DVLA and campervan definition

[mfrien]

Hi
I want to buy a panel van and convert it to a campervan ie install kitchen units, hob, fridge, water, fixed bed, seating. I won't have a shower or toilet. I will install a window on one side. I may have heating (not sure yet)
Do i need to reclassify this to a campervan , and if so do i need 2 windows on one side of the campervan
Or is what i am describing just still a panel van ?
Tks
Martin

 

[Phill D]

Hi Welcome

there will be someone to give you good advice i am sure as many on here have done their own conversions.

good luck

 

[Dan and Jan]

To the fun.

 

[Two on Tour]

Welcome on board.

Here's a link to various YouTube videos on the subject that might enlighten you, muddy the waters or just make you glaze over.

YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[pappajohn]

It's all on DVLA website.
Interior......
Windows
Bed
Table
Seating
Water
Waste water
Cooker/microwave
Wardrobe/cupboard

Exterior....
High top roof (pop top not permitted)
Motorhome type decals, Stickers, transfers
Awning rail.

It has to look like a motorhome, not a panel van.
You don't have to do anything but it remains registered as a panel van and must be insured as such.
As a panel van your insurance WON'T cover anything you built inside.... It will be based purely on a panel van.

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[XxAnthxX]

Hi
I want to buy a panel van and convert it to a campervan ie install kitchen units, hob, fridge, water, fixed bed, seating. I won't have a shower or toilet. I will install a window on one side. I may have heating (not sure yet)
Do i need to reclassify this to a campervan , and if so do i need 2 windows on one side of the campervan
Or is what i am describing just still a panel van ?
Tks
Martin

In short no....you don’t need to re-classify it.

With the relatively recent rule change on camper conversions, it doesn’t sound very much like you will be allowed to either.

there a whole load of bo**ocks about height, Windows, graphics been added to the existing ones about running water and fixed table etc.

and which person looks at your application.

 

[XxAnthxX]

You don't have to do anything but it remains registered as a panel van and must be insured as such.
As a panel van your insurance WON'T cover anything you built inside.... It will be based purely on a panel van.

Mine was registered as a panel van but insured as a camper with Anthony D Evans, they specialise primarily with horse boxes with accommodation conversions and motorcycle carriers/race vans.

 

[XxAnthxX]

With what the OP has said....it may be possible to register it as a van with windows, which will allow people to travel in the back as long as the seating capacity is changed and the bed/seating has pull tested seats/belts.

 

[XxAnthxX]

Converting a vehicle into a motor caravan (motor home)

www.gov.uk

 

[mfrien]

tks very much. think i will leave it as panel van then and insure thro a specialist

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[CamperJack]

Going down the list for my planned conversion I get a little stuck.

1. Seat and Table - Yes
2. Sleeping Accommodation - double bed good enough, DVLA?
3. Cooking facilities - hob, sink, kitchen worktop.
4. Storage - kitchen cupboards, draws, under the bed etc.
5. Two or more windows - I don't want windows. I will have roof lights though.
6. Separate doors to living space - back doors, sliding door.
7. Motor caravan style graphics - whatever they turn out to be I DO NOT WANT THEM.
8. Awning bar - I don't want an awning so why waste money on a pointless awning bar and drill pointless holes into the side of my van to fit the pointless bar?
9. High roof - It happens to be a Peugeot Boxer L3H2.

In my opinion it's a load of rubbish, and I know I have any chance of getting the log book changed. Which means the value of everything I put in my van (£1000s) will not be insured and I'll be stuck to 50 miles p/h when I should be doing 60 miles p/h. Just because I don't want windows and stickers telling the world to come and rob my home when I leave it, and don't want a pointless awning bar. It's bureaucratic b******!

But my van will have a toilet and a shower. Which, in my view, make it more like a home than an awning bar. But they aren't required by the DVLA. Does your house have an awning bar? Does it have a shower? But these decisions clearly aren't made by people who think like I do.

 

[mikebeaches]

Going down the list for my planned conversion I get a little stuck.

1. Seat and Table - Yes
2. Sleeping Accommodation - double bed good enough, DVLA?
3. Cooking facilities - hob, sink, kitchen worktop.
4. Storage - kitchen cupboards, draws, under the bed etc.
5. Two or more windows - I don't want windows. I will have roof lights though.
6. Separate doors to living space - back doors, sliding door.
7. Motor caravan style graphics - whatever they turn out to be I DO NOT WANT THEM.
8. Awning bar - I don't want an awning so why waste money on a pointless awning bar and drill pointless holes into the side of my van to fit the pointless bar?
9. High roof - It happens to be a Peugeot Boxer L3H2.

In my opinion it's a load of rubbish, and I know I have any chance of getting the log book changed. Which means the value of everything I put in my van (£1000s) will not be insured and I'll be stuck to 50 miles p/h when I should be doing 60 miles p/h. Just because I don't want windows and stickers telling the world to come and rob my home when I leave it, and don't want a pointless awning bar. It's bureaucratic b******!

But my van will have a toilet and a shower. Which, in my view, make it more like a home than an awning bar. But they aren't required by the DVLA. Does your house have an awning bar? Does it have a shower? But these decisions clearly aren't made by people who think like I do.

Understand your frustration concerning the DVLA information.

However, take note of the language used above the list of requirements:

...This list describes the external features which are commonly seen in motor caravans, and it is intended to provide guidance on what DVLA expects to see when considering your application...

The words "provide guidance" don't equal mandatory! They are only for guidance.

For example, our campervan (a Rapido van conversion) doesn't have an awning or awning rail. It was produced by a large French converter and is registered as a motor caravan. In fact, only a very small minority of vehicles from major converters are supplied with an awning or awning rail as standard. But still all are registered as motor caravans.

You could get some cheap decals and apply them on before taking pics, then if you don't like them, remove once re-registered.

The lack of side windows might be slightly trickier to get past DVLA.

And whilst it all sounds bureaucratic, the DVLA explains their reason (whether you judge it valid or agree with it or not):

" ...the changes made to make sure the recorded body type accurately reflects the vehicle’s external appearance in traffic."

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[XxAnthxX]

Food for thought.....I’m no suggesting this company or the ridiculous price, but they make these things for a reason, if you use creative licence with your pictures to the Dvla.

you can buy 600mm vinyl by the meter

VW Blackout Windows - T5/T5.1/T6/T6.1 | Transporter HQ

With VW blackout windows, although they are designed to look exactly as a window should, they aren't actually a proper window at all!

camperglass.co.uk

same with the graphics....they can easily be removed after.

I‘d like to know how high is a high top is tho.

Theres whole raft of converters selling extortionately priced T5’s that won’t be able to meet this criteria.

Personally I wouldn’t bother.....actually I didn’t, even tho mine was done before the external none sense Came out.

 

[CamperJack]

MikeBeaches and XxAnthxX,

Thank you both for taking the time to reply to me.

Unfortunately the form you send off to the DLVA (linked below) has a tick sheet and you have to tick each of the listed items off, saying that you have them. So while the language is suggestive a tick list is less so.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/840319/v1006-motor-caravan-conversion-checklist.pdf

Not sure about fake windows. I don't want it to look like a camper. That's the whole point and is totally opposite to "...the changes made to make sure the recorded body type accurately reflects the vehicle’s external appearance in traffic."

 

[XxAnthxX]

Like I said earlier, I didn’t bother because it didn’t change anything

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[CamperJack]

I thought a camper was allowed to do 70 on national speed limit dual carriageways whereas vans can only do 60. And on national speed limit single lane roads a camper could do 60 whereas a van only 50?

 

[gus-lopez]

I'll be stuck to 50 miles p/h when I should be doing 60 miles p/h. J

By all accounts no you aren't. Even not reclassified if it is used as a motorhome & has all the facilities then it can travel at the higher limits. Some one put a link up from dvla about it before.

 

[XxAnthxX]

From the DVLA conversion document linked above........

The body type does not affect the insurance category of the vehicle, or have any effect on speed limits or other legislative requirements. It is only used for establishing vehicle appearance and identification.

So Re-registered the speed remains the same

 

[CamperJack]

By all accounts no you aren't. Even not reclassified if it is used as a motorhome & has all the facilities then it can travel at the higher limits. Some one put a link up from dvla about it before.

I'd like to see the link and then a case where it stood up in court. Knowing my luck I'd get done for doing 60 miles per hour on a single lane national speed limit road because my van doesn't have windows in the living area!

 

[XxAnthxX]

None of the speed cameras I passed in mine could differentiate if it was a van or not

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[XxAnthxX]

Looking at the document....it has been updated again today.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Our first van (last year) was a pre-reg which was converted by a converter here in the UK, when sold to us it was as a van and we had to send off the paperwork to get it reclassified as a motorcaravan. The DVLA turned it down in spite of us sending the information supplied by the converter and which they said had been used many times by other customers with no issues.

It was a Devon Colorado:

Fiat / Peugeot Colorado - New and Used Campervans and Motorhomes for Sale: Devon Conversions

Fiat / Peugeot Colorado - New and Used Campervans and Motorhomes for Sale: Devon Conversions

devonconversions.co.uk

not new but bought as used, it was a pre-reg with a new conversion and was £10k less than buying a new conversion in a new van.

Mark took many more photos and sent more written information in reply to the letter, it was emailed direct to the DVLA officer who had rejected the conversion. The DVLA then accepted it and it was reclassified.

We'd had to stall our insurance company as they were waiting for us to get it changed as they would only insure a motorcaravan and not a van (regardless of what was inside).

 

[CamperJack]

None of the speed cameras I passed in mine could differentiate if it was a van or not

What speeds do most people stick at? Does a copper pointing a speed gun not know (via some sort of computer database online linking witchcraft thingybob) that the vehicle that went past at 60 was registered as a van and not a motorhome and therefore should have been doing 50 and was therefore "speeding"?

Also if copper with a speed gun pulls me over and fines me thinking I look like a van (no windows remember) and then I claim I was okay because it's a camper and his reply is "Not on the record books it's not, Sunny". You're going to get done.

I think I'll just have to get used to life in the slow lane. ?

 

[gus-lopez]

From the DVLA conversion document linked above........

The body type does not affect the insurance category of the vehicle, or have any effect on speed limits or other legislative requirements. It is only used for establishing vehicle appearance and identification.

So Re-registered the speed remains the same

Nothing on that link ?
It does have an effect on the speed limits as a panel van reclassified as a 'motor home' would not be over 3050kgs which is the magic " unladen weight " figure which then allows the higher speed limits.

 

[XxAnthxX]

Nothing on that link ?

it is in the the document I posted linked to the DVLA website I cut and pasted the text in my post about it from the document, it’s in the second paragraph under the blue heading.

Whatever speed it was allowed as a van remains unchanged, I don’t know the weight of the van but here’s the UK speeds.

Speed limits

A limit of 30 miles per hour or 48 kilometres per hour usually applies to all traffic on all roads with street lighting

www.gov.uk

here is the classification document again.....

Converting a vehicle into a motor caravan (motor home)

www.gov.uk

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[XxAnthxX]

Either way.....What’s the rush, enjoy the scenery.

 

[Rob Turner]

It's all on DVLA website.
Interior......
Windows
Bed
Table
Seating
Water
Waste water
Cooker/microwave
Wardrobe/cupboard

Exterior....
High top roof (pop top not permitted)
Motorhome type decals, Stickers, transfers
Awning rail.

It has to look like a motorhome, not a panel van.
You don't have to do anything but it remains registered as a panel van and must be insured as such.
As a panel van your insurance WON'T cover anything you built inside.... It will be based purely on a panel van.

My VW T5 was fitted with a pop top and that was re classed as a Motorhome (M1)
Didn’t need decals either or a grey tank.

 

[34127]

I'd like to see the link and then a case where it stood up in court. Knowing my luck I'd get done for doing 60 miles per hour on a single lane national speed limit road because my van doesn't have windows in the living area!

This is an extract from the DVLA guidelines.

The body type does not affect the insurance category of the vehicle, or have any effect on speed limits or other legislative requirements. It is only used for establishing vehicle appearance and identification.

It is important to remember that even if the vehicle’s body type is not changed to ‘motor caravan’, the vehicle can still be used for this purpose as long as the keeper is satisfied the converted vehicle meets the required internal features for motor caravans.

 

[XxAnthxX]

Crazy isn’t it.....as I said in my first post it depends when it was reclassified as the rules change all the time (including yesterday) and who processes the application on the day.

Van conversion forums are awash with massively varying experience.

 

[Rob Turner]

Once it is re classified as M1, the speed limit does increase to 60mph on a single carriageway.