Motor Caravan Private HGV which class MOT required?

wildebus said:
You have been going on and on about this nearly as much as the Linux crap, but have you ever heard of anyone being prosecuted for carrying a motorbike in their Motorhome?

I'm not interested enough to call my insurance company as I don't even have a garage that I could fit a childs pushbike in let alone a motorbike :D
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You do as you wish, i would ask my ins co just in case, by the way linux is not crap, i may talk crap mind you. 🤪
Had a look on line, cant find any road law saying you cannot carry a bike, but it must be secured down, watch the weight and inform ins co.
 
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mistericeman said:
Is it over 3.5t then with the back on it?
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Unladen weight (just truck) well under 3t. Unladen weight truck with camper on just under 3t, maximum gross weight fully laden 3.5t

Last year it was MOT'd just as a bare truck and I shall continue doing the same unless told otherwise as it's easier to find a test station that can fit just the bare truck. Even though still under 3.5t with the camper I know my normal tester could not accommodate the height. Not sure what class it was MOT'd as other than the test fee was slightly higher than a normal car.

Being a pickup truck seems to add a bit of complication to understanding the exact law that applies. The same weight "car" would be treated differently.
 
I`d would MOT it as the bare truck as you`ve done before if anything just to avoid any complications with the MOT tester.

We all know that they are a strange breed and some are a lot worse than others.
 
ProDave said:
Unladen weight (just truck) well under 3t. Unladen weight truck with camper on just under 3t, maximum gross weight fully laden 3.5t

Last year it was MOT'd just as a bare truck and I shall continue doing the same unless told otherwise as it's easier to find a test station that can fit just the bare truck. Even though still under 3.5t with the camper I know my normal tester could not accommodate the height. Not sure what class it was MOT'd as other than the test fee was slightly higher than a normal car.

Being a pickup truck seems to add a bit of complication to understanding the exact law that applies. The same weight "car" would be treated differently.
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I get the bit about weight and height etc as regardless of MOT class... The test station has, to have equipment that will handle the weight and of course size.

But I would have thought that with the pod on even IF it was over 3.5t it still should be class 4 as it's a camper van

And without the pod is still class 4 even if it's classed as a dual purpose vehicle.

Screenshot_20251114_092510_Chrome.jpg
 
Moped said:
Coming up for 3 years of ownership so first MOT required.

Trying to work out of its class 4 or 7 or another and Googling is confusing me as seems to be no definitive answer.

Please would those who have a motorhome in the MOTOR CARAVAN PRIVATE HGV (ie over 3.5T) category please provide a definitive answer.

This link for first MOTs for vehicles over 3.5T is confusing me. I do not know if it’s relevant or not and total test costs of around £250 are required if it is relevant:-


www.gov.uk

Apply for an HGV first MOT if it was previously exempt or over 25 years old and not registered with DVLA

Apply for an HGV test if it was previously exempt from being tested, or if it's not registered with DVLA and was made more than 25 years ago.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
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Hi all motorhome are class 4 but you may need a class 7 mot station to cope with the size. It will still be tested as a class 4.
 
Is there any law/legislation that states clearly that a class 4 MH should not be tested as a class 7? Is a class 7 MOT valid on a class 4 MH?
Apart from the extra £ 4, what is the downside of getting a class 7, when ideally you'd get a class 4, but can't be bothered arguing with tester.
 
mark61 said:
Is there any law/legislation that states clearly that a class 4 MH should not be tested as a class 7? Is a class 7 MOT valid on a class 4 MH?
Apart from the extra £ 4, what is the downside of getting a class 7, when ideally you'd get a class 4, but can't be bothered arguing with tester.
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Part of the issue is that something you need a C1 licence for cannot be tested other than as class 4 at many testing stations. Class 7 is only for up to 3.5 tonnes and you'll need to find a VOSA-approved HGV tester if your van isn't accepted as class 4.
 
mistericeman said:
I get the bit about weight and height etc as regardless of MOT class... The test station has, to have equipment that will handle the weight and of course size.

But I would have thought that with the pod on even IF it was over 3.5t it still should be class 4 as it's a camper van

And without the pod is still class 4 even if it's classed as a dual purpose vehicle.
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The "dual purpose" thing can be a bit confusing. I believe a pickup is only a "dual purpose" vehicle if the 'people' area isw no smaller than the load area. So a standard pickup with just a single row of seats is a regular commerical. a four door pickup I think just scrapes into the 'dual pupose' category if the load bed is not extended. A 'king cab' pickup is usually just outside the criteria.
This 'Dual Purpose' question is - or at least was last time I was involved in the VW Scene - a popular one with the VW Transporters and the "Kombis" with their two rows of seats.

Whatever the pickup is, if the total weight of pickup and pop is over 3t but under 3.5t, if it is not Class 4, then it will be Class 7, which is no real hassle other than some MOT stations won't/cant do Class 7 (but then again, plenty of Stations can't test anything over 3t irrelevant of class).

The unladen weight of the Pickup is not a factor, so even if it is under 3t unladen, if it has a GVW of over 3t - which seems to be the case based on post, it needs to be tested on that basis. (if unladen weight was a factor for MOT testing, then loads of vehicles could be tested as Class 4 when they are actually HGVs! For example, my 4.6t GVW Minibus was under 3t unladen - I know because I took it to a weighbridge after I finished the conversion and got a ticket to prove it (wanted it in case I got accused of speeding and could show it was under 3.05t ULW so allowed to drive at car speeds).
 
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wildebus said:
The "dual purpose" thing can be a bit confusing. I believe a pickup is only a "dual purpose" vehicle if the 'people' area isw no smaller than the load area. So a standard pickup with just a single row of seats is a regular commerical. a four door pickup I think just scrapes into the 'dual pupose' category if the load bed is not extended. A 'king cab' pickup is usually just outside the criteria.
This 'Dual Purpose' question is - or at least was last time I was involved in the VW Scene - a popular one with the VW Transporters and the "Kombis" with their two rows of seats.

Whatever the pickup is, if the total weight of pickup and pop is over 3t but under 3.5t, if it is not Class 4, then it will be Class 7, which is no real hassle other than some MOT stations won't/cant do Class 7 (but then again, plenty of Stations can't test anything over 3t irrelevant of class).

The unladen weight of the Pickup is not a factor, so even if it is under 3t unladen, if it has a GVW of over 3t - which seems to be the case based on post, it needs to be tested on that basis. (if unladen weight was a factor for MOT testing, then loads of vehicles could be tested as Class 4 when they are actually HGVs! My 4.6t Minibus was under 3t unladen - I know because I took it to a weighbridge after I finished the conversion and got a ticket to prove it (wanted it in case I got accused of speeding and could show it was under 3.05t ULW so allowed to drive at car speeds).
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This is all the mot test regs say about class 4 "dual purpose vehicles"

Screenshot_20251114_123640_Chrome.jpg


So IF the vehicle is a 'dual purpose vehicle' on the system...
It will be tested as class 4 without the pod

And still class 4 with the pod as it will then be tested as presented provided the testing station can accommodate the weight/height etc.

These are the requirements for qualifying as a dual purpose vehicle registration wise

Screenshot_20251114_123922_Chrome.jpg


So I'm still confused as to why a pick up with camper pod would be anything other than class 4.
 
It is the last bit that is what I referring to ... "There must be a minimum ratio between the size of passenger and stowage areas". My recollection is that ratio is 50/50.
Also the point about having to have a row of seats behind the drivers seat. A regular pickup does not have that, so would fail on both counts.

A key reason why someone might want to try to have their vehicle classified as "Dual Purpose" is not to do with MOTs anyway, but speed limits. A "Dual Purpose" Vehicle is entitled to travel at Car Speeds rather then Commercial Vehicle speeds.
 
wildebus said:
It is the last bit that is what I referring to ... "There must be a minimum ratio between the size of passenger and stowage areas". My recollection is that ratio is 50/50.
Also the point about having to have a row of seats behind the drivers seat. A regular pickup does not have that, so would fail on both counts.

A key reason why someone might want to try to have their vehicle classified as "Dual Purpose" is not to do with MOTs anyway, but speed limits. A "Dual Purpose" Vehicle is entitled to travel at Car Speeds rather then Commercial Vehicle speeds.
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Originally I think it was more to do with purchase tax and benefits in kind for people having the use of business vehicles....

Hence lots of trade folks, swapped from vans to crew cab pickups and reduced their tax bill.

Either way.... If it's dual purpose on the system/log book....
Then it's class 4 MOT wise

Either with the pod or not as far as I read the mot regs.
 
Very few double cabs will be under the 2040 kg unladen weight these days.
 
mark61 said:
Very few double cabs will be under the 2040 kg unladen weight these days.
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They could be eligible on the "OR" category. You don't have to have both sets of criteria to be applicable, just the first group OR the second.
 
wildebus said:
They could be eligible on the "OR" category. You don't have to have both sets of criteria to be applicable, just the first group OR the second.
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Appears to me that the unladen weight is a criteria before the or's.
 
All daft, any road veh should just be tested on being safe to drive on the road, so simple.
 
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