic bottles as opposed to a tank,and pour them rather than pump then i'm ready to argue the point !vociferously !

 

[gordon]

when i wanted my v5 changed i made a appointment at the local dvla office to have the van inspected. i opened the door he steped in looked round 2 mins later we were back in office 5 days later i got my new v5 through the post.

 

[nabbers]

This might be a naive question but what is the advantage of a motorhome being registered as such? Is there a distinction between a motorhome and camper from DVLA's standpoint?

Any benefit on Road tax?

Is Insurance a factor?

 

[gaz2676]

cheaper insurance, mot class if a really big van think it goes down a class could be wrong , price on passage on ferries is cheaper than commercial vans

 

[hextal]

plus you can drive it faster than a van (well, in the eyes of the law anyway).

As long as its under 3050kg unladen, as i understand it.

 

[Harmergeddon]

This might be a naive question but what is the advantage of a motorhome being registered as such? Is there a distinction between a motorhome and camper from DVLA's standpoint?

Any benefit on Road tax?

Is Insurance a factor?

Some insurance companies insist on it if you want a self build motorhome policy.
As already stated speed limits are different if it's under 3050kg.
No change in tax.
Parking restrictions for commercial vehicles can be avoided.
MOT class is done by the MOT station not by what is on the log book. its at their own discretion. Only difference there though is cost and brake effciency. Class 7 mot requires full brake lock out on rolling road.
Have i done mine, i'll get round to it. No real incentive as mine is over the 3050kg limit and my insurance company didn't insist on it.

 

[FULL TIMER]

there is a little incentive to change the body type on the V5 to motor caravan if your vehicle has a gross permitted weight over 3500 kg as it would then become a phgv in the taxation classes which is only around £165 per year. since I changed mine to motor caravan I now pay cheaper tax, speed limiter is no longer needed, and same mot as a normal car.

 

[ycul]

Hi, I had this problem last year. The crux of the matter lies in whether a reasonable person would recognise your vehicle as being a motorcaravan from the outside irrespective of whether your conversion meets the other requirements because the change of v5 relates to body type i.e. does the body look like a motorcaravan? I had mine rejected on photo application, accepted on inspection at a different DVLA office and then the application stalled by DVLA Swansea. In the end I wrote to my MP with photos of my build and he in turn wrote to Sec. Transport. My amended V5 then arrived within 48hrs! Here is what I received regarding your problem from the Sec. of State-

"...The body type descriptions allocated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have been developed in conjunction with the motor industry and the police. They are used for registration and identification purposes and are allocated on the basis of how a person would resonably describe a vehicle when looking at it on the road.

Following an increase in the number of requests for a change of body type, DVLA officials recently carried out a review and consulted with the police and the Association of British Insurers. There was a clear consensus that the body type should reflect the outward appearance of the vehicle rather than its internal fixtures and fittings. However, the review also recognised the difficulties motorists were experiencing and the impact on businesses who convert vehicles into motorhomes. As a result of this review, the DVLA is now being more flexible about the allocation of a body type description for vehicles which have been modified both internally and externally from the manufacturers original specification.

Requests to change body types are now assessed according to the photographic and documentary evidence provided by the customer. This means that motorists are no longer required to submit their vehicle to the DVLA for an inspection when applying to change body type..."

Lots of advice on the SBMCC as mentioned earlier...