Hi Guys, im new to this forum and i have a LDV convoy mid way through a conversion.
Shortly my bus is due its MOT but its a class 7 mini bus with a tacho head, do i need to de classify it prior to its MOT to avoid having it done by VOSA as a mini bus (even though it has no mini bus seats in it!) or is there another way around it as i cant de-classify it to a camper as of yet as its only half complete.
My problem is im going to a festival on the 1st of July but the MOT runs out on the 30th june! (I know, sods law!) and i was hoping to use my bus.
Thanks in advance for your help
Hi, we had the exact same panic 2 years ago when we bought our van to convert and were off to a festival straight away.
We spent days ringing around the DVLA. local authority MOT station and insurance companies. What we finally were told was that the classification had to stay as Minibus with the DVLA until completed, then they would check it over and change classification officially. The MOT could be done as a campervan, since when we took it in it had only 5 seats including driver, plus had mattress, sofa and a few kitchen cupboards which weren't bolted down. They basically said that if we drove it with more seats then the MOT wouldn't stand and that that would be our problem, not theirs.
We have struggled with insurance though, we have ended up going through a haulage insurance company - Wrightsure, who have been great, but can only insure it until we get the offical conversion with classification change from DVLA. Hopefully then we'll be able to get proper campervan insurance, as its working out expensive at the mo! Good luck, it'll so be worth it when you get to the festie :-) Tina
Hi, we had the exact same panic 2 years ago when we bought our van to convert and were off to a festival straight away.
We spent days ringing around the DVLA. local authority MOT station and insurance companies. What we finally were told was that the classification had to stay as Minibus with the DVLA until completed, then they would check it over and change classification officially. The MOT could be done as a campervan, since when we took it in it had only 5 seats including driver, plus had mattress, sofa and a few kitchen cupboards which weren't bolted down. They basically said that if we drove it with more seats then the MOT wouldn't stand and that that would be our problem, not theirs.
We have struggled with insurance though, we have ended up going through a haulage insurance company - Wrightsure, who have been great, but can only insure it until we get the offical conversion with classification change from DVLA. Hopefully then we'll be able to get proper campervan insurance, as its working out expensive at the mo! Good luck, it'll so be worth it when you get to the festie :-) Tina
Thanks for the info, thats a bit of weight off my mind, i also found insurance through Adrian Flux at a decent price if thats any help to you in the future.
Thanks again :-)
Micky
We are looking to go on a long expedition through Europe and potentially the Near East, but looking to buy a Vario, either a minibus or chassis cab as they are renowned for being solid base vehicles. The buses I have seen have the space and I would like to get a good conversion done by a coachbuilder. Can they assist with declassification?
I would rather a bus as they would hopefully require less bottom up construction, but the Chassis cabs have a more traditional layout in the drivers area and the chances are it would be more bespoke rather than compromise. All comments welcome. Cheers