Pop-top campers can now be registered as motor caravans

There is welcome news for owners of properly converted pop-top campers. DVLA's motor caravan guidance, updated on 19 and 20 October 2026, now lists a high-top roof or a pop-top elevating roof as an exterior feature it expects when considering a change of body type on the V5C log book.

That is a real change from the earlier checklist, which did not accept pop-tops as the roof feature. It means a pop-top camper can now be considered for a V5C body-type change to ‘motor caravan’. It does not mean that fitting a pop-top alone changes the V5C, or that every application will be accepted.

DVLA says the body-type record is about how a vehicle looks and can be identified in traffic. Its decision is based on the completed vehicle, the evidence supplied and the policy criteria. Some vehicles with a very distinctive original frame or outer structure may still keep their original body-type description.

The pop-top is one part of the picture. DVLA's current guidance says the conversion should have the following permanent external features. The windows are intended to provide a reasonable amount of daylight to the living accommodation.

The separate habitation door can be a sliding side door. A window in that door counts as a separate window on the main body. Driver and passenger door windows do not count towards the two-window requirement.

DVLA also expects all four categories of living accommodation: seats and a table, sleeping accommodation, cooking facilities and storage facilities. The sleeping accommodation may be made by converting the seats.

The equipment must be rigidly fixed to the living compartment, so a loose camping-box setup is not enough for this policy. The exception is the table: it may be designed to be easily removable. Safe installation matters too. The registered keeper remains responsible for ensuring that alterations have not compromised the vehicle's safety, including properly mounted travel seats and seat belts and a payload that is not exceeded.

For a completed conversion, send the V5C and a completed V1006 Motor Caravan Conversion Checklist to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BA. On a newer V5C with multi-coloured numbered blocks on the cover, complete section 1. On an older V5C, complete section 7. The current V1006 is marked 10/26, so it is worth downloading a fresh copy rather than relying on an older checklist.

Include interior photos of every required feature, with the bed and table set up for use. Those photos must also show the two or more qualifying windows on one side of the main body. Add exterior photos from the front, both sides and rear with the registration plates clearly visible, plus a photo of the VIN or chassis number on the plate attached to the original chassis or bodyshell.

Write what each photo shows, the date and the vehicle registration number on the back of every photo. DVLA does not automatically return photographs, so ask in the application if you want them returned. Keep copies of everything you send.

DVLA will assess the information and may either retain the existing body type or allocate a description it considers reflects the vehicle's appearance in traffic. It may also call the vehicle for an inspection. DVLA covers the inspection itself, but not the cost of getting the vehicle there; if it cannot be inspected, the guidance says the application will be refused.

If a previous motorhome body-type application was rejected, DVLA now provides an online review route. You will need the name and address to which the vehicle is registered, its registration number and an image of the latest V5C. DVLA reviews the evidence already provided and will update the V5C only if it considers that evidence acceptable.

It is also useful to separate the V5C description from how you use the van. DVLA says a converted vehicle can still be used as a motor caravan if the keeper is satisfied it meets the internal-feature requirements, even where the V5C body type is not changed. DVLA also says the body type does not affect insurance category, speed limits or other legislative requirements.

Planning a new pop-top conversion or checking an existing one? New Forest Custom Campers can talk through the current DVLA feature list, help you understand the photo evidence DVLA asks for and discuss a practical layout for your camper. We can help you prepare carefully, but the decision to amend a V5C body type always remains with DVLA.