Motorhome owners have been advised to head to a weighbridge before embarking on their first tour of 2026 to make sure they are not exceeding their ‘van’s Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM).
The warning has come at a time when many motorhomers will be preparing to get their vehicles out of storage and ready for the new season, whether they are planning to visit one of the best motorhome sites or are touring Europe in a campervan. It has been issued by motorhome insurance specialist Safeguard, which advised ‘van owners that surpassing the MAM could result in fines and driving licence points, as well as lead to insurers voiding the ‘van owner’s policy.
It is important to make sure you have an understanding of the relevant motorhome weights, so you stay safe and legal on the road. Your motorhome will have a legal maximum weight, which is known as the MAM or the Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM), which you should be able to find either on a data plate around the ‘van’s door, or beneath the bonnet.
To check you’re not surpassing this, ‘van owners are being urged to visit their local weighbridge with a full fuel tank so they can precisely weigh the vehicle, before separately adding the weight of the passengers.
You will also want to make sure you are not exceeding the Maximum Axle Weights. To weigh the front axles, simply drive the front wheels onto the weighbridge, and for the rear axles, do the same with the rear wheels.
It is only after working out the relevant weights that you will know exactly how much weight you have to play around with when you’re loading your motorhome and are then on tour. Depending on how tight the weight allowances are, Safeguard warned, “even a week’s worth of food shopping could be enough to send your motorhome over the legal limit”.
If you find your ‘van is going to be too heavy, don’t miss our tips on how to reduce the weight of your motorhome.
Mark Sheppard, the senior trading manager at Safeguard, said: “In your haste to set off on your first adventure of 2026, it’s perhaps understandable if you initially forget to weigh your motorhome to make sure you won’t be exceeding your MAM”.
“However, from both a legal and an insurance perspective, it’s imperative that you add this task to the list before leaving home. In the event of a claim where it is established that the MAM has been exceeded, insurers could void a driver’s policy, and the driver could also be fined and receive penalty points on their licence for dangerous driving.”
In other industry news, Volkswagen has released the first pictures of its new Multivan, which is coming with a sharpened front end.
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