Motorhome & Campervan Road Tax (VED) Rates 2026/27

Why Motorhomes Sit Outside the Standard Car VED System

Vehicle Excise Duty for cars has, for over a decade, been driven primarily by CO2 emissions at first registration, with a flat standard rate from year two and a premium supplement for higher-value cars. Motorhomes and campervans, however, are frequently registered with the DVLA under a distinct "motor caravan" body type classification, which historically was not brought into the same emissions-based system as ordinary passenger cars, and in many cases still isn't, depending on registration date and vehicle weight.

This matters because it means the VED a motorhome owner pays often bears little resemblance to what an equivalent-value car would cost, and the rules genuinely differ depending on whether the vehicle is lighter or heavier than 3,500kg.

Lighter Motorhomes (Under 3,500kg)

Many campervans and smaller coach-built motorhomes fall under 3,500kg revenue weight and, where registered as a motor caravan, are often taxed using a flat rate specific to that classification rather than the CO2-banded car system. For higher-emission diesel-based motorhome conversions in particular, this can work out more favourably than being taxed as an equivalent-emission ordinary car would be, since the motor caravan rate doesn't scale up with emissions in the same steep way the car system does.

Heavier Motorhomes (Over 3,500kg)

Larger, coach-built motorhomes and converted commercial-base vehicles exceeding 3,500kg revenue weight typically fall under the private/light goods vehicle VED rules instead, which are banded by weight rather than emissions or a flat motor caravan rate. This reflects that, structurally, a heavy motorhome has more in common with a light goods vehicle chassis than a passenger car.

No Car-Style Premium Supplement (Usually)

One of the more financially significant quirks of motorhome taxation is that the £40,000 list-price premium supplement, which adds £440 a year for five years to many mid-range and expensive cars, is specifically a feature of the car VED regime. Motorhomes taxed under the motor caravan or private/light goods vehicle rules generally fall outside this supplement altogether, even though many coach-built motorhomes comfortably exceed £40,000 — a genuine and often underappreciated tax advantage relative to buying an equivalently priced car.

Converting a Van Into a Campervan

A panel van converted into a campervan doesn't automatically move onto motor caravan VED rates just because it now has a bed and a kitchenette — it needs to be formally reclassified with the DVLA, which requires meeting specific conversion standards covering permanent seating, sleeping accommodation, cooking facilities, storage and windows. Until that reclassification is completed and the vehicle's registration document updated, it continues to be taxed under standard van VED rates. Many self-converted campervan owners miss this step, continuing to pay (or occasionally underpay, risking penalties) the wrong rate simply because the DVLA record was never updated.

Electric Motorhomes

Electric motorhomes and campervans lost automatic VED exemption from April 2025 along with other electric vehicles, and are now taxed under whichever motor caravan or weight-based classification applies to the vehicle, in a similar way to petrol and diesel motorhomes of equivalent weight — removing what had previously been a straightforward zero-cost VED position for early electric motorhome adopters.