UK Speed Limits for MHs
I always thought that the speed limit for heavier vans was based on those weighing over 3.5 tonnes, however, on closer inspection I see that it is 3.05 tonnes, which is 3050 kgs. The UK Gov document at https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits uses 3.05t in the first part of the document but when later referring to goods vehicles it uses 3.5t. Have I got it wrong or is there a typo in a UK Gov document?
BillC
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It is 3050kg.
3500kg refers to driver entitlement and 3050 to rules of the road.
Speed limiter - who knows but I guess HMG will have it right.
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The 3050kgs is unladen weight so there will be similar motorhomes that that might fall either side of that figure but still come under the 3500kgs driver rules. So it seems the speed limit is governed by the unladen weight of the vehicle as far as motorhomes are concerned. The interesting question might be is unladen weight the design weight or the actual weight?
David
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Do we really want to be batting along faster than 60mph anyway? It doesn't half slurp up the juice.
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According to the law, the unladen weight of any vehicle is the weight of the vehicle when it’s not carrying any passengers, goods or other items. It includes the body and all parts normally used with the vehicle or trailer when it’s used on a road. It doesn’t include the weight of:
- fuel
- batteries in an electric vehicle - unless it’s a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-weights-explained
For speed limits, visit
https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits
And yes, CY it does slurp the juice going an average 60mph, almost 5mpg more than averaging 50mph based on my unscientific calculations.
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AFAIK, 3050kg is the nearest metric equivalent to the old 3 ton limit...
irrespective of the actual weight limits, establishing the 'unladen weight' is the tricky bit...
definition from uk Gov....
"Unladen weight
The unladen weight of any vehicle is the weight of the vehicle when it’s not carrying any passengers, goods or other items.It includes the body and all parts normally used with the vehicle or trailer when it’s used on a road.
It doesn’t include the weight of:
fuel
batteries in an electric vehicle - unless it’s a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair"its obviously an older definition aimed at commercial vehicles, how one would apply this to a MH I wouldn't know....although my German spec sheet does list an ex factory 'unladen weight' but this is for a base model devoid of any factory fitted packs and extras and fluids....
WHOOPS....sorry, snap A......obviously 'researching' at the same time....
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We regularly cruise at 70mph when legal to do so. Sometimes sacrificing a bit of economy, and it’s not much, pays off in terms of eating up motorway miles and not getting tangled up with the heavies.
Anyway, given the price of MHs, a few less mpg is a spot in the ocean.
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just really out of interest what are the speed limits in Europe for MHs? and do they differ (like here) to caravans?
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Yes, Cornersteady, they do. You can do a lookup on The Club site for Driving Abroad or download the EU App from AppStore, Google or Windows, search on "Going Abroad". Its a useful app if you do drive on the other side of the channel.
BillC
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Thanks for the reply
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Corners, from the Club website as noted by Bill...
France
Vehicle Motorways Other roads
Car + caravan under 3.5t 81mph, 130km/h 56-68mph, 90-110km/h
Car + caravan over 3.5t 56mph, 90km/h 50-56mph, 80-96km/h
Motorhome under 3.5t 81mph, 130km/h 56-68mph, 90-110km/h
Motorhome over 3.5t 68mph, 110km/h 50-62mph, 80-100km/hQuite a large difference in 'heavy' caravanning speeds compared to smaller caravan combos....
i guess 130kph (81mph) is markedly different/higher than our motprway towing speed limits....is that 60mph in the UK?
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60 mph limit is a nuisance as you get stuck behind lorries doing 56 mph. I find 65 - 70 mph about right in UK and Europe but of course it depends on the weather, traffic conditions etc.
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Having caravanned for 34 years, we have now moved on to a motorhome, so a couple questions come to mind: The on board water tank holds about 90 litres. Clearly I wouldn't drive with the tank full, but is it recommended that the tank is drained off before every journey?
The grey water will always be drained.
We have purchased an AGURI 720 satnav unit which includes a speed trap alert. Reading some articles, it reads that these alerts are unlawful across Europe. The point of buying the satnav is that it is fully loaded with campsites and stop overs. I have spoken to a technician at AGRI who told me that they sell many of these units to European companies, including there 'partners' in Dusseldorf. He assured me that they are legal?? Do you have such a device and have you used it abroad?
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I can’t speak on the over there points but we take to the road with the tanks as they are, or will fill the fresh and drain the waste before setting off. It depends on the state of the tanks. It’s what a MH is designed for - to drive, stop anywhere and use.
If your payload is tight, you may indeed face the inconvenient need to travel fully drained.
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Hi Sunsryle, the speed trap alerts you are talking about are definitely illegal in France and I believe some other EU countries. France have introduced heavy fines if caught using them and they do use detection equipment. Some satnavs automatically switch these off when they enter France. If your going over there, I would get on the web and do some homework.
My MH is 4,250t, so when I drive to or from Spain through France I have to be on the ball about the different speed limits in each country, with Spain having the lowest speed limit for my MH.
I always use a quick calculation to work out the conversion from kilometers to mpg. To calculate a change of speed limit from 110 to 90 kph:
Multiply the first number (first 2 numbers if over 100) by 6, in this case 6 x 9, which equalls 54. If the answer is below 50 add 1 and if the answer is 50 or above, add 2. The answer you end up with is 56, which is the correct conversion for 90kph. To convert 110kph to mph, 6 x11 = 66 + 2 = 68. The correct conversion.
This gives a very close speed calc' very quickly and the more you do it the easier it gets.
BillC
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I dont know if it is "required", but many do show both and some only show one or the other. Also, some satnavs show the incorrect speed limit for larger vehicles. TomToms show the car speed limit in France on their caravan and camper version, which is a waste of time.
If we could totally switch over to thinking kph when on the other side that would help, but some of us are too long in the tooth!
BillC
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