Primarily a motor caravan should provide mobile living accommodation where a person (of average height) can move around comfortably while standing. The living accommodation area should allow for a comfortable living environment for a person, or persons, for an extended period. This would generally require the use of the whole of the rear compartment of a vehicle behind the driver’s position. The living area must provide occupants with ready access internally to cooking, eating, sleeping and related facilities. It is expected that the living accommodation space in the rear compartment would have side windows. Where cooking is by means of gas, a Gas Installer Certificate should also be available.

Motor caravans that are purpose built fulfil the requirement for mobile living accommodation. When converting a vehicle to a motor caravan you must ensure that the conversions are sufficient to fulfil these requirements. Vehicles are ‘day vans’ and do not qualify as motor caravans if the modifications do not sufficiently alter the interior of the rear compartment. Likewise, vehicles are ‘day vans’ if they only modify the boot storage area to provide exterior access to cooking facilities. Revenue will not accept a candidate in which the living facilities are reasonably accessible only from outside the vehicle.

Specific vehicles – link to revenue website.