Help me sort my USA Roadtrip?

I have my own self converted camper van (a ford transit swb) which has been quoted at £800 to ship to USA. However I'm confused as to what else I need to pay to drive for 12 months.

I need Insurance. Road tax? There's no clear answer I can find online.

Is insurance more expensive in the US for a UK license? Currently I'm paying £1800 for UK annual insurance.

You would need to have Insurance, I have no idea if it is more expensive in the US than the UK.
The insurance you presently have on the vehicle should be able to provide you with information on what other paperwork you would need including licensing.

You need license, vehicle registration, and insurance. I'm pretty sure your UK license and registration are valid here. We have treaties about that but under our current regime you can't depend on them.

So that leaves insurance. The only insurance that's legally required is liability. Collision and 'comprehensive' are optional. I don't know if your UK insurance is valid here but you could phone them and ask. You can buy insurance here online even for a foreign vehicle. £1800 sounds like a lot. I pay around $1200/yr for full coverage.

Road taxes are included in the price of fuel, plus indirectly in sales taxes. If you don't earn any money here, or own real estate, the only taxes you'll pay are sales tax.

Some state have a requirement that if you live there more than a certain number of days you need to re-register your car there and get a license there. I know these laws apply to college students, but I don't think they apply to tourists who have a permanent address elsewhere. If you plan to stay, say, 90 days or more, in one place, you might call the local Dept. Of Motor Vehicles and ask. I don't think it would be a problem though.

You would have to review your UK insurance policy to see if it applies in the US. No one in the US would know UK coverages. You can consider joining the Automobile Club of America (AAA). If you need to buy US insurance they can handle it for you. They have towing service, road side assistance, maps, vacation planning, room reservations and anything else a traveler in the US might need. The fee for one year is 50 dollars.

You have a complicated mess since dealing with UK and the US. My (guess) your UK insurance will (not) cover you in the US, but only in the UK or other countries there. In the US, can be licensed and insured in (one) state and be covered in all 50 US states, but in Mexico or Canada can be iffy, since outside of the US.

Your UK license is ok, and your registration (maybe) ok, but my guess is that you may need to find US insurance for your converted van to travel the entire US. Since it appears that you will be living in this van, then you will most likely need the full coverage of collision/comprehensive for the van and also liability for any fault/negligence.

The problem is that you will not be buying from a (specific) state, since will traveling all over, guessing to campgrounds or RV parks.

So you need to talk to an agent/broker in the US to see what is or (not) covered with your UK insurance in the US. You may need to cancel the UK insurance once in the US and if you bring back to the UK, then reinstate it there.

Also, will need to find a agent/broker that specializes in RV, 5th wheel insurance in the US, if possible, since in todays world, many retired couples are traveling in their RV/5th wheels all over the country. I suggest you google under trip advisor to see if others from the UK have came here and what they did and for their suggestions.

The answer is quite simple. Your vehicle license will be valid as long as it hasn't expired. You will not have to pay any additional road tax. You WILL need to obtain insurance on your vehicle from a company located in the States and you should obtain at least the minimum liability coverage that will satisfy the legal requirements of every state you visit. Unlike the UK, each state regulates it's own insurance and licensing requirements and some states have stricter requirements than others. You'd be wise to also be insured against uninsured / under-insured motorists as well as "comprehensive" coverage that will cover damage to your own vehicle. It would also be wise to add roadside assistance coverage to your policy, as well as a rider covering any of the contents of the vehicle and the modifications you have done to it. The cost will depend on your age, gender, the type of vehicle, the level of coverage desired and a few other things. We can't begin to guess how much it will cost. You should obtain quotes from at least a half-dozen companies.

Keep it simple. Rent a camper in the USA. Pay for everything at the rental company.

You can't obtain a license or register a vehicle without first becoming a resident in one of our states. You will need valid US insurance though.

I'm an experienced driver when it comes to america. I have seen more of america than probably 90%of americans .36 states visited .every one brilliant to visit. And every one different. Your 12 months visit? Its not gonna happen .why? You can't stop for 12 months. Only 90 days. And you can't just go to canada or mexico. And return. They are wise to that… You can't get insurance without an address… Most of my trips were by hire car .a lot in a mates car who lent it to me. He had an address so just added me to insurance… America is vast. You need a motor in tip top condition… Not an old motorhome. You could spend 90 days in california. And still not see it all… But its a great place to start
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You may drive here as a visitor. Check with your own (UK) insurance company to see if you will be covered while here. If they won't cover you while here they will advise you how to obtain insurance. I know of no US states that have a "road tax" and if we did, I don't see how it could be applied to a visitor.
One thing you should check: I'm not sure that you can be classed as a tourist though for such a long (12 month) stay?

Major rethink required here.
1/ You can only stay in the USA for 90 days, so your driving for 12 months just isn't going to happen.
2/ You can't get US insurance without an address in the US (which you won't have).
The fact that you re paying £1800 a year insurance sounds like you re young.
So, your trip is going to be limited to 90 days and you will have to hire a vehicle. Expensive if you re young.