Motorhome Driving Licence

To help you for your motorhome hire experience, the team at Lowland want to make sure that you have the right driving licence and meet the required criteria to hire a motorhome

There are many answers to this question depending on:-
• Where you are going to drive the motorhome
• The size of the motorhome
• Your age
• When you passed your driving test (UK)

For the purpose of this blog, my answer will be based on driving in the UK.

Modern UK motorhomes are built with a Maximum Allowable Mass (MAM) of 3,500kg.

This means that in the majority of cases, anyone with a full UK drivers licence will be able to drive a motorhome. However, read over the following sections to check that you don’t fall into one of the exceptions.

Size of Motorhome

There are 3 weight brackets for motorhomes and all have different driving rules.

If you are hiring a motorhome, your UK driving licence will be sufficient as the majority of hire companies will only use motorhomes under 3.5 tonnes so that you are covered by a car licence.

Our company, Lowland Motorhome Hire only uses motorhomes that require a car licence.

If you are buying a motorhome and you choose one between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, you will need to pass an additional driving test to add the C1 category to your licence.

The exception here is that if you passed your driving test before 1 January 1997 and you are under 70, then you will automatically have the C1 category on your licence.

To drive a motorhome that is over 7.5 tonnes, you need a category C licence.

Age – Under 25 or Over 70

If you have a valid licence then age is not an issue as far as your licence is concerned.

You will have to renew your driving licence when you reach 70 and at this stage you could lose your C1 category.

Age can become an issue where insurance is concerned and it may be very expensive to insure a motorhome if you are under 25 or over 70.

If you plan to hire a motorhome and you are under 25 or over 70 you may need to phone around a bit to find a company whose insurance will cover you.

At Lowland Motorhome Hire, our insurance covers drivers up to the age of 75.

If you are under 25, we will phone our insurers for a quote. If you have a clean licence, then usually there is no charge but a higher excess will be applied to your hire.

Date Driving Test Passed

If you passed your UK driving test before 1 January 1997 you will be able to drive motorhomes up to 7.5 tonnes.

If you passed after that date, then you will need to sit an additional test to drive motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes.

Non UK Driving Licences

Before buying a motorhome you should check with your insurers and the UK Government website to ensure your non-UK driving licence is sufficient.

You can hire a motorhome from a UK company if you hold a clean licence from North America, Australia, New Zealand or a country within the EU.

If your driving licence was obtained in any other country, then it is advisable to check with your hire company before you book the motorhome.

Good luck in your travels!

For more information about Motorhome Hire Scotland, contact the team at Lowland today