Road fund Licence

[Bertie Bus]

Hi
We will be picking up our new van in two weeks and we are not sure how much the road tax will be for 12 Months. It is a Bailey Autograph 75-2 2017 plate at 3500 Kg. According to the Government website, vehicles below 3500 Kg are taxed at £240. Vehicle above 3500 Kg it is £165.
Any ideas please?

 

[Bertie Bus]

Sorry forgot to say thanks.
He has no manners that Essex Boy!!

 

[Lenny HB]

At 57 candles on my birthday cake coming up, I still have a few years before I need to worry about the C1 licence renewal. So going on the advice given here, I think it will be worth uprating the payload as I see quite a few of the VOSA police around these days. We don't intend to race around anyway but we hope to be using the van all year round and making sure we have all we need will be better than constantly worrying that we are overweight.

I've got 10 years on you and have recently bought a 4500kg van it's great having 1300kg payload. If anything untowold happens at 70 I'm looking on the bright side - a good excuse to buy a new van.

 

[Minxy]

You WILL need to get it uprated to a higher capacity as 315kg payload is way too low ot make it a usable vehicle, seriously it is ridiculous - once you both (assume there are only two of you) are on board that's at least 150kg gone, then you've got clothes, food, water, fuel, gas etc ... no way will you be able to run within 3500kg.

Speak to your dealer NOW not when you go to pay for it - once you are there with the money you are likely to go ahead and purchase it as it's difficult to turn away at that point - you need to find out from your dealer exactly what payload there is (weighbridge certificate is the only sure way with individual axle weights shown) what was included/excluded when it was weighed, then you will have the 'real' payload figure for that vehicle. Anything below 500kg is, IMV, unusable.

 

[Neckender]

I’ve just uprated my PVC from 3500 to 4100 giving me just over 1100 kg payload, and I will be 70 in two years but I can’t se anŷ problems with retaining C1 when the time comes.

John.

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[ramsthom]

It perfectly feasible to operate with a payload of less than 500kgs. Our present motorhome is 3080kgs inladen which according to Swift includes the driver 75 kgs, fuel tank 90% full and fittings as described in the standard specification. Any dealer or factory fit options are extra. With BH at 50kgs and fully loaded we were 3350kgs at the weighbridge.

 

[Clarky]

The speed limits are not enforceable for practical purposes. No policeman anywhere is ever going to pull you over if you're doing 60 to check your weight in case you're only meant to be doing 50. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.

What about fixed speed cameras? Don't they link with the database to check on vehicle records?
Also do mobile cameras do the same thing?
What about in Europe? Now they have links to the UK database can they check the registered weight to check if you are speeding?

I don't know the answer to these questions but would very much like to know.
Does anyone have the definitive answer? Before I get nicked!!!

Richard.

 

[Puddleduck]

Ours was uprated to 3650 as a paper exercise (by the dealer at our request) and we are glad we did. For us (we don't do overseas trips except Ireland at the moment) there wasn't a downside.

If we sell in a few years we can always downplate if necessary.

The extra payload enables us to take full fresh water, full diesel, two kayaks and two bikes plus all the gear to go with kayaks and bikes. Without the up-plate we would have to decide kayaks or bikes.....

If you do up-plate you still need to be aware of weight distribution and be careful not to overload the individual axles. We always check at a local weighbridge when fully loaded and before a big trip. When we went to Ireland we had only 90kg "spare". Both axles were within the maximum load as well

I did the C1 medical not so long back (medical condition, not age) and it isn't anything to worry about if you are reasonably fit and healthy. If you do have certain medical conditions you may need to do a treadmill stress test or other specific tests. I took the view that if I couldn't pass the medical I should not be driving on safety grounds. I passed.

 

[Dorset Diver]

I'm not aware of any cameras linking into the vehicle database although I'm sure it will come is due course. That said if you are pinged speeding at [say] 80 in a 70 limit when you should not have been doing more than 60 you will pay the price based on the lower limit. But, I suggest you don't test the system .

 

[ramsthom]

What about fixed speed cameras? Don't they link with the database to check on vehicle records?
Also do mobile cameras do the same thing?
What about in Europe? Now they have links to the UK database can they check the registered weight to check if you are speeding?

I don't know the answer to these questions but would very much like to know.
Does anyone have the definitive answer? Before I get nicked!!!

Richard.

Bit of a grey area as the unladen weight on coach build motorhomes is not on the V5 only the gross weight Speed limits apply to the unladen weight which is 3050 kgs for car like limits.

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[Clarky]

I'm not aware of any cameras linking into the vehicle database although I'm sure it will come is due course. That said if you are pinged speeding at [say] 80 in a 70 limit when you should not have been doing more than 60 you will pay the price based on the lower limit. But, I suggest you don't test the system .

One of the problems in France is that if you keep to the 80kph speed limit on single carriageway roads you will soon get an HGV right up your chuff urging you to get a move on. They seem to always drive at around 87-88kph so can't be too concerned about the cameras. I assume the French cameras are only triggered above 90kph but I am always on the lookout for them to make sure I am under 80.
Am I worrying about the cameras unnecessarily?

Richard.

 

[Clarky]

Bit of a grey area as the unladen weight on coach build motorhomes is not on the V5 only the gross weight Speed limits apply to the unladen weight which is 3050 kgs for car like limits.

That is a good point. They would have no way of knowing what the unladen weight was, would they?
How could they prove that you were speeding at, say, 59mph on a single carriageway road?

I don't think that applies in Europe (the bit over the water) as there the rule is 3500kg gross weight as far as I know.

Richard.

 

[Dorset Diver]

Am I worrying about the cameras unnecessarily?

Richard.[/QUOTE]

I can't answer that, however, being a slow coach my SatNag is set to avoid toll roads and M/ways. My normal top speed is about 50mph (80kph). I'm quite happy to collect my own convoy but I do pull over when I lose count of my followers and let them pass . Quite often they wave with strange signs .

 

[Deleted member 29692]

They would have no way of knowing what the unladen weight was, would they?

If the manufacturers don't know what chance does anyone else have?

Before anyone says it the MIRO figure that manufacturers love to lie about is NOT in any way shape or form the same as unladen weight.

 

[Bertie Bus]

Having read the thread above, I have emailed our dealer asking to have the van uprated as has been said, it is better to do it now rather than find that we are overloaded or can't take what we need. We may look at a drive away awning at some point and the extra weight of that will be significant.

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[Dorset Diver]

Having read the thread above, I have emailed our dealer asking to have the van uprated as has been said, it is better to do it now rather than find that we are overloaded or can't take what we need. We may look at a drive away awning at some point and the extra weight of that will be significant.

Very wise. There is no compulsion for you to use the extra capacity but it may save you a lot of hassle later. You also have the opportunity to down rate later if you want or have to.

 

[Bertie Bus]

Never too proud to take advice from those that know

 

[rickwiggans]

Speed limits are different, ie 50mph instead of 60 mph on single track roads.

That's not correct. The speed limit is determined by the ex-factory weight, and the figure in question is 3050Kg

 

[Lenny HB]

It perfectly feasible to operate with a payload of less than 500kgs. Our present motorhome is 3080kgs inladen which according to Swift includes the driver 75 kgs, fuel tank 90% full and fittings as described in the standard specification. Any dealer or factory fit options are extra. With BH at 50kgs and fully loaded we were 3350kgs at the weighbridge.

We tried on our last van and gave up and we travel quite light but there is no way I would travel without a full tank of water been caught out in the past, the only heavy items we have are a couple of e-bikes don't bother with things like BBQ's. Also the two of us only weigh in at 115kg.

 

[Dorset Diver]

We tried on our last van and gave up and we travel quite light but there is no way I would travel without a full tank of water been caught out in the past, the only heavy items we have are a couple of e-bikes don't bother with things like BBQ's. Also the two of us only weigh in at 115kg.

Each?

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[Bertie Bus]

I have spoken to our dealer and he has uprated our van so not only can we be sure that we aren't going to get pulled by VOSA et al but we also save a bit on our RFL.

 

[Bertie Bus]

We have now uprated our van to 3850 Kg so now we have a whole 665 Kg to play with.

 

[Lenny HB]

Each?

Both of us together.
I know it's a bit heavy I keep telling the boss if she wants to take more clothes she will have to get back down to 6 stone, falls on deaf ears now we have over 1300kg of payload.

We have now uprated our van to 3850 Kg so now we have a whole 665 Kg to play with.

Every little helps, just about workable for two.

 

[sweetie]

Bloody hell Lenny do you check if it is windy before you go out only weighing that much between you.

 

[Lenny HB]

Bloody hell Lenny do you check if it is windy before you go out only weighing that much between you.

Not everyone on here is a fatty you know.
At least I comply with the 75kg driver weight that all MIRO as based on.

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[sweetie]

Not everyone on here is a fatty you know.
At least I comply with the 75kg driver weight that all MIRO as based on.

I used to as well, but that was 45 years ago, now suffering from middle age spread,

 

[pappajohn]

Not everyone on here is a fatty you know.
At least I comply with the 75kg driver weight that all MIRO as based on.

Oi, who you calling fatty.
At 6ft I'm just very short for my 107kg weight.
I assume at 75kg you are rather short in stature......about 4ft.

 

[Lenny HB]

I used to as well, but that was 45 years ago, now suffering from middle age spread,

Oi, who you calling fatty.
At 6ft I'm just very short for my 107kg weight.

Sounds like a bit of exercise wouldn't go amiss for you two.
We go out swing dancing 2 - 3 times a week, legs still aching from last night, Balboa lessons tomorrow night, keeps yer fit.

 

[Lenny HB]

I assume at 75kg you are rather short in stature......about 4ft.

Cheaky sod, 74kg & 5"10.

 

[The Flute]

Tyre limit is different for over 3500kg as well only 1mm instead of 1.6mm