You have your new motorhome on order or have picked out the second-hand vehicle of your dreams and thoughts turn to your motorhome driving licences. Are you allowed to drive any motorhome under your current driving licence? What do you need to do to update your licence if necessary?
What Driving Licence Do I Need for my Motorhome? Whether your driving licence covers you to drive a motorhome depends on when you passed your driving test, how heavy your motorhome is, and your age. You may be able to drive a motorhome using just a car category on your licence.
Some motorhomes can be driven on a standard car driving licence, others may need you to pass an additional test. This is something I needed to check before I bought my first motorhome. Let’s dive in.
Can I Drive a Motorhome on my Car Licence?
The answer here is ‘maybe’.
If the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of your motorhome is under 3,500 kilos, then you can drive it under category B on your driving licence. However, if you only have category B-Auto, then you are unable to drive a manual gearbox motorhome.
That is a straightforward and easy answer. Now things become slightly complicated and depend on several factors.
Motorhomes between 3,500 kilos and 7,500 kilos require a C1 category on your driving licence. If you took your driving test before 1 January 1997, then C1 should be grandfathered on your licence. For motorhomes over 7.5 tonnes and those with a trailer, need additional licence categories.
Check your driving licence to see what you already have available. The categories you are licenced to drive are on the back of your plastic licence. If you still have an old paper licence, then you ought to check whether the categories are all still valid.
If you took your driving test before 1 January 1997, then you won’t have category C1 available to you on your licence. This restricts you to a motorhome under 3,500 tonnes. To be able to add C1, you will need to take a further driving test in order to gain the category on your licence.
Can I Drive a Motorhome at Any Age?
Again, under 3,500 kilos you can drive a motorhome under category B between the ages of 17 and 70.
When you are approaching your 70th birthday, you will need to renew your licence irrespective of which categories of vehicle you can drive. This is a straightforward process of a medical declaration and applying in good time.
If you have the C1 category on your licence, it will be removed when you reach the age of 70, unless you act. You may find other grandfathered categories on your licence are also removed at this renewal point. I would expect my ability to drive traction engines to be removed when I hit 70.
When you successfully have C1 listed on your age 70+ licence, you can drive motorhomes up to 7,500 kilos in weight, (MAM), until the next renewal date on your licence, when you will need to act again.
Retaining Category C1 Licence for my Motorhome at Age 70
When you reach 70, you will need to take action to retain the C1 category on your licence to drive motorhomes over 3,500 kilos in weight.
The DVLA will send you form D46P 90 days before your 70th birthday, so make sure your postal address is up to date on your licence. That is a legal requirement of course. If you follow the standard procedure to renew your licence, you will lose the C1 category.
To renew your C1 category licence, you will need to undertake a medical examination. Your own doctor or other medical centres will need to complete form D4. This is not a standard NHS service, so expect to be charged a fee by your doctor. Fees tend to be in the region of £50 but can vary from GP to GP.
When you have the D4 medical form, this goes to the DVLA as instructed in the D46P form. DVLA can take some time to process applications, so it is wise not to leave your application until the last minute. If you haven’t applied before your 70th birthday, then your whole licence will expire, and you won’t be able to legally drive a vehicle of any type.
How to Gain Category C1 Licence for a Motorhome
If you took your standard driving test after 1 January 1997, you won’t have category C1 on your licence.
You will need to take a training course and a test before you are issued with the coveted C1 category on your licence. You should be able to find a training and test centre close to home. These take a while to complete, although the actual test itself is short.
At the same time, you can be tested for category C1E if you wish to tow a trailer.
When you have the test pass, you can apply to have your driving licence updated to include C1.
Driving Licence for Large Motorhome
For motorhomes over 7.5 tonnes, you will need category C on your driving licence. Note, that this is different from category C1, which covers up to 7,500 kilos.
The largest motorhome permitted in the UK is 12 metres long and 2.55 metres wide. These dimensions exclude the wing mirrors and other lights which extend beyond the width or length. There is no maximum height, but if the motorhome exceeds three metres, then you need to display the actual height in your motorhome cab where the driver can clearly see it.
What Licence Do I Need to Tow with My Motorhome?
Again, this comes down to weight. This time, the weight is the total of the motorhome and trailer combined and must not exceed 8,250 kilos. For this combination, your licence needs to show category C1E.
To arrive at the maximum weight for C1E, for example, the motorhome could have a MAM of 6,000 kilos and the trailer 2,250 kilos for a total of 8.25 tons.
Motorhome Driving Licences in Northern Ireland
The information above applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Rules may differ for Northern Ireland.
RELATED QUESTIONS
How Do I Read the Weights on my Motorhome Plate? The various weights on the vehicle identification plate can be confusing at first, especially as they don’t appear to add up. We have produced this simple guide that explains how it all works.
DISCLAIMER: DVLA may change the rules from time to time, so check their website for the latest information.