Always practical when it comes to transporting heavy and oversized loads, Utility vehicles have become more comfortable and efficient than in the past. You just have to see new Renault Master, introduced earlier this month, to see how much effort they’ve put into technology, equipment, and payloads. Having become favorite holiday companions, they attract more and more people.

Gray map

The term “light SUV” means vehicles, the mass of which does not exceed 3.5 tons (PTAC, column F.2), intended for cargo transportation. They are marked N1 (M1 for a car) in column J (vehicle category), CTTE (van) in column J.1 (national gender) and, for example, VAN in column J.3 (body) in the registration certificate (former gray card). This category includes cars without rear seats (so two-seater company cars are part of this), but not minibuses, a term that refers to light goods vehicles equipped with eight or nine seats (these are passenger cars, just like “regular” cars). Please note if you plan to tow a trailer: the total gross weight must not exceed 3.5 tonnes for a B license holder.

Technical control

like a car is held every two years. The first examination must be completed within six months before the fourth birthday. Here he is accompanied by a additional control of polluting emissions (CO for gasoline, smoke opacity for diesel, etc.), to be carried out between eleven and twelve months after a periodic examination. For resale, the same rules apply as for cars: the date of the last technical inspection should not exceed 6 months the date of purchase of a vehicle older than 4 years.

Interview

Since these vehicles are mainly meant for professionals who therefore drive a lot, maintenance intervals for light trucks are often longer than for cars. So, when the car goes to the garage every year (or every 15,000-20,000 km), the utility company will be able to wait two years (and from 30,000 to 40,000 km). In short, unless you’re a heavy rider, focus on duration recommendations, not mileage. And vice versa, terms of use, often more stringentprovide a shorter service life of parts than a car, therefore a stricter scale of support in case of a dispute with the manufacturer.

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