Is my driving licence enough for a motorhome?

The short answer: very likely yes. An ordinary category B car licence — harmonised across the EU — allows vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes maximum permitted weight, and hire fleets stay almost entirely just below that line, precisely because their customers are rarely allowed to drive more. If you hold a category B licence and want to hire a motorhome, there is nothing to catch up on. The longer answer is still worth reading, because it gets interesting at the edges.

Category B: up to 3.5 tonnes

What counts is the maximum permitted weight — the value in the vehicle documents, not what the vehicle happens to weigh. A motorhome with 3.5 tonnes maximum permitted weight may be driven on category B even fully loaded. Conversely, slimming down does not help: a vehicle whose papers say 3.8 tonnes stays off limits for category B, even when it weighs less empty. What loading means in practice is in the article on dimensions and weight.

Older licences: national grandfather rights

Several countries preserved more generous rights for licences issued before the EU categories took over. In Germany, a licence from before 1999 carries the old class 3 and with it C1 rights up to 7.5 tonnes; the UK has a similar rule for licences issued before 1997. These rights survive licence renewal — but they are national rules, so if you hold an older licence, check with your licensing authority what it actually covers today.

Over 3.5 tonnes: category C1

Between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes you need category C1 — its own training, exam and medical check, EU-wide. In the hire market this segment barely exists. Worth considering is something else: above 3.5 tonnes, the toll systems of many countries change as do speed limits. The weight line is not just a licence question; it runs through the whole trip.

The exception for alternative drivetrains

One special rule already exists, just not for motorhomes: in Germany, holders of category B for at least two years may drive vehicles with an alternative drivetrain up to 4.25 tonnes if the extra weight above 3.5 tonnes comes exclusively from the alternative drivetrain: battery, hydrogen or gas system. The exception only covers the carriage of goods without a trailer (Section 6(3b) of the German Driving Licence Regulation). An electric motorhome above 3.5 tonnes therefore still requires category C1.

What the new EU directive will change

At the end of 2025, the fourth EU driving licence directive came into force, and it contains a rule the industry has waited a long time for: motorhomes up to 4.25 tonnes are to become drivable on category B, tied to additional training or a test whose shape is left to the member states.

The small print matters: member states have four years to transpose the directive into national law, and as of July 2026 Germany has not yet done so. Until then, the 3.5-tonne line stands. And even afterwards, the other rules for vehicles above 3.5 tonnes remain: lorry speed limits, overtaking bans and the more expensive toll classes follow the weight, not the licence. If you are reading this much later, check the current state of play in the country that issued your licence.

What this means for planning

For a first hire, the matter is simple: category B is enough, and the choice is still wide, from camper van to a six-berth overcab. The planner reflects that: its vehicle classes all stay below 3.5 tonnes, so routing, clearance check and toll calculation match what you are actually allowed to drive.