Here you will find the answers to some commonly asked questions on the subject of motorhomes.
Do I need to fit and use seatbelts with all of the seats in my motorhome?
Unfortunately, the law here is exceptionally complicated and in some situations, arguably ambiguous.
Considerations such as the age of the vehicle, the age of the passengers and the direction the seats are facing, all play a role in reaching a conclusion.
The most sensible thing to do will be to read the specific legislation on the government’s site and match your own situation against it.
Are motorhomes and campervans more or less the same thing?
This is a surprisingly common question in motorhomes faqs.
The answer is “no”.
Broadly speaking, campervans are typically much smaller on average and although comfortable and ingeniously designed, they will typically provide considerably less space and equipment levels than you will find with motorhomes.
Of course, they are often regarded as an entry-level motorhome and are usually lower-cost than motorhomes, assuming all other things are roughly equal.
Do all motorhome holiday sites accept all vehicles of that type?
Typically yes but not necessarily – and some caution is advisable here.
Most sites will highlight clearly in their advertising if they have issues with, say, maximum lengths or heights of motorhome vehicles. However, a quick phone call to the site in advance is likely to be reassuring.
In some cases, you may see sites stating that access is possible, “with care”, for larger motorhomes above a certain size. That might indicate that things are tight on the site in one way or another and again it’s often worth a quick phone call to clarify how what they are saying relates to your particular vehicle. Some might choose to go for a class c rv in such a case as they could be more spacious and might have better sleeping areas. They can also fit into tight spaces due to their compact design.
Can I take my existing TV with me in my motorhome without needing a second licence?
As a literal answer to the question, yes you can and no additional licence will be required in qualifying circumstances.
However, that assumes that not only have you removed your existing TV from your permanent place of residence but that nobody will be there after you have gone with their TV using your existing connections.
If someone is staying behind in your home and using another television while they are there (older children having their own TVs in their bedroom is one such example) then typically you will need a second TV licence for your use of your television receiver in your motorhome.
After Brexit, will my motorhome be inspected by customs at the point of entry to the continent?
This is very topical in motorhome faqs at the moment!
At the time of writing, the United Kingdom is still in the European Union. Exactly what will happen once we leave the EU remains to be clarified.
However, it seems unlikely that there will be any changes post-exit that will have a massively detrimental impact on motorhome owners planning holidays abroad.
Many people above the age of roughly 50 will be able to remember taking motorhomes to the continent before the UK entered the EU. Intrusive customs inspections were rare, bordering unknown.
Even under the European Union, whatever the position regarding the Schengen agreement may have been, the national and border police of various EU countries have been known to stop motorhomes and other vehicles at the point of entry for things such as random drug smuggling checks etc.
Tourism is an exceptionally important revenue stream for many European countries and it’s doubtful that Brexit related changes would put that at risk for the countries concerned.
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