Can You Drive a Campervan on a Car Licence?

You’ve got the grand plans for a road trip, you’ve recently brought your new campervan on finance and now you are ready to head out on the open road. Suddenly, you have a panic!

Can you drive your campervan on a car licence? The last thing you want is to be behind the wheel only to find out a few miles down the road that you are breaking the law. Luckily, in most cases, driving a campervan on a car licence is totally fine. It all depends though on when you got your licence and just how big your campervan is.

Put simply, if you earned your licence after January 1st, 1997, your licence will be a little different to those granted before this date. Whilst it doesn’t change much with the campervans currently on the market, it can limit your options a little.

In this blog, we find out why.

Can I drive my campervan on my current licence?

In all likelihood yes. But, before you go stocking up the campervan and plotting the route, give your licence and campervan another look over.

Find out the MAM of your campervan first. The MAM is the Maximum Authorised Mass. Basically, its maximum weight. You might also see it called Gross Vehicle Weight in some places.

The MAM indicates the maximum weight your campervan can carry when on the road. You’ll find it in the handbook but also on the metal plate that is normally found inside a door.

Then look at when you passed your test. If you passed after January 1st, 1997, you’ll have a more limited selection of campervans available to you. If you passed before January 1st, 1997, you’ll be eligible for more or less any campervan on the market.

What MAM applies to my driving licence?

You’ll have seen above that we mentioned newer drivers have a more limited option for campervans compared to other drivers. This is due to the weight allowances these licences allow.

If you obtained your driving licence before January 1st, 1997, you can drive a Cat B vehicle and trailer up to a combined MAM of 8.250 KG. In addition, the C1 license will be automatically applied meaning you can drive vehicles of up to 7,500 KG. This means that practically any campervan will be suitable.

If you got your driver’s licence after January 1st, 1997, you’ll be able to drive a campervan with a MAM of up to 3,500 KG. This will be fine for many campervans on the market but if you want to drive something substantial and over this MAM limit, you’ll need to get your licence upgraded to a C1.

How can I get a C1 licence to drive a bigger campervan?

It can be quite easy to upgrade your licence, but you’ll need to treat it like you are starting from scratch. As the vehicles this licence caters for are quite large, you’ll need to do the following:

• Take a medical assessment. Obtain the D4 form from the DVLA and get an appointment with a doctor and optician booked.
• Ensure your current licence is both full and valid at Cat B.
• Apply for a provisional C1. Get the D2 form from the DVLA to apply and return it with the D4.

Once the provisional licence is granted, you’ll still need to have lessons and complete a theory test and a practical test.

Do I need to upgrade to a Cat C1 licence to drive a campervan?

No. In most cases, the Cat B licence will be sufficient for driving a campervan. Just check that the MAM of your current campervan, or the one you plan to purchase, fits within the limits of Cat B.

Have you been looking into buying a campervan on finance? If you have, speak to our team. At Euphoria we have years of experience helping drivers of all ages secure affordable campervan finance. Our role as a direct lender enables us to view each application on a case-by-case basis and not judge on previous financial history. This means that even bad credit campervan finance is a possibility. Call us today to find out more or get your quick quote now!

You might be able to park a campervan anywhere but rules between locations can contrast vividly. Where in some areas it’s permitted, in others it’s not.