DVLA Campervan Chaos Sparks Fury
The DVLA’s bungled communication over what counts as a campervan is causing huge headaches for DIY motorhome builders. The national Ombudsman has slammed the agency for leaving owners confused, frustrated, and out of pocket.
Self-Builders Blocked From Campervan Status
Two campervan converters hit a brick wall after the DVLA repeatedly refused their logbook change requests. David Hollingsworth and Maddy Muffett both followed official DVLA guidance to turn their vans into motorhomes, only to have their applications rejected multiple times.
Campervans registered as regular vans face higher tolls, pricier MOTs, different speed limits, and are banned from some campsites. Yet, the DVLA failed to clearly explain what qualifies a converted van as a motor caravan.
Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: “People expect and deserve clarity and openness from public bodies like the DVLA. When they don’t receive it, they feel let down and frustrated especially in cases like these where they are likely to have spent a lot of time and money trying to meet requirements that remain unclear. We hope that these issues will now be rectified to improve the service for future users.”
Outdated Guidance & Mixed Messages
The DVLA admitted that its campervan guidance was out of date when the complaints arose – the website has since been updated. Yet when Hollingsworth and Muffett asked what was needed to fix their applications, they were given vague tips like adding awning rails or campervan stickers.
David Hollingsworth even plastered huge ‘campervan’ stickers on all four sides of his van. Still, the DVLA slammed the door shut again.
Mr Hollingsworth said: “The DVLA seem to just have a blanket, knee-jerk reaction to anyone self-building a campervan. We converted a van previously and had no problems, and we’ve done even more to this vehicle, we’ve added extra windows, skylights, an awning rail, an electric step. “The DVLA just say ‘it doesn’t look like a campervan in traffic’. But they won’t tell us why not. If they would say ‘it needs x, y or z’ then we would do those things, but they won’t give us a reason beyond ‘because we say no’. “It’s disingenuous and nonsense and feels like discrimination against self-build campervanners. “My wife is listed as a vulnerable person and going away in our van is one of our biggest escapes, as it is for a lot of people, especially since the pandemic with the rise of staycations. Lots of people are building their own motorhomes, so this could affect many more people.”
DVLA’s Mum On Clear Criteria
Mrs Muffett and her husband endured four application rejections despite building their motorhome to exact DVLA specs.
Mrs Muffett said: “We spent a year building the campervan so that it complied exactly with the criteria on the DVLA website, and it still came back listed as a ‘van with windows’. “At the time, that made it almost impossible to insure as that kind of vehicle doesn’t normally include a shower, kitchen, fridge, etc, which ours did. It was so frustrating and ground us down. “They utterly refused to tell us what we could do to make our application succeed. There was a suggestion that adding an awning rail would help, so we did that, sent off the application again and it was still rejected. No one at the DVLA seems to be clear on what a campervan needs to look like. Their attitude was just ‘we make the rules, you abide by them’. One of the reasons we persevered with our complaint is because of that attitude and for all the other people building their own campervans who will be impacted by this.”
Omudsman Slams DVLA for Maladministration
Successful campervan body type changes nosedived by 95% from early 2019 to early 2020 after DVLA tweaked its application process following policy errors.
The Ombudsman ruled the DVLA guilty of maladministration for failing to clearly communicate these crucial changes and for lacking transparency on the registration rules for campervans.
The watchdog demanded the DVLA:
- Apologise to the complainants and pay £100 each for distress
- Draft an action plan to provide detailed pre-conversion guidance on campervan criteria
- Explain clearly how it decides on vehicle body types, especially campervans
A DVLA spokesperson said: “The current guidance on vehicle body types reflects the police’s requirement to be able to easily identify vehicles in moving traffic. We are working with the police and other stakeholders to see what more can be done in this area. We have already accepted the PHSO’s recommendations in these two cases and made clear that work remains ongoing.”
