Driving motorhomes (2024)

Are you thinking of buying or hiring a motorhome for the holidays? Or maybe you want to import one from another country? Before you decide you'll need to check the entitlement you hold on your driving licence and the size of motorhome you plan to drive.

The entitlement needed on your driving licence

You will need to check that your driving licence gives you entitlement to drive a motorhome. The categories shown on your licence allow you to drive vehicles up to certain weights, known as the Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM).

Category B (car) entitlement

You can drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM, together with a trailer not exceeding 750 kilograms. To tow a heavier trailer you will need category B+E entitlement.

Category C1 entitlement

You can drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes MAM but less than 7.5 tonnes (with or without a trailer up to 750 kilograms). To tow a heavier trailer you will need category C1+E entitlement.
If you passed the category C1+E test:

before 1 January 1997 (shown as C1+E (79) on the licence) you are limited to driving such combinations up to a shared weight of 8.25 tonnes: for example, motorhome six tonnes, trailer 2.25 tonnes
after 1 January 1997 you are entitled to drive combinations up to 12 tonnes in weight where the MAM of the trailer exceeds 750 kilograms but doesn't exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle

Category C entitlement

You can drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes MAM. To draw a trailer over 750 kilograms you will need category C+E entitlement. Motorhomes of this weight can't be driven on a standard category B (car) licence, despite when that category B entitlement was obtained.

The size of the motorhome

A motorhome being registered in the UK cannot be more than 12 metres long and 2.55 metres wide, unless it has an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) certificate. A vehicle with an IVA can have a maximum width of 2.6 metres. There is no height limit but, if the motorhome is over three metres tall, the height must be on a notice visible to you as the driver.

If you need to measure the vehicle there are some parts that you don't need to include in your measurements.

When measuring the length don't include the:

driving mirrors
rearward projecting buffers (made of rubber or other resilient material)

When measuring the width don't include the:

Current limits

The Department for Transport (DfT) imposes the current limits that are contained in the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended). Representatives from European countries, including the UK, agreed to impose these limits throughout Europe.

A number of factors were taken into consideration, such as existing restrictions in different countries, vehicle manoeuvrability and typical road specifications.

Also, the overall size of large vehicles that can create an unacceptable safety hazard for neighbouring property, vehicles and pedestrians, but especially for oncoming traffic.

No plans to change the law

The Department for Transport (DfT) has no plans to change the law on the maximum dimensions of a motorhome, or indeed of any other vehicle.

Motorhome construction and the law

Anyone selling, or offering to supply, a motorhome is responsible for ensuring that the size of the vehicle is within the law. It is an offence under the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order, 1981 if a motorhome that is too long or too wide is offered for sale.

As a customer, it is a good idea for you to be aware of the law, as ignorance of the law is not a defence in court. Your insurance cover may also be invalid if your vehicle doesn't meet the requirements of the law.

Larger vehicles allowed in North America but not Europe

The road traffic laws in Europe have many differences to those in North America, on a variety of subjects, not only maximum length and width. Roads in North America are generally wider than in Europe and property is often set back further from the road.