What is the difference between Coachbuilt and A-Class motorhomes?

When you’re on the hunt for a new motorhome there’s the potential to be a bit bamboozled. Whether you’re looking online, reading brochures or strolling around a forecourt there will be a great deal of information coming at you, and you’re likely to encounter words and phrases you may not have heard before.

Amongst those will be: Coachbuilt and A-Class. What these actually mean could inform your decision about which motorhome to buy, so they’re important to understand – and in this edition of our blog we’ll explain the basic differences.

When you hear the word coachbuilt used to describe a motorhome, it’s to do with the way the vehicle has been constructed. It means that the living area has been built onto a pre-existing cab and chassis – the front of the vehicle will look like a van. You could think of it as a caravan ‘put onto’ the chassis of a commercial-type vehicle (a Luton van).

Coachbuilt motorhome bodies are made from several materials including fibreglass, aluminium and wood and so can actually weigh less than ‘standard’ panel van conversations of an equivalent size and, due to the way they are built, they are wider and taller. This ‘extra’ space is important when you are looking at being out on the road in the vehicle for a longer period of time. Coachbuilt motorhomes contain seats, a dash, opening doors, storage compartments, and sleeping, cooking, washing and relaxation areas. In essence, you could live in a coachbuilt but a standard panel van conversion is more for short trips (low maintenance weekends away etc).

There are two types of coachbuilt motorhome: over-cab and low profile. Over-cabs are usually larger and can accommodate between two and six people due to there being additional storage or sleeping room in the section located above the driving cab. Low-profile coachbuilds tend to have more cupboards in the living area to compensate for the lower capacity above the cab. They also handle slightly better than over-cabs and are perfect for small families – particularly as they can be driven on a Category B UK driving licence.

Features of Coachbuilt motorhomes

• Price: New, from approx. £60K (low-profile) / £50K (over-cab)
• Height: 9ft average (low-profile) / 11ft average (over-cab)
• Length: 28ft average (low-profile) / 20ft average (over-cab)
• Width: 8ft 4inches average
• Weight: 3 tonnes up to 5 tonnes.
• Licence: Cat. B if below 3.5 tonnes. If above, special category required.

The immediately apparent difference between an A-Class and a Coachbuilt motorhome is that the driving area of an A-Class is contained within the vehicle itself, rather than being a separate cab. This is because A-Class motorhomes are constructed from the chassis upwards, meaning the whole vehicle is constructed ‘as one’ on the chassis rather than as a self-contained living area ‘grafted on’ to an already existing vehicle cab and chassis.

The interesting thing, though, is that the vehicle chassis will be the same whether it is a Coachbuilt or an A-class. The various vehicle manufacturers (eg. Fiat, Mercedes and Peugeot) each make a single design of base vehicle which could become a tipper truck, Lutonvan, mini bus, panel van or any class of motorhome – which means that your motorhome is the same basic vehicle as the workman’s van or minibus taxi, it just has a different top bit.

The cab area of an A-Class motorhome extends across the vehicle’s full width with both seats usually swivelling so they can face the road (when the vehicle is being driven) or backwards into the living quarters. A-Class motorhomes have a very large windscreen offering a virtually panoramic view of the environment ahead, which means great visibility when driving and a fantastic view when parked up in a beauty spot such as a lake, a valley or at the seaside. The only downside is that when you are parked up at a campsite or other public spot, the huge windscreen means that the interior of the vehicle will seem to be ‘on display’ for passers-by.

A-Class motorhomes are perfect for larger families, though the additional expense in acquiring one is something you should consider carefully – it’s a large investment to make. Ultimately, these are the prestige motorhomes on the market, with plenty of space and luxury – and they certainly offer a large amount of ‘wow factor’.

Features of A-Class Motorhomes

• Price: From approx. £80,000 new
• Height: 13ft average
• Length: 30ft average
• Width: 8 ft 6 inches
• Weight: Over 3.5 tonnes but below 7.5 (most)
• Licence: A 3.5-tonne plus entitlement required. Type of licence dependent on Maximum Authorised Mass (weight plus maximum load)

Hopefully the brief rundown of the differences between Coachbuilt motorhomes and A-Class will have given you the information you need as you consider which option to go for. Check out Chelston and see what we have on offer…