Pros and Cons of a Motorhome over 3.5 tonnes

The last motorhome I owned was a Swift 496 Esprit. It’s 7.8m long and weighs a healthy 4 tonnes, give or take. We owned her for 18 months, which seemed a reasonable length of time to discuss the pros and cons of owning a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes, instead of a small motorhome like my current camper.

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Why did we buy a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes?

Back then, we didn’t set out looking for a motorhome over 3.5tonnes, but we DID see a layout we loved but couldn’t afford. (A brand new Bailey Autograph, if anyone’s interested!) 

The Bailey motorhome was actually less than 3.5 tonnes (just!) but there was no way we could afford it, so we set out to find something similar on the market. Enter the Swift 496.

She has a fantastic layout AND we got her for a great price as she was an ex-hire vehicle and one of those great used motorhomes for sale. There were several problems, including the fridge and solar panel, but we knew we could sort those out with this used camper.

We discussed whether the weight would be a problem, as it meant I couldn’t drive our new motorhome due to licence restrictions, but we agreed that Mr WB preferred to drive anyway and I prefer to navigate, so it wouldn’t be an issue. 

Pros of a large motorhome

There are some obvious advantages to a bigger motorhome. 

Let’s go through those a little. We deliberately chose a motorhome with an end lounge area and a separate dinette.

When buying a motorhome, it’s always a toss-up between cost, layout and availability- and somewhere there needs to be a compromise.

Better living space in a larger motorhome

We LOVED (and I still do!) the living space and it was perfect for us over all our travels, including 5 weeks in Norway, several weeks in Germany, France, Italy, and much more. 

Better storage space 

We also loved the storage space- the van holds SO. MUCH. KIT and campervan gadgets and it’s never an issue because our payload is crazy.

Seriously, we put hydraulic legs, kayak, paddleboard, solar panel, motorhome generator, and a million other things onto it… and we still had about 300kg of payload left if we wanted it.

We had always practice certain motorhome security basics to ensure all of our gear is secure.

Other than that though, I love having a motorhome where we don’t need to worry about storage if going off for a couple of months at a time. 

However, we had hired a small motorhome under 3.5 tonnes and loved it. It was easy to park and loved how much storage there was inside.

Although the van we had back then wasn’t a dream layout, we really enjoyed experiencing a different type of motorhoming with an under 3.5-tonne motorhome hire. It opened our eyes to the possibility of what you could get with a smaller van.

Which brings us to the cons of a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes.

Cons of a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes

• Speed limits are lower on roads in Europe
• Toll charges are more
• Difficult to get toll passes, vignettes or other such things for vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
• I can’t drive it
• Longer = harder to park

We loved our motorhome, we really did. But there are some things about it which just didn’t work for us- and most of them revolve around the weight/ size of owning a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes.

Reduced speed limit for motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes

One of the biggest problems is the reduced speed limits for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. We did a LOT of driving both in the UK and Europe. So, having to almost double our journey time during a UK road trip can be frustrating. You can find a list of European speed limits here.

And no, it’s not a typo- if your vehicle weighs over 3.05 tonnes, you can only do 60mph on UK dual carriageways, 50mph on other roads unless a lower speed limit applies. 

Vignettes/ Toll passes

Also, we LOVED travelling Europe in our motorhome, but toll passes and some vignettes are only applicable to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. After that, you need to go to one of the official border crossings and fill in paperwork. In some countries, you need to have a box installed which tracks your mileage. 

Restrictions on driving licences

All my travelling has made it really difficult to get my C1 (that, and a lack of motivation!!) But honestly, it’s silly having a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes that you can’t drive should your partner ever need to. Safety first.

Longer = harder to park

Lastly, this isn’t down to weight, but having a longer vehicle is harder to park- especially when we had attached a 3m motorbike  trailer to the back of it! With our van and a trailer, we were longer than two parking spaces, making it tough to pop into a supermarket or car park as we travelled- we were always hanging over the edge somewhere! 

We also had to avoid some aires around Europe, as they are restricted to up to 8m. With a shorter van, we could squeeze in, even with the trailer!

So, with all that said, we decided to sell our large motorhome and get a motorhome under 3.5 tonnes! People often say the third boat you buy is the perfect one for you- I wonder if the same applies to buying second-hand camper vans? 

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Should you buy a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes?

So, should you buy a motorhome of over 3.5 tonnes? Absolutely, if it’s right for you!

There are some INCREDIBLE used campers around and if you’re not affected/ not bothered by any of the above-mentioned points, then definitely go for it, especially if you have a family and see a fantastic motorhome for sale.

We had been ALL over the place in our motorhome and the size/ weight wasn’t a problem at all until our daughter stopped travelling with us and we realised we didn’t need a motorhome over 3.5 tonnes. If she were younger and still adventuring with us, we wouldn’t have downsized our motorhome at all. 

Which is why there are so many types of second-hand motorhomes on the market- one size most definitely does NOT fit all and you need to pick a motorhome which works for the stage of life you’re in right now. You can also do a motorhome under 3.5 tonnes hire first and see if this size is right for you.

And if you’re choosing a motorhome or camper at the moment, let me know what you pick! 

Next steps

If you’d like some more help figuring out what vehicle to get (and how to buy the RIGHT one for you), grab a copy of our Complete Beginners guide to Motorhome Buying here– a course of videos, downloadable eBook and worksheets to help you make the BEST decision for YOU!

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