How much more can you load into your motorhome?
Three steps, no weighing needed: the payload you have left and the load on each axle. Campervans too.
The loading calculator
Step 1 of 3: your vehicle
Which motorhome or campervan do you have?
More accurate: your own figures
Filled in from a typical model. Replace them with the figures on your vehicle's plate or in its handbook if you have them.
All measurements (for experts)
Towing a caravan? Loading a caravan
In short
A motorhome's payload is its maximum authorised mass (MAM, often 3,500 kg) minus its mass in running order (MIRO): there are usually 300 to 500 kg left for passengers other than the driver, water, gas, luggage and extras. Watch the rear axle above all (2,000 kg on a Fiat Ducato base): a bike or motorbike rack on the overhang loads it by more than its own weight and lightens the front.
· Official sources : Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, regulation 80: over-riding weight restrictions, Driving licence categories: B and C1
How does the calculation work?
The payload is the maximum authorised mass (MAM, often 3,500 kg) minus the mass in running order (MIRO), both on the VIN plate or in the handbook. Everything else counts against it: passengers other than the driver, water, gas, luggage, bikes and added extras.
The load is shared between the front and rear axles depending on where each item sits. Anything fitted behind the rear axle, on a bike or motorbike rack, puts more than its own weight on the rear axle and lightens the front.
Each item has an average weight and an approximate position in its zone: the results are ranges, not figures accurate to the kilo.
The formula
Share on the rear axle = item weight × front axle to item distance ÷ wheelbase. The rest goes on the front axle.
| Guide figure | Value used |
|---|---|
| Payload | MAM − mass in running order (MIRO) |
| Usual MAM | 3,500 kg (category B licence limit) |
| Front axle (Fiat Ducato base) | 1,850 kg maximum |
| Rear axle (Fiat Ducato base) | 2,000 kg maximum |
| Share of the mass on the front | Alert below 35% (guide figure, front-wheel drive) |
| Load on the overhang | Alert from 60 kg on the bike or motorbike rack |
| Overloading | Illegal above the MAM and each axle's plated load (Construction and Use Regulations 1986, regulation 80) |
Example: a 3.5 t low-profile motorhome on holiday
A low-profile motorhome of 3,000 kg in running order on a Fiat Ducato base (1,850 kg max on the front, 2,000 kg on the rear), two people, two suitcases, food, crockery, bedding, a gas bottle, 20 L of water and camping furniture:
- Without bikes: about 270 to 310 kg of payload left, and about 1,670 kg on the rear axle.
- With two e-bikes and their rack (60 kg): the rear axle takes about 95 kg more and the front loses 35. About 210 to 255 kg left.
- Add a scooter and the rear axle gets close to 2,000 kg: that is what limits you, even before the MAM.
How to load a motorhome properly
- Count every passenger except the driver, who is already included in the mass in running order.
- Keep an eye on the rear axle: it is almost always the first to go over.
- Heavy items on the floor and between the axles; the rear locker and the overhang for light items.
- Stay within the maximum load of the bike or motorbike rack, and of the chassis.
- Weigh the loaded motorhome, axle by axle, on a weighbridge: it usually costs very little.
Key terms
- User payload
- What you can still add: MTPLM or MAM minus the mass in running order, minus optional extras, passengers and luggage.
- MTPLM / MAM
- Maximum technically permissible laden mass (caravans) or maximum authorised mass (cars, motorhomes): the most the loaded vehicle may weigh. It is on the plate or in the handbook. Going over it means you are overloaded.
- Mass in running order (MIRO)
- The weight of the vehicle ready to go: usually including a 75 kg driver and fuel for a motorhome. What is counted for water and gas depends on the manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out my motorhome's payload?
Take the maximum authorised mass (MAM) and subtract the mass in running order (MIRO), both on the VIN plate or in the handbook. Then take off passengers other than the driver, added extras, water, gas and luggage. On a 3.5 t motorhome, there are often 300 to 500 kg left once the empty vehicle is in running order.
What does mass in running order (MIRO) include?
For a motorhome, it usually includes the driver (75 kg) and fuel at 90%. For water and gas, it depends on the manufacturer: the handbook says what is counted. Extras fitted afterwards are never included.
Why is a motorhome's rear axle often overloaded?
Because the living area, rear locker, garage and bike rack are all behind or above the rear axle. On a Ducato base, it usually accepts 2,000 kg: a scooter or e-bikes on the overhang are enough to reach it.
Can I upgrade my motorhome's payload?
Some models can go from 3,500 kg to a higher MAM through an approved upgrade from the manufacturer; above 3,500 kg you then need a category C1 licence (a car licence passed before 1 January 1997 usually includes C1 already). Otherwise, you save weight by travelling with tanks nearly empty and packing lighter.
Does a campervan have more payload?
Not necessarily: being lighter, it often keeps 400 to 600 kg, but its overhangs are short and the rear axle is still the limit with e-bikes.
Where can I weigh my motorhome?
On a public weighbridge (for example at agricultural merchants, recycling centres or haulage firms), with full tanks and loaded as if you were setting off. Drive on one axle at a time to find the load on each.
What happens if my motorhome is overloaded?
Going over the weights on the vehicle's plate, in total or on an axle, is an offence under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, and the Highway Code says you must not overload your vehicle. You can be fined. On top of that come faster wear of tyres and brakes, longer braking distances, and an insurer that may reduce its payout after an accident.
Official sources (2)
A caravan's MTPLM and MIRO are on its plate or in its handbook. For cars and motorhomes, the maximum authorised mass (MAM) is on the VIN plate or in the handbook, and the car's maximum nose weight is in its handbook.
Rough estimate based on average weights: it helps you spread the load, but it does not replace weighing, the manufacturer's figures or professional advice.
Towing a caravan?
The same tool works out the nose weight and the risk of snaking.
Work out a caravan's nose weight →