Speed Limits (again)

[Jamie2.0]

Our T30 kombi is our main family car, kiddy seats permanently in the back... it's still registered as a light goods vehicle.

Am I stuck with this, should I re-register, can I re-register, could I prove it's not used in any way at as commercial vehicle should I ever get a ticket/ stopped?

 

[Davenjo]

Our T30 kombi is our main family car, kiddy seats permanently in the back... it's still registered as a light goods vehicle.

Am I stuck with this, should I re-register, can I re-register, could I prove it's not used in any way at as commercial vehicle should I ever get a ticket/ stopped?

You can drive at 70 on motorways but are restricted to 60 on dual carriageways and 50 on other national speed limit roads. Unless you go down the camper conversion route, no options to change.

 

[DaveyB]

Our T30 kombi is our main family car, kiddy seats permanently in the back... it's still registered as a light goods vehicle.

Am I stuck with this, should I re-register, can I re-register, could I prove it's not used in any way at as commercial vehicle should I ever get a ticket/ stopped?

If it is a Kombi it’s a dual-purpose vehicle, doesn’t matter that it says LGV on V5. What you need to be able to show is that the maximum unladen weight is less than 2040kg, and that is also stated on the V5.

 

[Davenjo]

If it is a Kombi it’s a dual-purpose vehicle, doesn’t matter that it says LGV on V5. What you need to be able to show is that the maximum unladen weight is less than 2040kg, and that is also stated on the V5.

I was trying to keep it simple

 

[DaveyB]

I was trying to keep it simple

If only it was.

 

[Davenjo]

If only it was.

Yep -- Kombi speed limit ?

 

[Teesix]

So, as a 2.8 registered T6 motor caravan owner, I can do 70 on the duel carriageways, but the rest of you can't, that's right yeah?

 

[Davenjo]

So, as a 2.8 registered T6 motor caravan owner, I can do 70 on the duel carriageways, but the rest of you can't, that's right yeah?

Correct, you, along with the rest of us with “Motor Caravan”, can do 70 on dual carriageways. Some Kombis will also qualify for the higher speed limits so long as they fall below the maximum unladen weight of 2040kg to qualify as a dual purpose vehicle (quite a lot of debate in the thread I linked above re this but if you have a higher spec Kombi, eg. some combination of Highline, DSG, 4 motion, etc., chances are you will be close to/over this weight).

 

[Teesix]

Correct, you, along with the rest of us with “Motor Caravan”, can do 70 on dual carriageways. Some Kombis will also qualify for the higher speed limits so long as they fall below the maximum unladen weight of 2040kg to qualify as a dual purpose vehicle (quite a lot of debate in the thread I linked above re this but if you have a higher spec Kombi, eg. some combination of Highline, DSG, 4 motion, etc., chances are you will be close to/over this weight).

Thanks @Davenjo

That'll be me waving as I pass them all then

 

[Jonmick]

This has been a very helpful thread! I have a new 204dsg t30. Currently being converted to day/weekend van/people carrier with a 150 RIB.

I was hoping to get is declassified as a commercial vehicle so I could drive at 70 on A roads but looks like this may not be possible. Where is the unladen weight or the vehicle?

 

[Skyliner33]

It has to be a full camper van conversion to change the classification to be allowed to go faster

 

[Jonmick]

It has to be a full camper van conversion to change the classification to be allowed to go faster

I have been researching this. If it has a unladen weight of less that 3050kg can I not get it reclassified as a car/mpv?

 

[DaveyB]

The only thing a van can be reclassified to is a motorcaravan. But only then if you prove the conversion to the dvla.
Regardless of weight you cannot get a van reclassified as a car.

 

[Daffy]

So I have been thinking about this and doing a bit of research, in my case i have a 150 DSG Edition Kombi.

On the VW website I can link to the spec sheet and can see an unladen weight listed of 1,960kg including 90% fuel load and 75kg for the driver.

The .gov website says that their definition of unladen weights is based on the vehicle and without fuel, it also doesn’t mention the driver so we can remove these from our 1,960kg -(60kg fuel and 75kg driver) = 1,825kg

Therefore I think i can successfully argue that I am under the 2,040kg max unladen weight of a dual purpose vehicle but do i comply with the other criteria laid out in the construction and use regs??

1, adapted for carriage of both goods and passengers with an unladen weight of under 2,040kg - YEP.
2, must be permanently fitted with a rigid roof - yep i have a 70kg pop top (minus a bit of tin so say plus 50kg to the ULW) - YEP
3, to have windows at the side and rear with each side having an aggregate area of not less than 1,850 square cm and 770 square centimetres at the rear - easily - YEP
4, the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back of the rearmost row of seats being at least 1/3rd of the distance from the rearmost part of the steering wheel and rear of the floor of the vehicle - it’s over half in a SWB so - YEP.

So from this i think that my Kombi satisfies the criteria for a Dual Purpose vehicle, have I missed anything??

 

[Jay17cali]

So I have been thinking about this and doing a bit of research, in my case i have a 150 DSG Edition Kombi.

On the VW website I can link to the spec sheet and can see an unladen weight listed of 1,960kg including 90% fuel load and 75kg for the driver.

The .gov website says that their definition of unladen weights is based on the vehicle and without fuel, it also doesn’t mention the driver so we can remove these from our 1,960kg -(60kg fuel and 75kg driver) = 1,825kg

Therefore I think i can successfully argue that I am under the 2,040kg max unladen weight of a dual purpose vehicle but do i comply with the other criteria laid out in the construction and use regs??

1, adapted for carriage of both goods and passengers with an unladen weight of under 2,040kg - YEP.
2, must be permanently fitted with a rigid roof - yep i have a 70kg pop top (minus a bit of tin so say plus 50kg to the ULW) - YEP
3, to have windows at the side and rear with each side having an aggregate area of not less than 1,850 square cm and 770 square centimetres at the rear - easily - YEP
4, the distance between the rearmost part of the steering wheel and the back of the rearmost row of seats being at least 1/3rd of the distance from the rearmost part of the steering wheel and rear of the floor of the vehicle - it’s over half in a SWB so - YEP.

So from this i think that my Kombi satisfies the criteria for a Dual Purpose vehicle, have I missed anything??

Wow impressive stuff I got the same van on order so hopefully you will get some answers.but in reality as long as I’m able to travel at 70mph on a motorway that’s Where we do more miles

 

[Davenjo]

There was quite a lot of debate in the Kombi speed limit ? thread around unladen weight and trying to win any "dual purpose vehicle" arguments if you get a speeding ticket. Higher spec vehicles will be getting close to the limit especially if you go 4 motion, start adding fixed components such as tow bars, pop top roofs, RIB beds, etc. (@Daffy - I think you may have picked up the PV weight - screenshot below from 1st April 2019 brochure suggests your DSG edition Kombi starts at 2048kg?).

If you want to challenge the published unladen weight figures and what is/isn't included vs .gov figures, one piece of advice (from a roads traffic officer) in the link above was to get your empty van, post any conversion, onto a weigh bridge to (hopefully) show the unladen weight to be below the magic 2040kg and carry the ticket around with you to present if/as necessary.

@Jonmick - The only figure relating to unladen weight I can find on my V5C is "G: Mass in Service" which is shown as 1979kg (left the factory as a 150DSG Highline PV).

 

[Stay Frosty]

Let the rules stand as at the moment my 102hp and 5 speed box can trounce even a remapped 204 dsg on an A road... well as long as they wait for me to catch up to 60 mph and they haven't parked up in the meantime.

 

[Daffy]

There was quite a lot of debate in the Kombi speed limit ? thread around unladen weight and trying to win any "dual purpose vehicle" arguments if you get a speeding ticket. Higher spec vehicles will be getting close to the limit especially if you go 4 motion, start adding fixed components such as tow bars, pop top roofs, RIB beds, etc. (@Daffy - I think you may have picked up the PV weight - screenshot below from 1st April 2019 brochure suggests your DSG edition Kombi starts at 2048kg?).

If you want to challenge the published unladen weight figures and what is/isn't included vs .gov figures, one piece of advice (from a roads traffic officer) in the link above was to get your empty van, post any conversion, onto a weigh bridge to (hopefully) show the unladen weight to be below the magic 2040kg and carry the ticket around with you to present if/as necessary.

@Jonmick - The only figure relating to unladen weight I can find on my V5C is "G: Mass in Service" which is shown as 1979kg (left the factory as a 150DSG Highline PV).

View attachment 41027

D’oh!

You are correct in that I was looking at the van weight, even so the fact that VW include 90% fuel and 75kg for the driver includes 135kg that .gov doesn’t.

I will get a weight ticket and report back (might take a couple of weeks though)

 

[Davenjo]

D’oh!

You are correct in that I was looking at the van weight, even so the fact that VW include 90% fuel and 75kg for the driver includes 135kg that .gov doesn’t.

I will get a weight ticket and report back (might take a couple of weeks though)

Not directly relevant to the debate but the other thing I picked up from the screenshot was that the Kombi Edition is actually a T30.8 giving you an extra 80kg gross weight to play with

 

[Martinf]

Differential speeds are a problem abroad too of course.

I was driving in Spain last Autumn, my first time driving abroad and not wishing to contravene any speed limits. I was interpreting my T6 camper as a ‘motorhome’ and in many cases therefore subject to a speed limit 10 km/h lower than signed. Trouble is this didn’t apply or more likely was ignored by heavy goods vehicles, so they were always pressing to overtake. Not a comfortable situation so I ended up feeling obliged to travel faster than I think was my applicable limit!

Not that the above should sound bad; generally the trip was a wonderful experience.