Home From Home: The Key Considerations of Vans to Motorhomes
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a considerable uptick in motorhome and caravan ownership. Denied the opportunity to holiday overseas, a large number of brits committed to investing in mobile homes, instead.
While the pandemic might have dissipated, the same can’t be said of motorhome culture. So-called ‘van life’ has gripped the nation, with many van owners electing to ditch their homes in favour of a permanent life on the road. One survey revealed that as many as one in ten van owners might be looking to make a permanent life on the road.
If you’re looking to hop onto this particular trend, then there are a few things you might wish to consider. Converting an existing van into a fully-fledged motorhome can be a daunting challenge, but not an insurmountable one – especially if you get the right support, and tick all the right boxes.
So before you jump to the idea of taking your home on the road and going mobile, let’s run through some of the more significant factors.
Legal Factors
Provided that you have the appropriate insurance, there’s no legal obligation for you to re-register the vehicle. With that said, there are a few good reasons why you might consider it.
First, it’ll tend to make your vehicle cheaper to insure. Specialised motorhome insurance tends to cover both the vehicle insurance and the contents insurance. You might also be legally entitled to drive faster on dual carriageways since the speed limit for campervans is 70mph rather than 60mph.
You might save money in other ways, too. Vehicles registered as campervans come under the class IV MOT rules, which aren’t as stringent as the class VII rules you might normally be subjected to. Finally, there’s the prospect of cheaper ferry prices – which, if you’re frequently making a trip over the channel, or to an island, might be a factor in the long term.
How To Make Sure It Can Be Legally Registered
Your campervan should have a few features, which we might describe as the bare minimum. This means a 6ft bed, a water storage tank, a table that’s fixed to the vehicle, a storage space, permanent cooking facilities, and a side window. You can then reclassify the vehicle and have its status changed in your V5C logbook.
Campervan Interior
On top of the minimum requirements, there are a few features which most motorhome owners will advise as essential. Think about the things that you’ll use every time you take a trip, and what changes will add the most functionality and quality of life.
If you’ve already got experience in this form of travel, then you might already have a strong idea of what’s required. Make a list of essentials. These might include storage space, refrigeration, a first aid kit, and a toilet with the appropriate waste-disposal mechanisms.
