The three weight bands
| Motorhome MAM | Category | Who has it |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3,500kg (4,250kg electric or hydrogen) | B | Every full car licence |
| Over 3,500kg up to 7,500kg | C1 | Car test passed before 1 January 1997 (until 70, then renewed by post with a D4 medical every 3 years); otherwise a separate C1 test, minimum age 18 |
| Over 7,500kg | C | Separate C test, minimum age 21 (18 in specific cases), D4 medical |
GOV.UK’s own motorhome page says it in two sentences: “To drive a motorhome with a MAM of between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, you need a category C1 licence. To drive a motorhome with a MAM of over 7.5 tonnes, you need a category C licence.”
Passed before 1 January 1997
GOV.UK’s conversion table for older licences maps a car licence issued before 1 January 1997 to B, BE, C1, C1E with restriction code 107, D1 with code 101 and D1E. That is why so many retired couples drive 3,850kg and 4,250kg motorhomes on a licence they took in the 1970s. The same page adds that a pre-1997 driver is “usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg maximum authorised mass”, which covers a 3,500kg motorhome towing a small car on an A-frame or trailer.
The catch is 70. The ordinary at-70 renewal cannot carry C1 or D1; GOV.UK says those must be renewed by post. DVLA’s INF4D notes spell out the medical side: the Group 2 standards “also apply when renewing categories C1 … which were given when a car driving test was passed before 1 January 1997”, and a driver who is 70 and still needs C1 “will need to have a D4 every 3 years”. A D4 is completed by a doctor and, for the eyesight section, an optician or optometrist. Do it before the birthday: a photocard that comes back without C1 means the motorhome stays on the drive.
Passed on or after 1 January 1997
The licence carries category B: “vehicles with up to 8 passenger seats with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 3,500kg for petrol and diesel vehicles” and “4,250kg for electric or hydrogen vehicles”. Towing is allowed up to a 3,500kg trailer as long as vehicle and trailer together do not exceed 7,000kg. To drive anything heavier you apply for provisional C1 with a D4 medical, then pass the C1 theory and practical tests; the minimum age is 18.
Most post-1997 buyers do not bother. Manufacturers build the majority of coachbuilts at exactly 3,500kg for this market, and heavier ones can often be down-plated. The price is payload, which is the next section.
Payload: the number that gets 3,500kg motorhomes into trouble
Payload is MAM minus mass in running order (MIRO). MIRO is on the weight plate or in the handbook and usually includes the driver, a full fuel tank and a nominal amount of water and gas; check the converter’s definition, because they vary. Whatever is left is for passengers, food, clothes, bikes, an awning, full water and the rest. Under 400kg gets tight fast, and a family of four with a fresh tank can push a 3,500kg motorhome over the limit without anything looking heavy. The calculator in the tool does the subtraction; a public weighbridge does the proof.
Up-plating adds payload and, if it crosses 3,500kg, adds the C1 requirement and drops the road tax to £177 a year; see the motorhome road tax checker. The MOT stays class 4 either way; see do motorhomes need an MOT.
Where the weight comes from
The DVLA record holds the revenue weight, which is the maximum permissible mass used for tax and is normally the same figure as the MAM on the plate. If a converter or a re-plating company has changed the plate, the V5C should have been updated to match, and a mismatch between plate and V5C is a question to ask the seller. Before you commit to a motorhome, the £4.99 motorhome history check adds the stolen, finance and write-off registers to the same registration.