Wrong measurements are the real reason a motorhome doesn't fit where it seemed to. Here you'll find what to measure, where people usually go wrong, and why height matters more than width.
Twice: at ground level and up high. At the ground take the distance between the two nearest obstacles; up high check whether anything protrudes lower than the vehicle's height. The measurement that counts is the smaller of the two, and it is hardly ever the one at the ground.
Because motorhomes are about three meters tall, and at that height the passage is almost always narrower than at the ground: eaves, canopies, balconies, protruding ceilings, branches and cables. A driveway three and a half meters wide can shrink to two meters at the height of the living cell, and the driver realizes it only once already inside.
The width stated by manufacturers is the bodywork, generally between 220 and 235 centimeters. With the mirrors open you add 15 to 30 centimeters in total, and in slow maneuvers the mirrors are needed. For a narrow passage the bodywork counts; for a maneuver the measurement at the mirrors counts.
The one in the documents is the unladen bodywork. Add the air conditioner, bike rack, open hatches, antennas and solar panels, and bear in mind that when fully loaded the vehicle drops by a few centimeters. The measurement to use is the one taken with a tape at the highest point, not the one in the brochure.
Much more than it seems. In a 90-degree turn a seven-meter motorhome sweeps a band of about four meters between the outer front corner and the inner side, and to complete the curve in a single maneuver you often need twice the width of the gate in front of the gate itself. With two or three back-and-forth moves the space needed drops considerably: that is why in practice you can manage even where the calculation says no.
Yes, and you usually find out after parking. A cell door needs 65 to 75 centimeters of clear space beside it, plus room to step out. If that side is blocked by a wall, it is better to move the motorhome forward or backward until the door is past the obstacle, rather than trying to gain centimeters in width.
A low-profile motorhome fully loaded weighs 3,500 kilos, which on four wheels is about 875 kilos per contact point. On terracotta, paving blocks or old screed the risk is not the static weight but steering while stationary, which spins the wheel on the spot and lifts the tiles. Better to steer while moving, and for long stops use load-spreading plates.
It is a geometric check, so it is as reliable as the measurements you enter. It does not account for slopes, bumps, suspension, soft ground or multi-step maneuvers, and the turn model assumes a single constant-radius arc. It helps you understand in advance where the problem is, not to replace the test on site with someone on the ground.