Getting a c1 licence

howardmarch
howardmarch Forum Participant Posts: 5
edited June 2023 in Caravan & Motorhome Chat #1

We are having a family trip to New Zealand next year and renting a 5 ton motorhome. My son, who will be 24, would like to share the driving but of course he doesn't have c1 on his licence.

I have been doing a little digging on the DVLA web site and getting c1 seems to be fairly complicated and focussed on HGV drivers. Does anybody have any experience or advice on getting c1 for motorhome drivers.

One of the complications is that he will need a c1 category vehicle to take the test. That makes sense, but it does make me wonder how younger motorhome owners would ever be able to buy larger motorhomes, given that they probably want the licence before buying. Given time, this could kill the market for larger motorhomes.

Does anybody know what restrictions are placed on a licence with provisional c1?

Comments

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,383 ✭
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    edited June 2023 #2

    Don't know about the restrictions with a provisiional C1 but the Government is currently reviewing licence categories with a view to increasing weight limits on the B licence. I think it likely they will be increased to 4.25 tons.

    peedee

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2023 #3

    Consult New Zealand consulate in London to ask what driving licences are required in their country.

    UK regulations and advice from DVLA  may be completely irrelevant for driving in NZ, but if he wants a C1 licence here at home in UK he should go to a commercial vehicle driving school and arrange tuition and then a test,

  • Mr Flibble
    Mr Flibble Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited June 2023 #4

    C+E licence holder here.

    As the previous post said, if you want C1 entitlement added to your licence, then you have to go through the normal HGV channels. That will require you to pass a medical test, HGV theory test (where you will have to know about Drivers' Hours Regulations, tachographs, load security, etc.) and then an HGV driving test.

    You could choose to do it in a C1 vehicle (7.5t), or go straight to C or C+E which is likely to be a similar cost, but a slightly higher probability of failing due to the larger vehicle.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,856 ✭✭✭
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    edited June 2023 #5

    Just talk to the rental company in NZ. My son and some friends years ago went to another friends wedding in NZ and decided to hire a motorhome to make the most of the trip. I seem to recall the question driving licences came up as none of the lads had C1 entitlement because of the year they passed their tests and it didn't seem to be an issue. As there were four of them on the trip I somehow can't imagine the hire motorhome was limited to 3500kgs but I could be wrong.

    David

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2023 #6

    Good advice from David there because New Zealand driving licence categories are completely different to ours and don't recognise our C1 licence. What we call a B licence is their category I licence and it covers you for a vehicle or combination with a gross laden weight of 4500kg. It also covers you for a motorhome with a gross laden weight of up to 6000kg so long as the kerbweight doesn't exceed 4500kg. So, best to check with the rental company.

  • howardmarch
    howardmarch Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited June 2023 #7

    Thanks for the advice. I'm renting it via a travel agency here so I asked them and they said you can drive something on a UK licence if you could drive it in the UK. Other advice here differs, so I'll check with the actual rental company.

     

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