The Croc Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Gentlemen, I am looking for the necessary info on what's needs to be done to a vehicle to reclassify it as a van. I have been practising Google fu but not found the info I want. ie take out rear seats, board up all or some of the windows etc then the legal dvla bit What I want to do is buy an estate,with good mpg 35-40 (better comfort, and all the toys, and can get it in auto, Soft roader would be good as well) and get it reclassified as a van Thanks Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 You might end up paying more for insurance and vans have speed restrictions that Estates don't. We have an estate and a van and the van is more to insure. These below might help, but I would talk to your insurer about it as it might be more expensive for a van. https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate/changes-youll-need-to-update. DVLA Helpline for Vehicle Enquiries : 0844 496 0602 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Gentlemen, I am looking for the necessary info on what's needs to be done to a vehicle to reclassify it as a van. I have been practising Google fu but not found the info I want. ie take out rear seats, board up all or some of the windows etc then the legal dvla bit What I want to do is buy an estate,with good mpg 35-40 (better comfort, and all the toys, and can get it in auto, Soft roader would be good as well) and get it reclassified as a van Thanks Brian Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh1 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 To reclassify as a commercial vehicle AFAIR you need to remove the rear seats and seat belts including all fixing points for the seats and belts(ground off) the rear side windows then have to be removed and plated up and a flat floor plate welded into the rear space for a load area.A lot less hassle just to buy a commercial vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Why not just black out the rear windows and remove the rear seats. Or better still buy a van Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Croc Posted August 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) Why not just black out the rear windows and remove the rear seats. Or better still buy a van Can't buy what I would like. Thanks for the replies gents I'm just trying to find out if its a viable option Edited August 23, 2014 by The Croc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 Insurance can double as commercial vehicles are used 24 hours a day for business so high risk. Dual carriageways are 60mph but only if your vehicle is over 2 ton loaded Roughly transit size and bigger are slower speeds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 As said why not just get the estate you want fold the rear seats up and black out the windows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 What about the VW Caddi maxi van with 4X4 option. Can be got in estate version too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmaxphil Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 don't forget the excise duty (car tax) will go up to £210 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 I brought a 10 plate peugeot bipper van for shooting . (And a little bit of work ) 1.4 HDI turbo . It goes like a little rocket and will still give 65 - 70 mpg on a steady run . Good weight carrying capacity to for a small van . 650 Kg !! Great little vans . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 don't forget the excise duty (car tax) will go up to £210 Vw campers go up to £400 when converted from £225 so it can go the other way. It never makes sense when it's the same vehicle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safc1973 Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Citroen Berlingo Multispace - car with seats that fold down flat and has as much room as a small van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 I did this to my old trooper, didn't have half the guff some people are talking about, explained to the insurers what i'd done and they were fine with that, good ol' Aviva lol! as for speed limits, if it's car derived then there are no special restrictions, road tax is another thing though, you might need to get it plated and re tested as a van, ask dvla? maybe they could help with the finer points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guss109 Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 Q. Why should vans have lower speed limits than cars when they now have modern advanced braking systems like cars? A. The main reason for these lower speed limits is that goods vehicles are designed to be able to carry heavier loads and when laden they will tend to take longer to slow down than a car travelling at the same speed. Q. Why are the speed limits different when very often cars & vans are in the same tax class for DVLA registration purposes? A. Some people make the mistake of thinking that if a van is in the same tax or registration class as a car then it is subject to the same speed limits. However the two issues are unrelated and they are governed by different legislation. National speed limits are set out in the 1984 legislation are based on the possible load capacities of the vehicle and whether or not it is used for carrying passengers. Q. Are there any exemptions from these lower speed limits for vans? A. There is one (small) group of vans which have the same speed limits are cars by virtue of the definitions in Schedule 6 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act of 1984. These are vans that are both derived from a car chassis and also have a maximum laden weight of no more than 2 tonnes. This means that the weight of the vehicle and the payload it is designed to be able to carry when added together do not exceed 2 tonnes. The van design must be a derivative of a car body, it is not sufficient that it looks similar to a particular car. Q. Which vans meet the criteria to be considered car derived vans for speed limit purposes? A. Very few vans will meet the criteria to benefit from the same speed limits as a car. Those that do are likely to be similar to a Ford Fiesta van ,Vauxhall Corsa or Renault Clio van in having maximum payloads of around 500kgs so that when combined with the weight of the vehicle unladen (normally around 1.4 tonnes) the maximum laden weight of the whole vehicle will not exceed 2 tonnes. What this means is that vans such as the Ford Transit and (and of course the larger panel vans) will not meet the definition of car derived vans set out set out in part IV section 2 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Therefore these vehicles will be subject to speed limits of 50mph on single carriageways and 60 mph on dual carriageways. Q. When did these rules come in and shouldn't they be changed now? A. These speed limit rules have been in place for well over 20 years and there are no plans to change these limits to allow vans to be driven at higher speeds because ministers remain to be convinced that it would be safe to do so. Q. Do these speed limits apply if the van is travelling without a load? A. The national speed limits apply to the vehicle type and it makes no difference whether the vehicle at a particular time is fully loaded, partially loaded or travelling without a load. Borrowed from another forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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