size and weight

[vortex]

hi folks ... i was wondering what weight would be over the limit for a normal mot station /. i can drive up to 7.5 tonns but this got me thinking... with all the woodwork, cookers , beds etc in the back it would be ivvegal for me to drive if it took it over the limit ...
i suppose the answer it to get something like a 3.5 tonn to ensure i dident go over ....
also is insurance more expensive for a camper compaired to a pannel van .... and how would they know if your living in it full time compaired to part time ?
sorry for all te questions but its all new to me
many thanks

 

[vwalan]

all motor caravans are bthe same class 4 for mot. regardless of weight . just have to find one that can cope with the bigger ones .
very often motorhomes can be cheaper than panel vans to insure .
best live at a friends house nod nod.
you really mist look back at some of the threads on here . the answers are out there.
you do require an address to keep a driving licence ,register your vehicle , but there is fulltimers insurances available .
every thing depends really on if your going to be working ,travelling etc etc .
mind long travels abroad arent going to be as easy i dare say. well not in eu .
course you could go fifth wheeler . get a tow vehicle under 3.5 ton etc .
or a down plated 6-7tonner and then use the trainweight of that it could be 11ton ish.
b+e for many before 19-1-2013 is a vehicle upto 3500kg . towing a trailer so long as its trainweight allows.
some down plated ones are 11ton.

 

[sundowners]

Over 3.5 t is (should be) £165 annual road tax whether it is 3.6 or an RV of 12 t

 

[BigMomma]

It is up to you to make your declaration as to use of vehicle to your Insurers. They will not know if you are fulltiming or not but remember this, when you claim on 'any' type of Insurance, Home, Travel, Car, Medical etc. the underwriters will find any means to 'not' pay out. Now you may never have a reason to claim and so you will probably save on your premiums by not declaring true facts. However, if this vehicle is your one and only home and contains all of your worldly goods and you do have to make a claim, should they discover that you are fulltiming, but did not declare it, then they will void your Insurance and you will not get a penny. It is a choice that only you can make.

 

[chrisjones18]

If your not bothered about driving in city centers in europe you should think closer to 7.5 ton.
It is very hard to get any good payload at 3500kgs.
You need to find a car garage with large bay's to do a class 4 mot. i use the Daf/Fiat dealership in Gloucester as it's 3.25 Mtrs high the same as my roof and mine just fits in.

Insurance in the UK is really crap compared to other eu countries. (That is for UK reg vehicles) you will need to shop around, there is a thread somewhere on this subject.
The new euro 6 engines get a tax rate of around £140 ish per year ,even on a motorhome ( not that I can afford one)

 

[Ramblin' Rose]

hi folks ... i was wondering what weight would be over the limit for a normal mot station /. i can drive up to 7.5 tonns but this got me thinking... with all the woodwork, cookers , beds etc in the back it would be ivvegal for me to drive if it took it over the limit ...
i suppose the answer it to get something like a 3.5 tonn to ensure i dident go over ....
also is insurance more expensive for a camper compaired to a pannel van .... and how would they know if your living in it full time compaired to part time ?
sorry for all te questions but its all new to me
many thanks

Only a fool would make a false declaration on an insurance application form, if your living in your motorhome then your fultiming, end of. In the event of a claim you could be charged with fraud such carries a hefty fine plus a potential prison sentence. I know a man who did get just that plus he lost is motorhome

 

[vortex]

ok ........... perhaps i dident word this correctly ... to insure a van as a camper is fine , i understand its a different insurance for if you live in it 365 days of the year ......
what i mean is this ..... is there a certain time limit you would need to NOT live in the van to get the normal insurance ? ie you need to NOT live in it for 2 or 3 months per year ?
thanks

 

[chrisjones18]

Problem I see in the UK is
Insurance comes either with a post code address or without one..
If you have a postcode address it is cheepish to get 365 eu cover . (Saga is one)
Without a post code address you need a fulltime cover policy (comfort is one) and the price more than doubles.
Different brokers have different ideas on what age or value the vehicle is. Or even what vehicle you have .You have to phone a few.
Comfort also do a 9 month one trip policy (one down from fulltime) you need a post code address for this (We have this policy)
Most normal policies only give 30 or 60 days one trip cover, you have to tell them what you want.( and
I have only given two companies as they are the ones I have used.
Good luck on the phone.

 

[BigMomma]

This Insurance stuff depends on how you interpret each Companies wording Here is my take on it, and believe me there are other's who will have other views/opinions so my view is not necessarily the correct one.

Situation of an Individual:

They no longer own a UK residential property and live in a Motorhome and am not on the Electoral Role. They do have a family member or friend who lets them use their address as a 'Contact Address' for Mail, Banking purposes, Registration of Vehicles, Insurances, Credit/Debit Cards etc.

Insurance Requirements:

Some Insurers require you to be on the Electoral Role, some may not. All Insurers will expect the applicant to make full declarations about the vehicle (Age, Value etc.) plus the applicants driving history, length of time you have held a UK licence, Driving Convictions, Previous rejections for vehicle Insurance, Disabilities, Security devices fitted to vehicle, Purpose of use of vehicle, where vehicle will be stored when not in use. Most Insurers still look at Caravans and Motorhomes (this term includes all types e.g. Camper Vans, RV's, Fifth Wheelers etc.) as temporary use vehicles, to take occasional holidays in throughout the year and not as fulltime residential vehicles. Therefore, it is up to the applicant to disclose all 'Material Facts' relevant to the vehicle to be insured e.g. To be used to both travel in and be used as a place to live in as main residence.

Note that the question as to whether you will be travelling outside of the U.K. Is a separate issue at this stage, that comes as an extra requirement and permitted lengths of use outside of the UK may vary between Insurers, some allow 90 days, some 8 months whilst others offer 365 days European Cover, but that is, as I interpret the requirements for obtaining Insurance on a Motorhome, totally separate to the declaration of material facts about the 'Purpose of Use'.

If an Individual declares that they are fulltiming, the Insurers will accept that they may not be on the Electoral Role, however the Insurance premium will be higher than that for an individual who only uses the vehicle periodically (e.g. for holidays)

Some individuals may be able to register on the Electoral Role, albeit they do not reside at the address used for the purpose of registering and therefore, in order to obtain a cheaper rate of premium do not declare the material fact that they are living in the vehicle on a permanent basis.

Does it matter ?

That is solely up to each and every individual to make their own decision