Converting to commercial vehicle

[Bradders_24]

After ringing DVLA, Department of transport and VOSA and searching endless websites i'm still at a loss as to whether I can turn my Shogun Sport into a commercial vehicle. They all say that eachother is responsible and as far as I can tell I need to do the work and then send in all the details and then MAYBE it will be allowed...... after I do all the work.

I don't use the rear seats anyway so I'd happily remove them, tint the windows and put in a permanent load floor if it'll mean I can re-register it and qualify for less tax. Also it'll be much more use to my lifestyle to have a commercial vehicle.

Does anyone know for sure exactly what needs to be done i.e. disconnecting rear window mechanisms etc.

I should probably say that there was a commercial variant of my car available from Mitsubishi (who don't know either) so it's no like I'm trying to invent a whole new model of car.....

Any help is extremely apprectiated!

Ta

[paul_c]

This came up on another forum and basically I don't think there's any way to do it in law - the vehicle is registered as a car, its chassis number and reg number, as far as the DVLA is concerned, links to it being a "car". I'll happily be proven wrong if someone can though!!!!

[.]

I tend to agree with Paul.

A few years ago I considered buying a commercial style D3 from one of the well known Land Rover modifiers. After researcing it I came to the conclusion that in the eyes of HMRC and DVA it would still be a car and therefore not worth doing.

[dodewalker]

Are you a registered buisness user. (vat registered also, not important.)
Insurance as a commercial user also to consider.

You cant change 'this vehicles class',
Its type approved by the 'European' 'Certificate of Conformity' CoC's
So it would require a IVA test to change this.
But if you were buying a new commercial vehicle for personal & buisness use.
You have the Inland revenew Tax man,& all his rules now.
light goods fall into different classes,
an example is a Pick-ups, king cab, passenger carrying, light goods vehicle (limited goods carrying load bay.
Pick-up truck, 2 seats, large load bed, comes into a different bracket.

The down side on which class is speed limits, commercial light goods vehicles in some classes, max mph 60 on motorways & dual carrigeways,
50 mph on single carrigeway roads etc.

& police ANPR and average speed cameras know what taxation class the vehicle is for its legal available maximum speed.
Diffferent swings and round abouts, & to think that Shogun sports had to get type approved to become passenger vehicles in Europe i believe.
george

[Bradders_24]

Thanks for the replies, I'm not a business user or VAT registered. It's just probably more economical to convert my car than to sell it and buy a commercial and obviously I know the history of mine so that's worth quite a bit.....

Not looking good then I guess!

[dodewalker]

Oh sorry i mis-understood,
for your own use,
you can black out black the rear windows, remove seats and seatbelts,
& use it as a load carrying vehicle for your own use.

I have never had a problem doing this,
when there are seats removed, i have never had a MOT tester question this,
you just keep payng the road tax as its presently classed.
Its better to re-install the seatbelts & seats before selling it on.

You just cant mis-represent the vehicle when selling it.as being a commercial vehicle.
This could never be an official stance, but vehicles all over the country have there back seats removed,
rally cars, boy racers with roll cages & sound sysyems.
same difference.
Being in an accident if you are carrying commercial goods, may put a different light on things with your insurance company tho.
george

[Bradders_24]

Yeah I'm sure it's fine to do it, I'm just trying to avoid paying the £400+ tax really so I didn't know if I could get the vehicle re-classifed......

I guess it isn't, although there are website out mentioning how you can do the conversion and then enjoy the road tax benefits.... maybe they're just mistaken

Hmmmmm

[.]

[Bradders_24]

Damn.

[Terranosaurus]

[Bradders_24]

It's an 07 reg car so it's pretty new. Do you know if any changes are due to the tax I currently pay? It's at £405 this year and due to rise and rise as far as I can tell.....

[Terranosaurus]

Ah if its post March 2006 then you'll be in band G so I'm afraid yes you do have the high tax. It was the retrospective application of band G for 2001 - 2006 vehicles that was cancelled, just after I'd spent weeks finding a new truck that was just (19 days) old enough not to qualify for it - I could have had a newer one.

[paul_c]

I think this is the reason why Land Rover got most of its Defenders type approved as commercial vehicles. I can't remember the rules exactly but I think if it has 1000kg payload it can qualify, even if it has rear seats. So their 5 door, 5 seater, 110 with blanked off rear panels just squeezes in. Naturally the van and pick up get in too; while the station wagon (7 seater) doesn't.

[cynic-al]

my 4 seat 07 plate pickup classes as LCV as it can carry over 1000kg and so qualifies for the £185 van tax.

I'm sure i read somewhere about car derived vans being different to vans in terms of tax bands but can't remember where now

[paul_c]

[paul_c]

EDIT/UPDATE

I've been reading around a bit more and it might be that PLG isn't used after 2001, then its either a car or a light goods vehicle, but I don't know how they decide that (might be based on type approval group at first registration!).

The law is a complete muddle! Speed limits are based on 2040kg unladen weight, tax is on something else, etc etc!!!!

[SimonWH]

Try and look at ALL the rules and costs/benefits for switching to commercial rather than focussing on saving a bit of road tax each year. It might not apply in this case but people with some heavier vehicles (eg Defenders) could fall foul of the rules regarding transporting commercial goods, towing, etc

If I drive my Defender to a show with stock from the Difflock Shop onboard technically I should have a Tacho fitted.

[cynic-al]

try going through the tunnel with something your not going to bring back - jeez! So much for free trading in the EU!

[w3526602]

Hi,

then there is the LEZ

602

[dodewalker]

I had a transit van, mwb, high roof, blacked out side windows, durashift automatic,
converted into a basic camper & workshop for m/c trials etc, running on a disabled tax disc. (mine)
When the police (single manned) stopped me for speeding, 72 mph on a dual cariageway.
They were doing the ticket for a 'goods vehicle' over the 60 limit.
(For a commercial vehicle).

I told them it was a Ex Ford garage demonstrator, bought & put on a 'Disabled exempt tax disc' which is not allowed for commercial use.

He asked to open the side door, looked inside.
& said,
"it has a bulkhead, & you cant walk from the front to the back so its a commercial."

At that, i said, write the ticket then, lets see what the DVLA & the 'proculator fiscal' make of it.
He then says, 'your getting done for them sitting in the back with no seat belts'
I politley told him, that it did not require seatbelts to the added rear seats due to its year, & construction & that i took my advice from the DVLA.

Thats when he said 'they' had to get out the back of the van & walk.
(2 people in the rear.)
I then pointed out to him, that when he arrested us, which he would need to, because we were going no place.
HE BETTER BRING A VAN TO COLLECT US, WITH A CAGE, & IT BETTER HAVE SEAT BELTS IN THE CAGE. OR IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL, ACCORDING TO HIM.
He went back to his car, went on the radio, sat a bit, got a call back, came back across & said on your way, "you better watch out"
I was 200 miles from home & happy to watch out, For a McDonalds.

Sorry for the long story, the Laws an Ass tho.
george

[w3526602]

Hi,

Also, some insurerrs will not cover a van used privately. CIS will, and so will LV ..... if you are a long standing client.

Many years ago, my mate had to declare himself a Civil Servant/Bee Keeper to get cover for his Minivan.

602

[dieseljim]

[Mr Tyre]

The Enviromental Agency have 5 door LWB shoguns with blanked windows etc, you used to be able to get all sorts of specials like the above out of Ireland, they used to come over on 'irish' plates and people used to re register them over here.They had Commercial D3's and F2's way before the factory produced them, perhaps they could see a money spinner.

[.]

The D3 commercial conversions sold in RoI were carried out by the dealers on Land Rover's behalf yet they didn't endorse the UK ones carried out by Nene. Strange

I looked at bringing one from the South but they wouldn't sell it to me as they said Land Rover didn't allow them to be sold in, or into, the UK.

[Mr Tyre]

PSNI have some V8 D3 Commercial's.I had someone contact me recently asking me what sort out of mileage D3's were good for on tyres.I said anything 8k ish would be good.The V8 ones are having to change tyres at 4k

Sorry about being off topic.

[.]

[Mr Tyre]

[cynic-al]

4k on a set of tyres Jeez, on 43k on the ranger still on its first set of tyres!

Must be pretty soft, worst i've ever had is 6k out of pirellis on my uno

[Scrunt44]

Help needed please.

So for years i have used either a Land Rover or Jimny / Jimny Pickup as 2 seaters & to carry stuff but not for gain or reward & they have just had been driven to NSL's for 'cars'.

So now i have a SWB Shogun 4Work Warrior Van,
so a 2 seater commercial.
Previously in this thread i posted about pickups / duel use ect.

So now am i landed with having to reduce my speed by 10 mph on single carriageways to 50 mph & 60 mph on dual carriageways?

Taxation Class is 'Light goods vehicle'.
Body type is 'light 4x4 utility'
Max permissible mass is 2,510 kg

Thanks
George

[xamtex]

can i tint the rear windows and take the bootlid off my rx8 and call it a pickup to save on the £565 tax???