Len Salisbury Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 What is the difference between a Campervan and Motorhome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HymerVan Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Getting blurred. Traditionally a Campervan is small has limited facilities no washroom, perhaps no heating or insulation very small or no fixed water tanks and indeed such a vehicle can still be purchased. To my mind a Campervan would be a Panel Van Conversion (PVC) However the Campervan I have now is small (5.4 metres long) but has every facility a larger motorhome has including good insulation a full washroom and great heating Additionally PVCs are being built on longer and longer chassis nowadays and may be over 3.5 tonnes but still campervans in character. A working definition is that a teenager thinks a campervan is funky but a motorhome is for geriatrics. :-D :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 The way I look at it is a campervan is a complete van which has been converted to function as a motorhome and a motorhome has a coach built body built onto a rolling chassis with a cab. i think the reason for the blurring of the two is that campervans can be longer than coachbuilts and coachbuilts can be almost as narrow as a campervan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Len Salisbury - 2017-05-13 5:34 PM What is the difference between a Campervan and Motorhome? Just to confuse further - both catagorised by DVLA as 'Motor Caravans' ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Don636 - 2017-05-13 7:06 PM The way I look at it is a campervan is a complete van which has been converted to function as a motorhome and a motorhome has a coach built body built onto a rolling chassis with a cab. i think the reason for the blurring of the two is that campervans can be longer than coachbuilts and coachbuilts can be almost as narrow as a campervan. SO A class vans are campervans then?? i though they where just the same. just called different It's a van you camp it, or it's a motor you live?? Though not sure it would be a "Home" PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 HymerVan - 2017-05-13 5:48 PM................... A working definition is that a teenager thinks a campervan is funky but a motorhome is for geriatrics. :-D :-D Is the correct answer! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keninpalamos Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Wow I'm "funky" :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 keninpalamos - 2017-05-14 7:54 AM Wow I'm "funky" :-D No not you...... the van! You are still an old codger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 I admit that I am biased being a PVC owner, however our previous motorhome was coachbuilt. I prefer the traditional definition as given above by HymerVan. That is that a campervan has only basic accommodation, while a motorhome has full facilities, which must include toilet and shower, together with waste and fresh water holding tanks. The term motorhome should be used to describe a vehicle that is fully self contained, while a lesser equipped vehicle is a campervan. To me the method of construction is of secondary importance. Using the above definitions could help the general public understand what a motorhome is, and perhaps be of help to those members of our community who are campaining for the provision of aires. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Campervan = van wot yer camp in. Motorhome = place where yer keeps yer motor. Wot's yer problem? No confusion there, John, innit. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowie Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Alanb - 2017-05-14 6:47 PM I admit that I am biased being a PVC owner, however our previous motorhome was coachbuilt. Alan I'm sorry Alan, it's more complicated than we care to admit. Our "bespoke" van is a pvc, but I consider it to be a "campervan" despite the fact that it has a fixed longitudinal bed, toilet, shower, hob,sink, waste water system and under slung refillable gas system, and loads of storage. We use it for camping, on campsites, and in between trips we live in a house, which we call our "home" I think it's all in the head, an attitude. Not planning to change my terminology, Regards Alan b (snowie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted May 16, 2017 Share Posted May 16, 2017 The French call them "Camping cars" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 George.. - 2017-05-16 4:18 PM The French call them "Camping cars" That'e the French version. Not sure where the "cars" bit come in though! I think the Brits do not distinguish between Couch built and PVC vans. At the end of the day, does it matter? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 No difference, it is an ego thing, those that think themselves posh have Motorhomes us others have Campervans, my coach built Campervan is a Chausson .My previous campervan was an Hymer b694 tag axle, Hee Hee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 You are parked at the side of the road. If someone taps on your window and asks if you are delivering their parcel from Amazon - you are in a panel van. If they ask for two ice creams - you are in a coachbuilt. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soarer Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 malc d - 2017-05-17 10:31 AM You are parked at the side of the road. If someone taps on your window and asks if you are delivering their parcel from Amazon - you are in a panel van. If they ask for two ice creams - you are in a coachbuilt. ;-) (lol) ha ha made me chuckle that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomongrundy Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 The French call them Camping Cars - but they call 'Cars' - voiture. So they should be called 'Camping Voitures' They'll be renaming our coffee houses to Café is we're not carefully - but c'est la vie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandy Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Car is French for coach, so the literal translation is camping coaches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veletron Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 Motorhome has full facilities: Bed, Toilet, shower, sink, heating, hot and cold running water, insulation, cooker, fridge, fresh and waste tanks. Campervan is lacking some of the above. Body type A class, coachbuilt, PVC etc has no relevance. There are coachbuilt campervans and PVC Motorhomes, for instance, I would consider the compact AutoSleeper Topaz to be a motorhome rather than a campervan due to full facilities, while some of the smaller coachbuilt Romahomes would count as campervans. That's my take on it anyway! Whatever you have, use it and enjoy it! Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 To me, the term "Motorhome" seems a bit ostentatious. I'll stick with campervan or camping car (when in mainland Europe) :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I usually get 'are you selling fish' (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieburstner Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I prefer caravanette myself B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 aandy - 2017-05-17 12:05 PM Car is French for coach, so the literal translation is camping coaches. This French Wikipedia entry may be of interest: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camping-car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Robbo - 2017-05-17 12:15 PM To me, the term "Motorhome" seems a bit ostentatious. I'll stick with campervan or camping car (when in mainland Europe) :-D Know what you mean! The F1 drivers have massive motorhomes, at the Grand Prix PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wortho Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 To complicate matters even more we just purchased a Wohnmobile in Germany. Now is this a motor home or campervan in English :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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