What permission do you need to drive a motorhome

With the arrival of holidays and good weather, many people choose to choose the motorhome as the means of transport to enjoy a few days of rest or to travel and travel through different countries without having to look for accommodation. And, although motorhomes can be driven throughout the year, it is at this time of summer when they are seen more on the roads and main tourist destinations. The motorhomes are models that have a special weight and dimensions so they can not be driven with any type of card, being sometimes necessary to obtain a specific license. But what permission do you need to drive a motorhome? In we give you the keys so that you know if your card serves you or you have to obtain another permit.

The necessary permits to drive a motorhome

Normally, most of the motorhomes that are seen on the roads of the country and that are marketed in Spain can be driven, in general, with two types of license . Specifically, these are the most basic campervan travel cards:

  • Driving license type B: this permit is the most common in Spain when driving cars are allowed. And with him it would also be possible to drive a motorhome, although it has some limitations because you could only be behind the wheel of those with a maximum authorized mass (MMA) of up to 3, 500 kilos and that can carry up to a maximum of eight people. You can also drive a set of coupled vehicles, which consists of a car and a trailer with MMA exceeding 750 kilos and provided that the total MMA does not exceed 4, 250 kilos.
  • Driving license type C: this driving license will be necessary to drive any other motorhome with a maximum authorized mass greater than 3, 500 kilos.

When it is necessary to have a special permit to drive a motorhome

Although in the previous section, we have already commented on the permits that can be used to drive a motorhome, which are more basic cards, it must be borne in mind that there are several factors that must be assessed when determining the permit to be you will need to drive with this type of vehicle. The two main ones are:

  • Tara of the motorhome: it is the mass of the empty vehicle, that is to say, without the people in the interior and without the tanks of water or butane cylinders, among other elements that are necessary to incorporate for the displacement.
  • The maximum authorized mass or MMA to which we have already referred in the previous section and which is the value of the sum of the load and the tare of the motorhome.

And it is the weight, as we have pointed out before, the main factor that is taken into account when determining the license. In this way, as we said you can drive with the type B card the motorhomes with MMA equal to or greater than 3, 500 kilos because they are considered a light vehicle.

The issue is mainly when that MMA is overcome and type C permits begin to be necessary because the motorhome is now considered a heavy vehicle . There are also some peculiarities if you are going to take a motorhome with a trailer :

  • Card B + E: this card is required when driving a car or other vehicle that can be carried with license B, but a trailer or semi-trailer with an MMA that does not exceed 3, 500 kilos is added.
  • Carné type C: this license allows driving motorhomes or caravans that exceed 3, 500 kilos of MMA.
  • Carné type C1: this driving license allows you to get behind the wheel of a motorhome or caravan whose MMA is between 3, 500 kilos and 7, 500 kilos.
  • Car C1 + E: this card allows you to drive the same vehicles as with type C1 and B, but it has the particularity that it includes the exemption from using the tachograph since it is not going to make a professional use of this license. To these vehicles, in addition, you can add a trailer or semi-trailer with an MMA of more than 750 kilos, but as long as the whole of the MMA does not exceed 12, 000 kilos.
  • Carné C + E: it will be necessary to drive the vehicle and a trailer with an MMA of more than 750 kilos.

What requirements do I need to obtain permission to drive a motorhome?

Normally, in general, each permit has a series of requirements that candidates must have in order to drive a motorhome. However, there are some that are general requirements to obtain permission to drive a motorhome :

  • Age: 18 years minimum for licenses B, B + E, C1 and C1 + E and 21 years for C + E and C.
  • Exams: pass the theoretical exam and practical exam for the license that is required for the motorhome or caravan to be driven. Discover in this other article how many practical driving lessons are necessary.

With these guidelines, we hope to have helped you know what permission is needed to drive a motorhome. If you have any doubt, always consult the nearest Traffic Department that you have.