Not sure how this applies to yours? Get a quote for my motorhome import and we will tell you before you spend anything.
Which tax class does a motorhome go in?
gov.uk puts it in one sentence: "The rate of vehicle tax is based on the vehicle's revenue weight (also known as maximum or gross vehicle weight)."
Revenue weight is the maximum weight the motorhome is approved to weigh when fully loaded, not what it weighs on a weighbridge with the water tank empty. On the V55/5 it comes from box 23 (max permissible mass, from the Certificate of Conformity) and, for a heavy motorhome, box 45 (revenue weight, with a weight certificate attached). If the paperwork says 3,500kg, you are TC11. If it says 3,650kg, you are TC10.
Yes, on these flat rates a big 4.5 tonne A-class costs less to tax than a 3.5 tonne panel van conversion with a 2.3 litre engine. The tax system is not always intuitive, but on this one it is on your side.
How much is it for 12 months and for 6 months?
These are the rates in gov.uk's motorhome table.
| Class | Single 12 months | 12 monthly Direct Debits (total) | Single 6 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| TC11, not over 1,549cc | £230 | £241.50 | £126.50 |
| TC11, over 1,549cc | £375 | £393.75 | £206.25 |
| TC10, over 3,500kg | £177 | £185.85 | £97.35 |
Paying in one go is cheapest. Box 3 of the V55/5 asks whether you want 6 or 12 months.
Send us the details before you pay. We tell you what the import involves, then handle the customs, the NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
What if the motorhome was registered between 2017 and 2020?
Here is where the flat rates stop being the whole story. gov.uk says a motorhome registered between 1 April 2017 and 11 March 2020 pays "a different rate of tax" if both of these apply:
- it is in the M1SP category (motor caravans are M1 special purpose, according to DVSA)
- its CO2 emissions are included on the "type approval certificate", which gov.uk says "might be called a 'certificate of conformity' or 'individual vehicle approval'"
For cars registered from 1 April 2017, the first tax payment is based on CO2, and gov.uk adds: "This also applies to some motorhomes."
For an import, the question of which date counts and which rate lands on your motorhome is a case by case one. And for M1SP motorhomes registered from 12 March 2020, gov.uk's motorhome table does not spell out the rate at all, so we won't guess it here. If your motorhome is from 2017 onwards and its Certificate of Conformity shows a CO2 figure, ask us before you buy and we'll look at the paperwork.
When does the £440 supplement apply?
In the section for vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2017, gov.uk says: "You have to pay an extra £440 a year if you have any of the following: a car or motorhome with a list price of more than £40,000". For electric motorhomes the threshold is £50,000.
A new, well specified motorhome can easily pass £40,000, which is why box 69 of the V55/5 matters. DVLA's V355/5 guide says that for M1, M1G and M1SP vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2017 you must give the list price "or your application will be rejected". How the supplement sits alongside the heavy class for a motorhome over 3,500kg is not spelt out on the page, so that is another one to check against your motorhome's papers.
Does an older motorhome still need approval to be taxed?
Sometimes, and this catches people out. gov.uk says a vehicle first registered or manufactured more than 10 years ago "might not need approval". But gov.uk says: "You will need vehicle approval to tax your vehicle if it was first registered on or after 1 March 2001 with EU type approval", and that covers a light passenger vehicle with 8 passenger seats or less "and with a CO2 emissions figure in g/km".
DVLA's INF106 leaflet says the same for any vehicle first registered from 1 March 2001 on the basis of an EU Certificate of Conformity "which identifies the vehicle as an M1 vehicle with a CO2 emissions figure in g/km". Motorhomes are M1. So a 12-year-old German motorhome with a CO2 figure on its CoC may need that approval evidence so DVLA can tax it correctly, even though its age might otherwise have let it off. Our guide to the motorhome Certificate of Conformity explains that document.
What about very old motorhomes?
gov.uk says that if your vehicle was built before 1 January 1986, you can apply to stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2026. Private heavy goods vehicles are on the eligible list, provided they are not designed or adapted for carrying goods. You still have to tax it, you just pay nothing, and you apply at a Post Office with the V5C, so that comes after registration. Proving when it was built is its own job: see our guide on proving the age of an imported motorhome.
What happens if you tick the wrong class?
You pay the wrong amount. Nothing on the V55/5 stops you ticking the lighter class for a heavy motorhome, or the other way round. On one motorhome forum, an owner who registered a German-built Frankia posted what they had paid, and the first reply pointed out it looked like the light class when that motorhome belonged in the heavy one. Getting the class right first time is far less bother than unpicking it afterwards.
How we help with the tax side
We don't pay the road tax for you (that goes to DVLA with your application), but we do fill in the V55/5, and the tax class, CO2, weight and list price boxes are part of that. We take them from the motorhome's Certificate of Conformity or approval certificate, check they match what we declared to HMRC on the NOVA, and tell you which class and rate the paperwork points to before you sign. If a Certificate of Conformity is missing, we obtain it.
Quick answers
Is road tax paid when I register, or later?
At registration. gov.uk says "You'll need to pay a £55 registration fee and tax your vehicle when you register it", so the tax payment goes in the envelope with the V55/5.
Does a motorhome over 3,500kg need a different driving licence?
Usually, yes. gov.uk says a category B licence (test passed on or after 1 January 1997) covers up to 3,500kg for petrol and diesel vehicles, and category C1 covers 3,500 to 7,500kg. If you passed before 1997, you usually already hold C1: check your licence.
My motorhome is from 2021. What will I pay?
It depends on its category and whether its Certificate of Conformity shows a CO2 figure. gov.uk's motorhome table doesn't give a rate for M1SP motorhomes registered from 12 March 2020, so send us the papers and we'll tell you what they show before you commit.
Official sources, checked on 27 September 2026: gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/rates-for-motorhomes; assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f62e57e8e4040c38a3d0c8/v355-5-guide-to-filling-application-for-first-vehicle-tax-and-registration-of-used-motor-vehicle.pdf; assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fc443765ca2f00117da7f2/individual-vehicle-approval-scheme-guide.pdf; gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/vehicles-registered-on-or-after-1-april-2017; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/getting-vehicle-approval; assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6911cb91bda892e068aa6400/inf106-how-to-import-a-vehicle-into-the-united-kingdom.pdf; gov.uk/historic-vehicles/vehicles-exempt-from-vehicle-tax; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle; gov.uk/driving-licence-categories; gov.uk/old-driving-licence-categories.