How Much Is Road Tax For A Motorhome?

There just might be some people left who don’t realise that owning a leisure vehicle (ie. a motorhome or campervan) obliges you to pay road tax. That’s right – your leisure vehicle is not covered by the road tax you’ve already paid for your car. Getting this road tax sorted out is one of the most important initial motorhoming steps you will take on the road to, well, getting on the road. In this edition of our blog we’ll answer some common questions around motorhome road tax, beginning with the most obvious…

What is Road Tax?

Just like with any other motor vehicle which is going to travel on UK roads, motorhome owners must pay road tax to the government. Motorhome road tax (otherwise known as Vehicle Excise Duty or VED) can be paid as a one-off fee to cover periods of six months or one year at a time. These payments can be made in full ‘up front’ or split down into chunks and paid by monthly direct debit instalments. Whichever way you would prefer is up to you.

Not all motorhomes are liable on the same scale. The age of your motorhome will affect the road tax rate you are required to pay, as will its weight and its engine size.

What is Road Tax for?

It is extremely simplistic to say that the road tax you pay directly covers the costs of all things to do with the roads you drive on – their construction, their upkeep, the additional requirements such as traffic lights and road signs and line painting… It actually doesn’t pay for these things directly. It is not a simple transfer into a ‘road money pot’. The road tax you pay goes into centralised funds available to the exchequer – in other words, the total annual budget the government has access to for all of its costs. This budget covers a variety of different areas required for a functioning society, ie. education, health care, policing, local council budgets and so on – and this also includes highways (roads).

What affects the amount of road tax you pay?

Engine size / Vehicle weight:

In terms of vehicle weight the magic number is 3,500kg. Those which have a gross (or maximum) weightbelow it are classed as private light goods vehicles, and so pay road tax appropriate to that. Those which have a gross (or maximum) weight above it are classed as private heavy goods vehicles, and so pay road tax appropriate to that. Engine size is also important. If the vehicle has an engine size of 1549cc or less, the road tax will cost less than if you the engine size is over 1549cc. The current UK road tax costs are as follows:

• Under 3,500kg / Engine Size Under 1549: £200 annual payment if paid as a one-off, £210 if paid by 12-month Direct Debit. If you pay for six months of road tax it will cost £110 if paid as a one-off, or £105 if paid as a 6-month Direct Debit.
• Under 3,500kg / Engine Size Over 1549: Your annual payment will be £325 if paid as a one-off, or £341.25 if paid by 12-month Direct Debit. If you pay for six months of road tax it will cost £178.75 if paid as a one-off or £170.63 if set up as a 6-month Direct Debit.
• Over 3,500kg: Your annual payment will be £165 if paid as a one-off, or £173.25 if paid by 12-month Direct Debit. If you pay for six months of road tax it will cost £90.75 if paid as a one-off or £86.63 if paid as a 6-month Direct Debit.