Can’t wait to get behind the wheel of your motorhome to kick off the new season of adventures?

Here are some snippets of motorhome news that might help you along the way.

New carpark stopovers in Wales

Two Welsh towns on popular touring routes are to allow overnight stopovers for what the local council describes as “caravanettes” – motorhomes, in other words – according to UK Motorhomes.

The pay and display carparks are at Quay Street in Cardigan and New Promenade in Aberystwyth where overnight stopovers are being introduced this season on a trial basis. No other public carparks in the county currently allow such use.

Campervan refusals by DVLA

The DVLA has announced a massive increase in the number of refusals it has made of applications to reregister vehicles converted into campervans, reported Out and About Live on the 21st of January.

In just the first 11 months of 2019, the DVLA refused 9,488 such applications. This compares with 2,266 rejections in the whole of 2018 and just 622 in 2017.

The DVLA is unable to give any explanation for such a huge increase in rejections and insists that any vehicle meeting the required criteria would be passed. Nevertheless, some van converters protest that their vehicles met the necessary standards but still failed to gain registration by the DVLA.

Auto-Sleeper takes the laurels – again!

For the second year in a row, Auto-Sleeper walked away with the Best Motorhome Manufacturer award for 2020 at an annual dinner hosted by the Camping and Caravanning Club on the 17th of January.

Organised in collaboration with Practical Motorhome and Practical Caravan magazines, the awards made on the basis of owner satisfaction surveys which were run between April and October 2019.

Concerns about “smart” motorways

January saw considerable media speculation about the safety of so-called smart motorways – where the hard shoulder is effectively turned into an operational lane of the motorway and safety laybys can be as far a mile to a mile and a half apart.

Drivers of motorhomes are likely to have a particular interest – if not concern – about the debate since they are among the most frequent users of such slower lanes of traffic.

You might want to read the discussion on the subject published in Practical Motorhome magazine on the 30th of January.

Pet-friendly pubs

If you’ve braved the elements and continued outings in your motorhome this winter, you’re also likely to have taken along the family dog.

Since any bracing winter’s walk always ends best at the local pub, it can nevertheless cause frustration if the beloved pet has to be left in the vehicle – or even worse tethered outside.

For a dog-friendlier welcome, therefore, you might want to browse the top ten list of pubs suggested by the online pet food supplier Webbox.

Have motorhome will travel

If you thought you’ve spent the winter months hatching an adventurous trip in your motorhome, you might want to cast an envious eye on a family from Derbyshire who are doing just that.

Mum and Dad quit their jobs, sold the house, and together with their children aged eight and five, invested in a 23ft motorhome. They are already in northern Africa on the first leg of their worldwide travels, recounted the Mirror newspaper on the 11th of January.

The whole family enjoyed a relaxing Christmas on the road and everyone is enjoying meeting new friends from different cultures in amazing places, they told the newspaper.

Although the best of the season for outings may be coming to an end, motorhome news never sleeps – there is always something to whet the appetite for next Spring’s adventures.

Here are some of the key events and news we’ve gathered:

Motorhome and Caravan Show

If there’s one event in the year you simply cannot afford to miss, it’s the Motorhome and Caravan Show held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from the 15th until the 20th of October.

It’s the place to go for an early preview of new motorhome launches for 2020 and, of course, for any advice you may need on buying your first motorhome or upgrading to your next one.

As the website Out and About Live also points out, you can even get help here in planning your next motorhome holiday – in this country or abroad.

Cannot make it?

If you cannot make it to the Motorhome and Caravan Show, there are two Caravan and Motorhome Shows at opposite ends of the country just around the corner in the New Year.

The first is held from the 16th to the 19th of January at Manchester’s EventCity, where you can view all the latest models, motorhome accessories and enjoy the day out test-driving your model of choice or even letting children as young as 3 to 10 get behind the wheel of a towing vehicle.

Just a week later, another Caravan and Motorhome Show opens from the 24th until the 26th of January at Westpoint Exeter.

Owner Satisfaction Survey 2020

It’s become one of the most important yardsticks for manufacturers and dealers – and a measure likely to feature prominently in any buyer’s decision – so Practical Motorhome’s Owner Satisfaction Survey has rightly earned its place in the market for sellers and buyers alike.

Visit Practical Motorhome’s website and complete the 10-minute survey to let the rest of the world know just how happy – or otherwise – you’ve been with the motorhome you own.

Pick a reputable dealer

It really does pay to pick a reputable and well-established dealer if you’re in the business of buying a new motorhome.

On the 8th of September 2019, the BBC relayed the misfortune of a young woman who had paid over £10,000 for a motorhome which simply failed to materialise when the company All Classics UK Ltd went into liquidation.

The Leicester-based company specialised in restoring campervans in South Africa and shipping them to hopeful buyers in different parts of the world. When it went bankrupt, it left owing many thousands of pounds to its customers.

Motorhome road tax increased by 705%

From 1st September 2019, the tax payable on first registration of a new motorhome with a WLTP Euro 6D/2 engine was increased from £265 up to £2,135. Due to legislative changes, WLTP Euro 6D/2 engines are no longer subject to a commercial vehicle tax band – Private/Light Goods (PLG/PHG) – when they are first registered.

Instead, they are, for the purposes of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), now taxed as a car. This reclassification means the registration tax for a new motorhome with a WLTP Euro 6D/2 engine has increased from £265 (PLG rate) up to £2,135 – a 705% increase – plus there is significant higher ongoing yearly tax costs for a further five years.

The UK motorhome industry is asking for an urgent minor amendment to the Finance Bill to reclassify motorhomes as commercial vehicles for VED. You can join the campaign and have your say here: http://fairmotorhometax.org/

Have you been enjoying your summer out and about in your motorhome? Weather-wise it’s had its ups and downs – depending on where you happen to have been, of course.

In all the excitement of outings in your motorhome, you might have fallen behind with some of the upcoming motorhome news and events. To refresh your mind and curiosity, here are some details of a new motorhome site opening and forthcoming shows …

A new site for your motorhome in Sherwood Forest

  • called Sherwood Pines, the extensive site covers some 20 acres and will offer around 150 pitches for motorhomes, caravans, other leisure vehicles, and tents on all-weather, fully serviced plots, with electric hook-ups;
  • it is intended to keep the site open throughout the year;

The South West Motorhome Show

  • time to get your skates on if you are planning to visit the major motorhome show for this year at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, from the 6th to the 8th of September;

The Motorhome Show Season Finale, Lincoln

  • the historic city of Lincoln is host to the Motorhome Show Season Finale, for one of your last chances to view the pick of 2019’s models, pick up some great bargains on motorhomes and accessories, or simply exchange tales with your fellow motorhome owners;
  • the event is held from the 20th to the 22nd of September and is expected to draw around 5,500 visitors a day;

South Coast Caravan and Motorhome Show, New Forest

  • incorporated into the New Forest Show from the 27th to the 29th of September, the South Coast Caravan and Motorhome Show lets you view some of the latest makes and models of motorhome while giving you the chance to meet and grill their manufacturers and dealers;

Malvern Caravan Show, Malvern

  • held from the 4th to the 6th of October, the Malvern Caravan Show is a must not only for owners and would-be owners of motorhomes but for anyone interested in holidays outdoors – not to mention the urge to enjoy a whole weekend of fun and entertainment;
  • the show is held at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern;

The Motorhome and Caravan Show, NEC, Birmingham

  • the jewel in the crown of motorhome shows in this as in any year is likely to be the Motorhome and Caravan Show held at the spacious National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, from the 15th to the 20th of October;

Caravan and Motorhome Show, Manchester

  • with more than 200 exhibitors and a full range of the new year’s motorhome models to view up close and personal, the event is sure to attract its usual huge crowds.

So, enjoy the Indian summer that invariably wrings out the last golden days of outings in your motorhome this year while visiting the many shows and events heralding all that next year might bring.

We are all setup and ready to see you at Warners Stoneleigh Show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week with a selection of new and used Auto-Sleepers.

Come and meet Tim, Richard, Mike and Dan

Bank holiday weekend opening hours

Saturday 25th May 2019 normal  10.00am to 4.00pm

Sunday 26th May 2019 normal 10.00am to 4.00pm

Bank Holiday Monday 27th May 2019 10.00am to 4.00pm for sales – service and aftersales closed.

Service Department

Closing 1.00pm Friday 21st December 2018

Reopening Wednesday 2nd January 2019 – normal business hours

Sales Department

Closed Sunday 23rd    

Closed Monday 24th

Closed Tuesday25th

Closed Wednesday 26th

Closed Thursday 27th

Open Friday 28th 11.00am to 3.00pm

Open Saturday 29th 11.00am to 3.00pm

Open Sunday 30th 11.00am to 3.00pm

Closed Monday 31st

Closed Tuesday 1st

Open as normal Wednesday 2nd January 2019

Derby Motorhomes will be at the Lincoln Show this weekend, exhibiting a great selection of new and used Auto Sleepers.

We will be on our usual stand, number 52 and have some particularly enticing offers this year; Over £8000 off a brand-new, unregistered ex display Corinium RB for example or over £2000 off our brand-new, display model Symbol and Warwick Duo too!

As we stock the entire Auto-Sleepers Mercedes range too, we also have some exciting offers available on our ex showroom display Burford, Burford Duo and Winchcombe, so you really do need to visit us at Lincoln and talk to us about a deal on a new Auto-Sleeper.

We also have some fantastic discounts on our used Auto-Sleepers with a massive £2000 discount on one of our Broadway EL duos’ and another huge £2000 saving on our Mercedes-based Hampshire!

This really is the time to get a great deal from the county’s leading, solus Auto-Sleeper main dealer. Ask our show team about special offers available when you order a new, 2019 Auto-Sleeper from us at this year’s show – you know it makes sense and if you can avoid the rush for stock at the NEC which happens every October, order now, save on the stress and get yourself a great deal.