Go to main content
Archive Website of the UK government
Please note that this website has a UK government accesskeys system.
Main menu
Page menu
Motoring
Driving motorhomes
Are you thinking of buying or hiring a motorhome (motor caravan) to get to your holiday destination? Or maybe you want to import one from another country. Before you decide you'll need to check the categories on your driving licence and the size of motorhome you are going to drive.
Check your driving licence before you drive
Maximum authorised mass
Total weight of a vehicle plus anything it can carry safely
You'll need to make sure your driving licence has the right vehicle category for you to drive a motorhome.
Category B
With this category on your driving licence you can drive vehicles with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of up to 3500 kilograms, with eight passenger seats, and with a trailer no heavier than 750 kilograms.
It’s also possible to tow a trailer heavier than 750 kilograms if the MAM of the vehicle and trailer together is no more than 3500 kilograms. The trailer must also be lighter than the vehicle towing it.
To tow a heavier trailer than mentioned above you'll need category B+E.
Category C1
With this category you can drive vehicles with a MAM over 3500 kilograms but less than 7500 kilograms with a trailer no heavier than 750 kilograms. To tow a heavier trailer you'll need category C1+E.
Category C
With this category you can drive vehicles with a MAM over 3500 kilograms with a trailer no heavier than 750 kilograms. To tow a trailer that weighs more than 750 kilograms you'll need category C+E.
The size of the motorhome
A motorhome being registered in the UK cannot be more than 12 metres long and 2.55 metres wide, unless it has an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) certificate. A vehicle with an IVA can have a maximum width of 2.6 metres. There is no height limit but if the motorhome is over 3 metres tall the height must be on a notice visible to you as the driver.
If there is a need for you to measure the vehicle there are some parts that you don't need included in your measurements.
When measuring the length don't include the:
- driving mirrors
- rearward projecting buffers made of rubber or other resilient material
When measuring the width don't include the:
- driving mirrors
- lamps
- reflectors
- distortion in tyres due to loading
More useful links
In this section...
- Driving a minibus
- Driving larger goods vehicles (LGV) on a car driving licence
- Driving passenger carrying vehicles (PCV) on a car driving licence
- How to add higher categories to your driving licence (staging and upgrading)
- Information codes on your driving licence
- Minibus and community bus permits
- Vehicle weights explained
- Vehicles you can drive and how old you must be to drive them
- Your driving conduct for larger vehicles, minibuses or buses
Facebook
Twitter
StumbleUpon
Delicious
RedditAdditional links
Simpler, Clearer, Faster
From 17 October, GOV.UK will be the best place to find government services and information
