How many MoHos/Campervans?

mariesnowgoose

Full Member
Posts
21,211
Likes
43,799
I bet this has been discussed before, but if so I never saw it and thoughts crossed through my wandering mind this morning...
(much better than thinking about the chemo I'm due this afternoon!)

So, here are some fairly recent stats:-

According to figures released by the NCC (National Caravan Council), 12,332 motorhomes and campervans were registered in the UK in 2016, compared to 10,572 in 2015 – a 16.6% year-on-year increase.
In the UK, it is estimated that there are in current use: 555,000 touring caravans. 365,000 caravan holiday homes. 225,000 motorhomes.

Out of a UK population of approx 65,000,000 that’s only a quarter of a million motorhomes, most of which are probably parked up at home or in storage for the majority of the year (with the exception of hard-core campers like Annie and those who are retired and using their campers a lot. These are not unreasonable assumptions, yes?

Think about it - owning a moho/camper it is still a comparatively niche market and there are many people who own mohos/campers who do not, and probably never would, ’wild camp’, so we who wild camp are even more of a niche market than the already niche market!

Sometimes I think we all worry too much and naval gaze to excess about how we go about wild camping in our vans and how we are perceived by the public at large. There can be a wee touch of paranoia about some of our discussions at times.

So, I’ve concluded that none of it is worth worrying and stressing about too much and we should just continue as before - i.e. enjoy our pastime as much and as often as we can afford to, in terms of both time and money, and long may both this website and it’s sister website continue to help us do so with their great communities and camaraderie!

Here endeth the sermon for today.. lol :)
 
I bet this has been discussed before, but if so I never saw it and thoughts crossed through my wandering mind this morning...
(much better than thinking about the chemo I'm due this afternoon!)

So, here are some fairly recent stats:-

According to figures released by the NCC (National Caravan Council), 12,332 motorhomes and campervans were registered in the UK in 2016, compared to 10,572 in 2015 – a 16.6% year-on-year increase.
In the UK, it is estimated that there are in current use: 555,000 touring caravans. 365,000 caravan holiday homes. 225,000 motorhomes.

Out of a UK population of approx 65,000,000 that’s only a quarter of a million motorhomes, most of which are probably parked up at home or in storage for the majority of the year (with the exception of hard-core campers like Annie and those who are retired and using their campers a lot. These are not unreasonable assumptions, yes?

Think about it - owning a moho/camper it is still a comparatively niche market and there are many people who own mohos/campers who do not, and probably never would, ’wild camp’, so we who wild camp are even more of a niche market than the already niche market!

Sometimes I think we all worry too much and naval gaze to excess about how we go about wild camping in our vans and how we are perceived by the public at large. There can be a wee touch of paranoia about some of our discussions at times.

So, I’ve concluded that none of it is worth worrying and stressing about too much and we should just continue as before - i.e. enjoy our pastime as much and as often as we can afford to, in terms of both time and money, and long may both this website and it’s sister website continue to help us do so with their great communities and camaraderie!

Here endeth the sermon for today.. lol :)
If there are so few wild campers how come they all go to the same places and park within 4 inches of each other ?
Not being entirely serious but spend half my time in uk trying to avoid 'wildcampers'
 
If there are so few wild campers how come they all go to the same places and park within 4 inches of each other ?
Not being entirely serious but spend half my time in uk trying to avoid 'wildcampers'

Must be a bit like "The knowledge" used by London black cab drivers, :) either that or you have impeccable taste :)
 
I bet this has been discussed before, but if so I never saw it and thoughts crossed through my wandering mind this morning...
(much better than thinking about the chemo I'm due this afternoon!)

So, here are some fairly recent stats:-

According to figures released by the NCC (National Caravan Council), 12,332 motorhomes and campervans were registered in the UK in 2016, compared to 10,572 in 2015 – a 16.6% year-on-year increase.
In the UK, it is estimated that there are in current use: 555,000 touring caravans. 365,000 caravan holiday homes. 225,000 motorhomes.

Out of a UK population of approx 65,000,000 that’s only a quarter of a million motorhomes, most of which are probably parked up at home or in storage for the majority of the year (with the exception of hard-core campers like Annie and those who are retired and using their campers a lot. These are not unreasonable assumptions, yes?

Think about it - owning a moho/camper it is still a comparatively niche market and there are many people who own mohos/campers who do not, and probably never would, ’wild camp’, so we who wild camp are even more of a niche market than the already niche market!

Sometimes I think we all worry too much and naval gaze to excess about how we go about wild camping in our vans and how we are perceived by the public at large. There can be a wee touch of paranoia about some of our discussions at times.

So, I’ve concluded that none of it is worth worrying and stressing about too much and we should just continue as before - i.e. enjoy our pastime as much and as often as we can afford to, in terms of both time and money, and long may both this website and it’s sister website continue to help us do so with their great communities and camaraderie!

Here endeth the sermon for today.. lol :)

There is no real problem coming from us Marie, it’s the councils that are behaving poorly, not us.
Also your calculations don’t include both the fact that many Motorhome users mainly wild camp abroad and not here. And the reverse applies up here in Scotland with possibly half of all the Motorhomes coming from Europe.
I don’t worry about having somewhere to go with my van, there are thousands of places to go. But I resent over zealous councils treating us like leper’s, and that really pisses me off. I simply hate being singled out for special treatment unfairly.

Anyway we are off to Tiree on Friday pitched up on a Croft for 4 nights, life’s not that bad is it, well yes but it could always be better.🍷🚐

But none the less Marie good post, very thought provoking.

All the very best to you Marie with your treatment, I really admire your spirit.
 
Last edited:
I’d be interested to know how many hire vans trips and foreign van visitors there are annually, has anyone seen figures?
 
The increase in mh ownership has a lot to do with being able to tow a caravan most of the youngsters nowadays aren’t allowed to tow a caravan without passing a further test but they can drive a motorhome weighing 3.5 tones the day they pass a car driving test so easier for them to just buy a motorhome.
 
The increase in mh ownership has a lot to do with being able to tow a caravan most of the youngsters nowadays aren’t allowed to tow a caravan without passing a further test but they can drive a motorhome weighing 3.5 tones the day they pass a car driving test so easier for them to just buy a motorhome.
Are you sure about that W?
My grandson and granddaughter have passed their tests recently, and they can only drive up to 3050kg.
 
Are you sure about that W?
My grandson and granddaughter have passed their tests recently, and they can only drive up to 3050kg.

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can: Drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM. Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg.

So if your car weighed say 1200KG you could tow a caravan weighing 2300KG.
 
The increase in mh ownership has a lot to do with being able to tow a caravan most of the youngsters nowadays aren’t allowed to tow a caravan without passing a further test but they can drive a motorhome weighing 3.5 tones the day they pass a car driving test so easier for them to just buy a motorhome.

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can: Drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM. Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg.

So if your car weighed say 1200KG you could tow a caravan weighing 2300KG. But the caravan must be no longer than 7m not including the A frame.
 
If there are so few wild campers how come they all go to the same places and park within 4 inches of each other ?
Not being entirely serious but spend half my time in uk trying to avoid 'wildcampers'

So 225,000 motorhomes, and 250,000 miles of road. Roughly 1 motorhome per mile
of road, you know where I'm going here? When they get close, yep tell them to feck of
and find their own mile!
 
Theres not mainly cars and caravan combinations that fit into that weight restriction. There’s not too mainly caravans that weigh 750kg.
59A29CA2-25D0-428D-816F-A56E87E85AA3.jpeg
 
Theres not mainly cars and caravan combinations that fit into that weight restriction. There’s not too mainly caravans that weigh 750kg. View attachment 73567

Hi wully, this extract is taken directly from the governments website and states quite clearly that you can tow a trailer heavier than 750Kg, so long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle does does not exceed 3500KG. Also The max length of the trailer/caravan must not exceed 7m, excluding the A frame.
You can also drive a car or van up to 3500kg with a trailer up to 750kg total 4250kg with a class B license.
Also the definition of a trailer is given at the top and includes a caravan, with certain stipulations for safety.
My car could easily tow a caravan and it weighs 1150kg, this means I could tow a caravan weighing 2350kg with this license.
I have seen plenty of people who obviously past their driving test on this license towing caravans.

  • drive a car or van up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg

 
Last edited:
If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can: Drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM. Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg.

So if your car weighed say 1200KG you could tow a caravan weighing 2300KG. But the caravan must be no longer than 7m not including the A frame.
I suspect that's not quite true as from Jan 1997 until the licencing laws changed (in 2013?) there is/was a restriction that the MAM of the trailer must not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. That restriction might still be in place for those who passed their car test between those dates (anyone know for sure?)

The Towmate quote that Wully posted might also be incorrect. If you passed your test prior to 1997, provided the towing vehicle has a MAM of no more than 3,500kg, the only restriction to the weight of trailer you can tow is the manufacturer's limit on max train weight etc. So, if you have a pickup that can handle it, you can exceed 8,250kg (which some fifth wheelers do by towing a trailer with MAM over 5 tonnes with a pickup with MAM 3,500kg).
 
I suspect that's not quite true as from Jan 1997 until the licencing laws changed (in 2013?) there is/was a restriction that the MAM of the trailer must not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. That restriction might still be in place for those who passed their car test between those dates (anyone know for sure?)

The Towmate quote that Wully posted might also be incorrect. If you passed your test prior to 1997, provided the towing vehicle has a MAM of no more than 3,500kg, the only restriction to the weight of trailer you can tow is the manufacturer's limit on max train weight etc. So, if you have a pickup that can handle it, you can exceed 8,250kg (which some fifth wheelers do by towing a trailer with MAM over 5 tonnes with a pickup with MAM 3,500kg).

Geoff I have just spent 15 minutes looking through the governments website and can find no mention of this whatsoever.
My friends son drives a Mercedes c220 est, and he tows a 7m caravan on a class B driving license.
The wording seems clear and unambiguous Geoff, but if you can provide us with this information I will stand corrected.

  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
 
This is why more people are buying motorhomes because of restrictions and confusion in towing caravans.so much easier to buy a mh up to 3.5 ton and your off
 
This is why more people are buying motorhomes because of restrictions and confusion in towing caravans.so much easier to buy a mh up to 3.5 ton and your off

Wully there is no confusion.
Let’s see what Geoff comes back with.
My mates son is only 31 in 1997 he would have been 9 years of age.
He has a c220 est and has been towing a bailey 7m caravan for two years now.
That’s what led me to investigate after your post yesterday.
Motorhomes are way more expensive than caravans, and caravans are cheaper to run.
For that reason they are popular with younger ones who don’t have the means
to buy Motorhomes whilst paying mortgages and running a young family.
Most of those who buy Motorhomes are older like myself.
I could never have afforded a Motorhome years ago.
If what Geoff states is correct I will have to phone my mate urgently.
 
Geoff I have just spent 15 minutes looking through the governments website and can find no mention of this whatsoever.
My friends son drives a Mercedes c220 est, and he tows a 7m caravan on a class B driving license.
The wording seems clear and unambiguous Geoff, but if you can provide us with this information I will stand corrected.

  • tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
You need to go back in time to between 1997 and 2013. Here's a link to the appropriate DVLA page from 2009, which states for category B:
Motor vehicles with a MAM not exceeding 3500kg having not more than eight passenger seats with a trailer up to 750kg. Combinations of towing vehicles in category B and a trailer, where the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3500kg and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle .
However, I'm unsure whether the mass ratio restriction still applies to those who passed their test between 1997 and 2013, in the same way as I'm not sure whether the mass ratio restriction still applies for those who passed a C1 test between those dates. This is why I asked if anyone knows for sure!

HTH, Geoff
 
Give your mate a call. If he isn't over that limit, he is probably very close, assuming C class is around 1500KG.
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top