Servicing your motorhome

Your motorhome is a road vehicle and to keep you, your passengers and other road users as safe as possible, you need to have it serviced regularly just as you would a car.

There are two parts to your motorhome service. The base vehicle service is normally carried out by a workshop that specialises in products from the manufacturer who supplied the base vehicle for your motorhome, such as a Fiat or Volkswagen van workshop. These services need to be carried out at the mileages or times recommended by the manufacturer.

For MOT test purposes, your motorhome should be covered by the normal car (class 4) MOT test. In a few circumstances, motorhome converters do not notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about the conversion or the DVLA refuses to recognise it as a motor caravan, because it doesn’t outwardly look like one. In this case the DVLA will classify your motorhome as a ‘van with windows’ or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in the V5C (log book) description section. Your motorhome is still a passenger carrying vehicle so must go through a class 4 MOT. 

In addition you will need to have the living area serviced annually, which will normally be done by a specialist motorhome dealer or workshop.

This 'habitation' service will include the water, gas, electrical and heating systems, which will all need to be checked and maintained. Safety checks are carried out to appliances, but not full services. We would recommend you get appliances such as the fridge serviced at the same time, especially if they normally run on gas. The dealer should also check for any damp or leaks in the basic structure.

If possible, it’s worth getting your annual service done at an Approved Workshop. This scheme is a joint enterprise between the Camping and Caravanning Club, the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the National Caravan Council (NCC). Approved Workshops are required to have certain standards of facilities and appropriately trained technicians.

If you want a service before your first outing of season, it’s worth booking early as workshops get booked up quickly in spring.