V5 Body Type query (1 Viewer)

[Bulletguy]

My campervan is a Ford Transit which was a commercial 'panel van' for the first two years of it's life, then professionally converted to a campervan.

On the V5 document the 'Body Type' is indicated as 'Motor Caravan'.

If taking a 'bare bones' commercial van where the V5 states 'Body Type' as panel van or whatever. then converting it to a campervan, does anyone know exactly what legalities are entailed to get the V5 'Body Type' changed to 'Motor Caravan'?

Maybe 'Geo' might be qualified to answer this?

 

[scotjimland]

DVLA Requirements
"Motor caravan" means a special purposes passenger car constructed to include living accommodation which contains at least the following equipment:

* seats and table,
* sleeping accommodation which may be converted from the seats,
* cooking facilities, and
* storage facilities.

This equipment shall be rigidly fixed to the living compartment; however, the table may be designed to be easily removable.

The interpretation applied to this definition is as follows

Seats and a Table

* Are required to be an integral part of the living accommodation area, and mounted independently of other items.
* The table must be capable of being mounted directly to the vehicle floor and /or side wall.
* The table mounting arrangement must be secured as a permanent feature, (bolted, riveted, screwed or welded), although the table may be detachable.
* Permanently secured seating must be available for use at the table.
* The seats must be secured directly to the vehicle floor and/or side wall.
* The seats must be secured as a permanent feature, (bolted riveted, screwed or welded).

Sleeping Accommodation

* Must be an integral part of the living accommodation area.
* Either beds or a bed converted from seats (to form a mattress base)
* Secured as a permanent feature, with base structures bolted, riveted, screwed or welded to the vehicle floor and / or side wall, (unless the sleeping accommodation is provided as a provision over the driver’s cab compartment.

Cooking Facilities

* That are an integral part of the vehicle living accommodation and is mounted independently of other items.
* That are secured to the vehicle floor and / or side wall.
* Secured as a permanent feature, (bolted, riveted, screwed, or welded.
* The cooking facility must consist of a minimum of a two ring cooking facility or a microwave in either case having a fuel/power source.
* If the cooking facility is fuelled by gas having a remote fuel supply, the fuel supply pipe must be permanently secured to the vehicle structure.
* If the cooking facility is fuelled by gas having a remote fuel supply, the fuel reservoir must be secured in a storage cupboard or the reservoir secured to the vehicle structure.

Storage Facilities

* Storage facilities must be provided by a cupboard or locker.
* The facility must be an integral part of the vehicle living accommodation, ie mounted independently of other items, unless incorporated below seat/sleeping accommodation or the cooking facility.
* The storage facility must be a permanent feature, (bolted, riveted, screwed or welded).
* The storage facility must be secured directly to the vehicle floor and / or side wall, unless a storage provision is provided over the driver’s cab compartment.


Two useful links


Link Removed

Link Removed

 

[Geo]

No real legalities involved other than contacting your local DVLA and trying to convince them it is realy a camper, sometimes they take your word and just change it on application to change body type
other times they request photo evidence and other times a phisical inspection, but that is no more than checking Reg No vin No and poking head in a door or looking through a window.
Also sometimes you get the Jobsworth who will spend all day trying to convince you it cant be re classified. if you get him or her call back on a different day, some genuine factory built Motorhomes are still registered as tipper lorries because the Manf couldn't be bothered with the rigmorolloh:
Geo

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Bulletguy]

Links very interesting Jim, particularly the second one defining 'Motor Caravan'.

Basically from what Geo has said, re-classifying seems more like a game of chance as to what reception you get from the DVLA.

What does cause concern though is that surely if a commercial panel van (stated as such on the V5) converted to use as a campervan/mh, becomes involved in any serious accident, would void the insurance as legally it is not as stated on the V5.

I know at the time of insuring any vehicle companies ask if there have been any modifications to the vehicle, but i would have thought (may be wrong), that simply saying "yes it's got a bed, table and bog in it and i use it as a camper etc", is not enough.

 

[Geo]

Your quite right and they would only want to pay out for a panel van too
thats been my argument for a longtime with DVLA I recently sold a "proper"(from new) Panel Van conversion and the customer refused to take delivery of it till the log book said Motor caravan and rightly so
It had been registered from new (some 10 years) as just a panel van
I had about an hour on the phone and two trips down to local DVLA and an inspection before they would re classify it
their argument for all the hassle is, and its not really a valid argument
"That any Tom Dick or Harry can throw a sink in and quadruple the value by re registering an old van"
Hence they now produce their version of what is, and what is not a Motor home But they still want to make you jump through hoops it seems
My argument is, it is DVLA duty to CORRECTLY register a vehicle
Geo

 

[Bulletguy]

Had the same problem when changing the taxation class on my V5 from 'disabled' which the previous owner qualified for, to 'plg'. I had to physically attend a DVLA centre with all the documentation to get it altered back to PLG. They would not accept it postal. Took me an entire day and involved a round trip of almost 100 miles. But by comparison that would seem simple compared with getting the correct 'body type' altered to Motor Caravan.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

fortunately i am lucky i normally ring our local dvla office and their inspector comes out and looks at the vehicle. jim is right in what he says for the requirment for a motor caracan. there are definitions of a motor caravan in the how to import a vehicle in to great britain booklet issued by the department of transport.thats what my local office use.i have known of insurance companies not paying out the full amount because of not getting it changed .it can also be a problem crossing international borders as i once found out. best look in your log book and get it right,it should be no problem. cheers alan.

 

[Bulletguy]

...it can also be a problem crossing international borders as i once found out. best look in your log book and get it right,it should be no problem. cheers alan.

My V5 is ok as it is what it states...'Motor Caravan'. And yes you are right about international borders etc or use in foreign countries.

This year i was pulled in by Polish immigration officials who wanted to check over my van and documents. Everything was ok of course, the two guys were very pleasant polite chaps and i was on my way again half an hour later. They told me that people regularly try to smuggle vehicles in to break up or sell on.

 

[vwalan]

there has been a definition of a m,home since about 1968, i think it was to do with some sort of tax at the time. there is no need for windows and before you had to have fixed water supply ,it seems thats not neccasary any more.like i say it should be no probs. got harder about 3yr ago before then it was a paper exercise by sending in your log book . i think it was all preperation for computer mot,s etc. keeps someone in work though. cheers alan.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scotjimland]

there is no need for windows and before you had to have fixed water supply ,it seems thats not neccasary any more
.

yeah,.. it's pretty obvious you don't need a sink to wash in to be a "camper van" maybe time to change the rules ..

I've seen some right grubby people emerging from so called " camper vans " and washing, doing dishes, even washing hair at the fresh water tap where others collect drinking water from.. an utter disgrace ... :Angry:

apologies for going off topic.. but not for the rant

 

[Geo]

there has been a definition of a m,home since about 1968, i think it was to do with some sort of tax at the time. there is no need for windows and before you had to have fixed water supply ,it seems thats not neccasary any more.like i say it should be no probs. got harder about 3yr ago before then it was a paper exercise by sending in your log book . i think it was all preperation for computer mot,s etc. keeps someone in work though. cheers alan.

It was indeed all to do with tax and funny you should mention windows cos thats what the tax was,a window tax
vehicles bought without windows escaped a certain percentage of the old vehicle purchase tax because it usually meant it was a van or car derived van, so in theory you could and still can I believe, buy a car derived van put the glass and extra seats back in and save a bob or two by turning it back into a car
When converting vans years ago an application had to be made to HM Customs to get a tax exemption certificate so you could put glass in without paying the extra tax, this applied only to vehicles older than 10 years, if younger than that, tax was payable pro rata according to age, so what the tax man giveth for no windows he took back when you fitted em
And then you could NOT re register as a Motor home conversion without the HM Customs exemption certificate or Certificate of any tax due had been paidoh:

oh:

 

[vwalan]

and then it all changed with the advent of vat. i had to pay vat on my pick up ,it had side windows in the back .at one time i bought a twincab vwpickup new it didnt have windows you paid then claimed it back through the bussiness. now it appears even the ones with windows pay like a commercial.wish they would stop changing the rules . we could rewrite just about every rule and law just to let everybody understand them .then tomorrow it would be change again. cheers alan

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}