Motorhome road tax classification

royh28

royh28

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Hi all, back on the road again (almost), just bought an 09 plate Compass Avantgarde 130 motorhome 3300kg. which I need to Tax. Taxation class is shown as Private/Light Goods onV5C.
My last motorhome was taxed as a Motor caravan. When contacted by phone DVLA insists that there is no such class as motor caravan. While this may not affect the cost of tax I am sure it does affect the speed limits on certain roads.
Can anyone tell me why DVLA no lomnger have Motor caravan as a tax class?
Enjoy from Pauline and Roy.
 
royh28 said:
Hi all, back on the road again (almost), just bought an 09 plate Compass Avantgarde 130 motorhome 3300kg. which I need to Tax. Taxation class is shown as Private/Light Goods onV5C.
My last motorhome was taxed as a Motor caravan. When contacted by phone DVLA insists that there is no such class as motor caravan. While this may not affect the cost of tax I am sure it does affect the speed limits on certain roads.
Can anyone tell me why DVLA no lomnger have Motor caravan as a tax class?
Enjoy from Pauline and Roy.
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It never has been.
"Motor Caravan" is a body type, not a tax classification.
 
They generally will not change tax class even if it is changed to Mcvan on the log book V5. That is just an appearance thing. You'll still be taxed as a LGV.

The one exception I know off is if if you convert an HGV. It be becomes a PHGV and the tax for that is much lower.
 
Taking it over 3.5t will change the tax to a cheaper bracket strangely enough.

SV Tech can do it.
 
I did mine and saved over £100 per year on RFL . But bear in mind there are driving restrictions once you go over 3500kg, different speed limits, and “angles morts” in France. Quite a few 3.5t limited roads as well.
 
royh28 said:
Hi all, back on the road again (almost), just bought an 09 plate Compass Avantgarde 130 motorhome 3300kg. which I need to Tax. Taxation class is shown as Private/Light Goods onV5C.
My last motorhome was taxed as a Motor caravan. When contacted by phone DVLA insists that there is no such class as motor caravan. While this may not affect the cost of tax I am sure it does affect the speed limits on certain roads.
Can anyone tell me why DVLA no lomnger have Motor caravan as a tax class?
Enjoy from Pauline and Roy.
Click to expand...
The Taxation Class "Motor Caravan" was withdrawn during the 1990's, much to my annoyance.
 
Firefox said:
They generally will not change tax class even if it is changed to Mcvan on the log book V5. That is just an appearance thing. You'll still be taxed as a LGV.

The one exception I know off is if if you convert an HGV. It be becomes a PHGV and the tax for that is much lower.
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It’s the body type that’s harder to get changed I believe. Mine said body type motor caravan at original 3850kgs, uprated to 4000kgs and now down rated 3500kgs. The taxation class changed from PHGV to PLGV when I dropped it to 3500kgs.

I think though depending what you start with as a donor vehicle you have to change the body type of some vehicles. Some on here will know for sure but I recall seeing problems with certain types of vehicle where owners wanted to convert them.
 
SimonM said:
I did mine and saved over £100 per year on RFL . But bear in mind there are driving restrictions once you go over 3500kg, different speed limits, and “angles morts” in France. Quite a few 3.5t limited roads as well.
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Licence as well?
 
Trigger said:
Licence as well?
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True, C1. I’d forgotten to mention it.


it is very peculiar that such an arbitrary limit exists these days with modern vehicles. After all, what’s the real difference between mine when it was 3500, and then after gaining a piece of paper, suddenly it’s 4100kg?
 
SimonM said:
True, C1. I’d forgotten to mention it.

it is very peculiar that such an arbitrary limit exists these days with modern vehicles. After all, what’s the real difference between mine when it was 3500, and then after gaining a piece of paper, suddenly it’s 4100kg?
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The obvious answer would be a 600Kg heavier vehicle to control safely, which would logically take more skill/experience. But that extra 600Kg could just as easily be an extra 4000Kg. And if the weight cut off was 4100Kg instead of 3500Kg, you could have the same discussion if you had a 4200kg vehicle. Has to be a weight cutoff somewhere doesn't there? And there is for a C1 as well of course. Why should C1 stop at 7500kg if you wanted to get a large conversion that was 8000kg? Just as arbitary as the 3500Kg limit.

I think it is strange not that if passing a car test after a certain date (1/1/1997) you no longer have the automatic right to drive a 7500kg vehicle after learning to drive and passing a test on - probably - a small low powered car, but that those automatic rights were ever there and given in the first place!
And the same goes for apparently being able to safely tow a large trailer after passing a test in said same small car and never towed anything in your life.

This reminds me of something my sister told me a few years ago ... a friend of hers was a teacher and he passed his test a bit later in life I guess, when he was a teacher. And the day after he got his license, he drove the school minibus full of kids AND towing a trailer behind. Madness!
 
My father (born 1908) didn't need to take a driving test and was road legal all his long life. 😳

A young lady I knew took her driving test in India. She started the car, drive it 100 yards, stopped it, and immediately gained her driving licence. She swore to me she was legal to drive my car in the UK on that licence. I didn't let her. 😏

David is right, you just have to play with the cards you're dealt at the time.
 
royh28 said:
Thanks. This should mean higher max speed limits apply.
Click to expand...

No no no no no no no. Tax has nothing to do with speed limits nor does body type, and indeed nor does any information held on the DVLA database. (Its one of the true statements they tell you when they reject conversions). Speed limits based on RTA1984, and use their own *legal* definition of MotorCaravan which is defined in the RTA1979. Nothing whatsoever to do with DVLA.
Too many facebook experts repeating incorrect myths
Of course "real world" issues stem from this mess, but thats how it is, but the facts are in the legislation. (and confirmed by DfT etc etc)
 
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