Owning a motorhome gives you the fantastic opportunity to travel at any time. When selecting and configuring your motorhome, in addition to the correct layout and an attractive design, you should also consider the factors that influence how you can use your motorhome - weight plays an important role here. In particular, it must be ensured that the motorhome has sufficient payload (i.e. the remaining free weight for personal luggage, etc.) in order to be able to take friends, family, special equipment, accessories and extras with you according to your individual needs and to be able to enjoy your trip safely.
Below we will provide you with some important information to help you understand:
- why the weight of your motorhome is of central importance,
- how you should consider the vehicle weight when making your purchase decision and
- how you can enjoy traveling with your motorhome without exceeding legal limits.
Please note: The type approval technical data for the models offered on the market is intended as a guide only, as this data varies depending on the vehicle variant/model you choose and the optional equipment and packages you wish to install in your motorhome.
Our authorized dealer and importer network has the necessary expertise to advise you on your selection decision based on your individual needs. In case of doubt, the dealers and importers are also in direct contact with the manufacturer's technical departments.
Important: The actual available payload of your vehicle (and therefore the free remaining weight for personal luggage, etc.) depends directly on the intended use and the weight of the planned payload - including the actual number of passengers (adults or children). For your own safety, this weight must be distributed appropriately according to the layout of your vehicle and must never result in the technically permissible maximum mass (tzG) for which the type approval has been granted being exceeded (detailed information on this can be found below).
UNDERSTANDING WEIGHT AND TECHNICAL TERMS FOR MOTORHOMES
1. The Technically Permissible Gross Vehicle Weight (TGM)
The TGM is the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight of the motorhome as specified by the manufacturer. This information can be found in the technical data (e.g., 3,500 kg, 4,250 kg, 4,400 kg). The TGM must not be exceeded while driving. Otherwise, fines may be imposed in many European countries, including Germany. As the driver, you are responsible for ensuring compliance with the TGM. We therefore recommend that you check your vehicle's weight before starting your journey and weigh it if in doubt.
2. Mass in Running Order
The mass in running order, as stated in the Certificate of Conformity (CoC), is determined as follows:
- the vehicle's unladen weight, including the body and operating fluids such as lubricants, oils, coolant, and exhaust aftertreatment fluid;
- the standard equipment: all features included as standard equipment when the vehicle is factory-fitted;
- the fresh water tank, filled to 100% capacity (10 or 20 liters) according to the manufacturer's specifications;
- an aluminum gas cylinder weighing between 6 and 20 kg;
- the weight of the fuel tank and the fuel it contains, filled to 90% of its capacity;
- the legal weight of the driver, which is set at 75 kg.
Information on the mass in running order specified in the type approval procedure can be found in the vehicle's technical data. Please note that this mass in ready-to-drive condition may deviate by +/- 5% (maximum permissible production-related tolerance) from the nominal value stated in the Certificate of Conformity (CoC) after completion of the manufacturing process. Since these variations affect the vehicle's remaining payload (i.e., the available weight for personal luggage, etc.), the occurrence of legally permissible deviations must be taken into account when configuring the vehicle and selecting packages and optional equipment.
Of course, we continuously monitor our manufacturing processes to minimize any production-related deviations that may arise, for example, from weight variations in individual components or weather conditions (e.g., humidity). Despite all efforts, however, production-related deviations cannot be completely ruled out. For this reason, the actual weight of every motorhome we produce in ready-to-drive condition is checked at the end of the production line.
3. Passenger Mass
The number of seatbelt-equipped seats (including the driver) is determined by the manufacturer as part of the type approval process. Each passenger is legally assigned a weight of 75 kg. When calculating the passenger weight, the driver's weight is not included, as it is already factored into the motorhome's weight in running order. Example: in a motorhome with four seatbelt-equipped seats (including the driver), the passenger weight is 3 × 75 kg = 225 kg. Please note that selecting certain equipment packages and optional extras may reduce the number of seatbelt-equipped seats or necessitate an upgrade of the vehicle's weight rating (where possible).
4. Optional Equipment
In accordance with legal regulations, optional equipment refers to any optional features that are not part of the standard equipment of the motorhome and that are installed by the manufacturer at the customer's request (e.g., solar panel, awning, oven, satellite system). Information on the weight of such optional equipment offered for sale by the manufacturer is listed in the technical data. This optional equipment does not include additional accessories that are either offered for sale by your local dealer or that you install yourself on your vehicle. Please also note that the weight of these additional accessories reduces the remaining payload of the vehicle (the available weight for personal luggage, etc.) (see point 6 below).
5. Actual Mass of the Vehicle
The actual mass of the vehicle does not correspond to the actual weight of the motorhome. Rather, it refers to the mass of the vehicle in ready-to-drive condition plus the mass of the optional equipment ordered by the customer and installed in the motorhome by the manufacturer. Please note that the actual vehicle mass specified in section 13.2 of the Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is a calculated value derived from the respective type approval and not the individual vehicle weight. Furthermore, it should be noted that the actual weighed weight of the vehicle may differ from the mass in running order due to potential production-related weight tolerances (see section 2).
6. Payload and Minimum Payload
The payload refers to the maximum load a vehicle can carry. It is calculated by taking into account:
- the mass in running order,
- the mass of passengers, and
- the mass of optional packages and additional equipment (accessories) – see section 4.
MN in kg ≥ 10 (n + L), where "n" is the maximum number of permitted seats, including the driver, and "L" is the overall length of the vehicle in meters.
The minimum payload is the legally mandated unladen weight remaining in a motorhome, available for individual cargo such as personal luggage, clothing, food, and equipment. Example: for a motorhome with a length of 7 m and 4 permitted seats (i.e., 3 occupants plus the driver), the minimum payload is 10 kg * (4 + 7) = 110 kg.
When selecting optional equipment, it is therefore important to ensure that the sum of the mass in running order, the mass of the passengers, and the mass of the optional equipment neither exceeds the technically permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW), nor falls below the minimum payload.
Example: For a vehicle with a length of 7 m and 4 seats approved for road use (i.e., 3 occupants plus driver), a technically permissible gross vehicle weight of 3500 kg, and a mass of packages or optional equipment of 100 kg, the minimum payload is 110 kg (10 kg * (4 + 7)).
The remaining payload of the vehicle (i.e., the available weight for personal luggage, etc.) without any production-related deviations in running order is:
3 500 kg – Technically permissible total mass
- 2 910 kg – Mass in running order
- 225 kg (3×75 kg) – Mass of passengers
- 100 kg – Mass of packages/optional equipment
= 265 kg – Remaining payload (free weight available for personal luggage, etc.)
The remaining payload of the vehicle (free weight remaining for personal luggage, etc.) in case of a production-related deviation in ready-to-drive condition of +3% is:
3 500 kg – Technically permissible gross vehicle weight
- 2 997,3 kg – Mass in running order (with a production-related deviation of +3% within the permissible tolerance of +/- 5%)
- 225 kg (3×75 kg) – Mass of passengers
- 100 kg – Mass of packages/optional equipment
= 177,7 kg – Remaining payload (free weight available for personal luggage, etc.)
7. Conclusion
When configuring and planning your motorhome, you will have to make compromises regarding the vehicle's weight. The combination of optional equipment that you can order for each model variant of a motorhome can theoretically be determined based on the nominal values from the type approval as follows.
Example: For a vehicle with a length of 7 m, 4 approved seats while driving (i.e., 3 occupants plus driver), and a technically permissible total mass of 3500 kg:
3 500 kg – Technically permissible total mass
- 2 900 kg – Mass in running order
- 3×75 kg (225 kg) – Mass of passengers
- 110 kg – Minimum payload (see calculation under 6.)
= 265 kg – Maximum permissible mass of packages and additional equipment
Finally, please note that when selecting optional equipment, the vehicle's mass in running order may be subject to permissible variations of +/- 5% during the manufacturing process. Such variations will affect the vehicle's payload and thus the available weight for personal luggage, etc., and may therefore reduce the maximum permissible mass of the optional equipment.
Furthermore, the actual weight of a completed motorhome can only be determined by weighing it at the end of the production line. In exceptional cases, such a weighing may reveal that the actual payload of the vehicle (available weight for personal luggage, etc.) is below the minimum payload due to permissible variations in the mass in running order of +/- 5%. In such a case, we will carefully review with you and your dealer – before delivery of your motorhome – whether your vehicle's gross vehicle weight should be increased, the number of approved seats reduced (provided the type approval permits such a modification and you are authorized to drive such a heavy vehicle), or optional equipment removed.
With all this information on questions concerning the weight and maximum permissible mass of motorhomes, you are now ready to configure your motorhome with the help of your local dealer and embark on your next motorhome trip with confidence.
Note: Weight specifications and inspections for motorhomes have been regulated by EU Implementing Regulation No. 2021/535 since June 2022; previously, the provisions of EU Implementing Regulation No. 1230/2012 applied.
