Reclassifying a van as a motor caravan with the DVLA
Reclassifying your van as a campervan (or ‘motor caravan’) with the DVLA feels like a landmark moment and, in our opinion, it is. If you’ve reached this point, then you’ve done the bulk of the hard graft and your van has been transformed from the commercial workhorse it once was, into your own little travelling home.
Below, we provide instructions on exactly what you need to do to officially reclassify your van as a motor caravan with the DVLA. We’ve broken down the DVLA requirements, listed what photographs you should include and we’ve even written a letter template, which you can adapt and send off with your V5C.
*NB in October 2019, the DVLA updated the required criteria for reclassifying a van as a Motor Caravan. There are now external requirements which need to be met in order for the vehicle to look in the ‘spirit’ of a Motor Caravan. We did not face this issue when we reclassified our van, but we have updated the criteria below to include the new external requirements.
While the below guidance is still in line with the DVLA’s published requirements, we understand that some applications are being rejected even with the external modifications. We’ve also written an update on what to do if your DVLA application is rejected, which covers issues like insurance.
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Why bother registering as a motor caravan?
The short answer is that it’s the law to notify DVLA of a change to the class of your vehicle. So if you have converted a vehicle into a campervan and it meets the DVLA’s criteria, then it’s a legal requirement for you to get it reclassified as a motor caravan. Under UK law, all vehicles on the road must be classified correctly.
That said, if your van doesn’t meet the new, extended list of requirements then you won’t be eligible for reclassification. We’re also hearing more and more reports of campers that do meet the specification being reclassified as a ‘van with windows’ with no clear guidance on why so this is something to prepare yourself for! It doesn’t cost anything to apply for reclassification though, so if this is your end goal then make sure you’ve met all the requirements listed out below and give it a go.
It’s also worth noting that the speed limits for a motor caravan are slightly different to the speed limits for a commercial light goods vehicle.
- Speed limits for goods vehicles under 7.5t:
- built up area – 30mph (48km/h)
- single carriageway – 50 mph (80km/h)
- dual carriageway – 60mph (96km/h)
- motorway – 70mph (112km/h)
- Speed limits for motor caravans under 3.05t unladen:
- built up area – 30mph (48km/h)
- single carriageway – 60mph (96km/h)
- dual carriageway – 70mph (112km/h)
- motorway – 70mph (112km/h)
DVLA criteria for a motor caravan
The DVLA has clear, set guidelines as to what a van must have in order to be classified as a motor caravan.
Here’s the minimum criteria…
Internal features:
- A door providing access to the living accommodation
- A bed which is at least 6ft (1800mm) long. This can either be a permanently fixed bed or one that converts from seating, but it must be permanently fixed within the van
- A water storage container in or on the van
- A seating and dining area which is attached to the vehicle (the table can be removable, but it must be attached to the van – a loose folding table won’t cut it)
- At least one fixed cupboard, locker or wardrobe
- A fixed cooking facility inside the vehicle, which is powered either by gas or electricity (the guidelines suggest a microwave or a 2 ring stove – we’ve heard reports of single ring stoves being declined)
- At least one window fixed to the side of the living area
External features:
- 2 or more windows on at least 1 side of the main body, which provide a reasonable amount of light to the living area (this doesn’t include windows on the cab doors, but does include a window on the rear side door)
- A separate door providing access to the living accomodation (excluding the cab doors, but including the rear sliding door or the back doors)
- Motor caravan-style graphics on both sides
- An awning rail attached to one side
- A high top roof, which (controversially) excludes pop-up roofs
If your van meets all of the above criteria, then you’re legally obliged to return the V5C to the DVLA to have it reclassified.
What to include with your V5C
The DVLA will want proof that the vehicle has been permanently converted to a motor caravan, so you’ll need to provide a few bits of supporting documentation to demonstrate this.
Photographs
You’ll need to include actual, tangible photographs with your V5C, which means a trip to your nearest photo printing shop (remember those?!)
Take photos of the following:
- Exterior side shot of van, showing window
- Exterior front shot of van, showing number plate
- Exterior rear shot of van, showing number plate, with one door open to show interior
- Exterior shot of van with door open to the accommodation area
- Interior / exterior shot of your water tank (depending where it is!)
- Interior shot of the bed, in its fixed bed position (if it’s a pull out)
- Interior shot of the seating area, with the table in its fixed position
- Interior shot of table stowed away
- Interior shot of fixed cupboard / wardrobe
- Interior shot of fixed cooker
On the back of each photograph, write a short description of what it is (i.e. “dining table in fixed position”) along with the vehicle registration number and the date. We also included the vehicle make and model on ours, just for good measure, but the guidelines don’t say you need to.
We’ve heard of some applications being rejected because the exterior of a van doesn’t look enough like a campervan, which apparently means it needs some graphics of palm trees and beach balls. Our van doesn’t have graphics or anything else to make it look particularly motorhome-y, but it went through fine. It could just be luck of the draw! If you’ve got roof vents or solar panels on your van though, it might be worth including photos of them as it could help with demonstrating that it looks like a campervan.
Checklist
When the new external requirements were brought in, the DVLA also published a new conversion checklist on their website. You can download the checklist here.
Letter
You should also include a covering letter when you send off your V5C and photographs. This letter needs to outline the work that you’ve done and confirm whether you have carried out this work yourself.
Below is a template of the DVLA letter we wrote (which is based on a popular format). Just copy and paste, fill in the blanks, print it out and you’re good to go!
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request that my [vehicle model, make], registration number [insert] is reclassified from a [body type] to a motor caravan. I completed the conversion myself on [insert date] and I believe this meets your minimum criteria to reclassify the vehicle as a motor caravan.
Please find photographs enclosed, which illustrate the following features of the motor caravan.
- Exterior side of van, showing window
- Exterior front of van, showing number plate
- Exterior rear of van, showing number plate
- Exterior of van with door open to the accommodation area
- Photograph of the water storage tank
- [insert length] bed in the sleeping position (the bed base is permanently and securely fixed to the body of the vehicle)
- Seating and dining area, with the table in its fixed position (this is removable, but is securely fixed to the body of the vehicle)
- Dining table stowed away
- Fixed storage cupboard
- Permanently fixed cooking facilities, fuelled by [insert cooking fuel type]
I also enclose my V5C document, with section 7 “Changes to Current Vehicle” completed.
If you require any further information or would like clarification on any of the above points, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours faithfully,
Send it
Now put everything in an envelope and post it to:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BA
We received our amended V5C back about 10 days after we sent it off. From others that we’ve spoken to, this seems to be a pretty standard timeframe. If you’ve not heard anything after 3-4 weeks then you might want to get in touch to see what the holdup is.