Driving vehicles over 3,5 t
Recently, the proportion of motorhomes sold above the "magic" weight of 3,500 kg has been on the rise. These include the Supersonic, some Adria Sonic models and the Adria Coral XL/Matrix on Mercedes Benz and Fiat chassis . The highest technically permissible or permitted vehicle weight has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at them.
Driving licence
In order to drive vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, you must have a driving licence of at least category C1. This enables you to drive motor vehicles, with the exception of tractors, with a maximum permissible weight of more than 3.5 tonnes and not more than 7.5 tonnes, with a maximum of eight seats outside the driver's seat. A trailer with a maximum permissible weight not exceeding 750 kg may be attached to the vehicle. It may be granted only to the holder of a Group B licence. It is of course also possible to use a Group C licence, especially if someone already holds one.
Traffic regulations
The main difference is the speed limits for vehicles from 3.5 t to 7.5 t - they are lower than for cars. In real traffic, even motorhomes under 3.5 t often drive significantly slower than the 130 km/h allowed here, for example. This is mainly due to fuel consumption, safety and partly due to internal noise. Typical speeds are then around 90-110 km/h depending on the driver, and that's not that much more than the legal limit for heavier motorhomes (80 km/h here, in real life it's 90 km/h). The limits vary from country to country.
Care should be taken in neighbouring Germany, where the rules for heavier motorhomes apply to trucks, see table below. In France, special stickers warning of blind spots are mandatory.
In the vehicle register, motorhomes over 3.5 t are listed as special purpose vehicles in the M1 category, i.e. as passenger cars, and the same applies to motorhomes under 3.5 t.
See
Load capacity, i.e. how much cargo and crew you can load on a vehicle without exceeding the maximum permissible vehicle weight, is a big topic of debate in all caravanning circles. And it is well known that vehicles in the 3.5 t category often have very low endorsement. Vehicle weights have been on the rise recently, perhaps because of the mandatory safety systems that have been added on board. As a result, some vehicles are already approved for only two crew members because of the weight.
The solution to endorsement problems may be to buy a motorhome weighing over 3.5 t. The endorsement of such vehicles is often over 1,000 kg and you do not have to worry about overweight fines. Such vehicles account for around 6-7% of all newly registered motorhomes and, given the trends, their numbers are expected to increase gradually. However, it is a fact that these heavier motorhomes are often used outside the caravanning sector, for example to transport horses, racing motorcycles and cars and so on.
Tolls and charges
As for tolls, in many countries they are based on criteria other than weight and the prices are the same as for motorhomes up to 3.5 t. In Slovakia, only a vignette is needed, in the case of Hungary, a toll is now payable from 2024. In the Czech Republic, neighbouring Poland and Austria, tolls are paid. The only inconvenience is the need to get a toll box, the cost of the toll is then lower than for a vignette. The Polish toll is not a problem either, on selected roads and motorways you can expect to pay around one crown per kilometre.
The real price scare is Austria and its toll motorways. Crossing Austria from the Czech Republic costs about 80 - 100 Euros one way. Paradoxically, Austria in particular and its occasional weighing of motorhomes, along with the amount of possible fines for overloading, tends to be one of the reasons for some caravanners to get a heavier motorhome.
Overview
The following table gives a brief overview of the basic restrictions and rules for motorhomes weighing between 3.5 t and 7.5 t. Neighbouring countries are marked in green and significant deviations in the case of motorway tolls or selected roads are marked in red. As can be seen, the restrictions are not very significant:
A vehicle over 3.5 t can be an interesting alternative to a conventional motorhome under 3.5 t. However, more attention is required to the road rules in each country, a driving licence of at least category C1 is required, and operating costs such as tolls and insurance will also be higher, although not significantly so. But it's possible that all this inconvenience is worth the extra endorsement.
This article is based on an article by Martin Strimpfl: Don't worry unnecessarily about motorhomes over 3.5t - Camping and Caravanning Association - Promobil: Keine Ausnahme für Wohnmobile - Womoblog: Schwere Wohnmobile dürfen überholen - ADAC: Wohnmobile von 3,5 t bis 7,5 t in Europa a Wohnmobile in Europa
