Payload reserve & licence calculator
Two numbers decide whether a finished build is legal to drive loaded: the plated gross mass, and how much payload you left free for people, water, food and gear. Self-builds fail on the second one.
Pick your van and the numbers below fill themselves from our database of 105 variants.
Everything you add: furniture, insulation, tanks, batteries, gear.
Minimum payload reserve
230 kg
Available after your build
800 kg
Margin
+570 kg
Licence needed
B
Category B — the standard car licence
Your build leaves enough payload free.
Axle limits bite before the gross limit on garage-heavy builds. The VanPlot editor tracks front and rear axle loads live as you place things.
Planning figures, not certification. Standards are summarised for builders; your inspector, your van's plate and your own measurements always win.
How this is calculated
- EN 1646-2 sets the minimum payload a converter should leave free: 10 kg per metre of length + 10 kg per berth + 75 kg per travel seat.
- Available payload = plated gross mass − kerb weight − conversion weight. The margin is what is left after the reserve.
- Licence class from the plated mass: category B ends at 3,500 kg; C1 covers 3,500–7,500 kg.
Sources
- EN 1646-2 — Motor caravans: user payload
- EU driving licence categories (Directive 2006/126/EC)
- Mercedes-Benz Body & Equipment Guidelines; Ford Body & Equipment Mounting Manual
Keep reading
Plan the whole van, not just this number
VanPlot is a 3D layout planner for camper conversions. Place real components in your real van and watch weight, axle loads, power and cost update live — this calculator is one panel of it.
Start planning — freeWho makes this
I'm Vladimir. I'm planning my own conversion, and none of the tools I tried could tell me whether a layout would fit or what it would do to the rear axle, so I made this one. I work on it alone. If something's wrong or missing, write to me — the address goes to my inbox.
Vladimir Šterjoski