Road Tax on Motorhome & Campervan Models

When you buy your first motorhome – whether it’s brand new or just new to you – there are all sorts of things you will have to consider and take care of that you’d not previously imagined. Owning a motorhome is amazingly freeing, and can be a real life-changer. But it’s not quite as simple as just handing over payment and driving off into a beautiful movie-like sunset under a stippled sky. There are relatively mundane but very important ‘admin’ tasks to attend to as well as starting to live your on-the-road dream. For a start, taxes…

Motorhome owners and campers heading out towards their personal holiday horizons must be au fait with road tax policy changes to avoid falling foul of the UK’s laws. But working out what you’re obliged to pay as motorhome road tax isn’t quite as simple as you might think.

What Is Motorhome Tax?

Just like with any other motor vehicle which is going to travel on UK roads, motorhome owners must pay road tax to the government. Motorhome road tax (otherwise known as Vehicle Excise Duty or VED) can be paid as a one-off fee to cover periods of six months or one year at a time. These payments can be made in full ‘up front’ or split down into chunks and paid by monthly direct debit instalments. Whichever way you would prefer is up to you.

Not all motorhomes are liable on the same scale. The age of your motorhome will affect the road tax rate you are required to pay, as will its weight and its engine size.

The Weight and Engine Size

Motorhomes which weigh over 3,500kg are classed and taxed as private heavy goods vehicles and so have a different rate from those which weigh below 3,500kg, which are classed and taxed as private light goods vehicles. If your motorhome has an engine size of under 1549cc, you will pay less for your road tax than if you had an engine size of over 1549cc.

The Age of Your Motorhome

Although the following information applies to very few motorhomes which are on UK roads today, it’s still important. Motorhomes which were first registered over 40 years ago are no longer legally required to pay road tax as they are ‘classic’ vehicles and there is an exemption policy. If this applies to your vehicle, there is still some admin to do, though, as you are still required to apply for historical road tax exemption.

Motorhome road tax is different from car road tax because it is a rate which is based on several factors. It’s important, when you’re buying your motorhome, that you’re aware of the fluctuations in the amount you will have to pay due to these factors. Although the amount of difference we are talking about is minimal in comparison to the larger amount you’ll be spending on the vehicle itself when you buy it, so is unlikely to affect any decision you make over whether to purchase or not, it’s still worth noting.

You can get much more information from gov.uk.

At Spinney we have a large stock of motorhomes for sale, plus campervans, and you can be out on the road enjoying your new lifestyle in – relatively speaking – no time at all. You must, however, comply with all legal requirements by UK law. There’s no avoiding the issue of road tax with a new (or new to you) motorhome.