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Can All Vans Become a Campervan? Let’s Find Out!

The simple answer to this question is ‘yes’, all vans can become campervans, but – as always – the simple answer is not the only answer! There are factors that you must take into account before you go ahead with converting your van into a campervan.

Size Really Does Matter

If you only have a small van, your options are going to be quite limited. This is not to say that you won’t be able to do the Conversion, it just means that you might need to manage your expectations of what the interior can contain. When taking the interior measurements, don’t forget to check how much space you will lose to insulating the sides of the van. This is vital as otherwise you risk overheating or becoming very chilly when you are camping. Water takes up a lot of space, and it is not only clean drinking water that you will need to contain: dirty toilet and shower water must be contained until you can get a pump-out. Further, in order to qualify for a change of registration type, you will need fixed seating, cooking facilities, storage and sleeping platforms – without these being set in place, the DVLA will turn down your request.

The Legalities

In order to be accepted as a Campervan, your vehicle must look like a motorhome from the outside, with windows into the body of the campervan, graphics that indicate it is a motor home, a separate door, and an awning bar on at least one side of the vehicle. Inside, as mentioned above, you must have the four features mentioned, and the DVLA will insist on seeing photos of the work that has been done, and perhaps even seeing the vehicle in person before they will process your request.

You Can’t DIY It All

While many Vans are fairly easily to convert into campervans if you are determined and relatively handy, there are some parts of the conversion that really should not be done by an amateur. These are predominantly the electricity and gas: messing up either of these can see your precious investment going up in smoke: literally! Check classic campervan insurance quotes here and see if you can find a great deal to protect your asset.

Do You Have to Change Your Registration Type?

The short answer here, is no. You are quite within your rights to not make any of the above changes and yet use your van as a motorhome, throwing a mattress in the back and muddling on as best you can. However, you might get some raised eyebrows at more conscientious campsites, and you will not be as comfortable as you would be in a conversion. Changing the registration type to motorhome will give you two major advantages: your insurance can be as much as halved, and you can travel at up to 70mph on the motorway, rather than 60mph as for panel vans.

If you are longing for your very own miniature travelling home, you can convert just about any van into a campervan, especially if you take all of the above advice into account.



This post first appeared on Book Review: And What Do You Do? By Barrie Hopson, please read the originial post: here

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Can All Vans Become a Campervan? Let’s Find Out!

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