How much do campervans cost in the UK?

Thinking of buying yourself a campervan so you can hit the open road? More and more people are buying themselves a home on wheels. So how much does it cost?

So, you’ve made the choice that a campervan is the next step for you. Congratulations! You’re entering a wonderful world of freedom and adventures. Owning a campervan can take you to some wonderful places.

Essentially, the world is your oyster: you can pitch up at so many wonderful locations across the UK and the wider world, without worrying about big hotel or B&B bills.

But how much will this new passport to freedom cost you? What is the price of a typical campervan?

The cost of a camper varies widely. There are plenty of variables such as:

• Are you planning to buy new or used?
• What size of van are you after?
• Are you buying something from a conversion specialist, or from a private seller?
• What facilities do you want inside your camper?

At the most basic end of the spectrum, you can pick yourself up a ten-year-old Ford Transit or Renault Traffic panel van for something around £3,000 and undertake the conversion yourself.

Be aware that converting a panel van into a campervan is a long and demanding process, involving a range of skills from carpentry to electrics and plumbing. You may want to get some expert or professional help with some or all these jobs.

You should also take care, when sourcing quotes for campervan insurance, to make campervan insurance companies aware of the changes you are making to the vehicle, as these will affect the premiums that these companies charge you.

Then, right at the other end of the scale, you can easily pay £60,000 or more for a nicely built, brand new VW campervan. This vehicle has dominated the campervan landscape for decades, as we recall in our tribute to the iconic vehicle.

Indeed, their eternal place at the top of the campervan tree means that VW campers always fetch a premium over other similar campervans. If a VW badge on the front is important to you, you still have a huge choice of vehicles out there, from the 1960s T1 right up to the modern-day T6 and even T7 variants.

Other alternatives in the brand-new, cutting-edge campervan stakes include the Ford Transit Custom Nugget, Vauxhall Vivaro Elite and the Mercedes Benz Marco Polo. All are on the market at around the £30,000 to £70,000 mark, with a typical set of campervan fixtures.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, you can expect to pay somewhere between £30,000 and £35,000 for, say, a T5 Transporter from around 2010, with a nice array of facilities including hob, shower, fridge, sink, awning and bike rack.

It really is very much a case of balancing how much you can find in your budget with your needs. There is no need to fear high mileage, as modern campervans can generally reach or exceed the 200,000-mile mark if they are well treated.

Where can you find campervans for sale?

There are plenty of great websites where you can browse campervans for sale. Start off with the general buying and selling sites such as Autotrader, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree.

Then there are the dedicated campervan selling sites such as Campers4Sale, and the campervans section of the Caravans for Sale website.

For something a little more individual, we really like Quirky Campers. As the name suggests, this is the site to visit if you are seeking a campervan with a little more individuality.

The campervans listed for sale here all tend to have some interesting, attractive or ingenious features. There are lots of filters to help you narrow down your search. You can search by location; condition; number of berths; and even by length of bed.

You can also choose to include or exclude certain key features, such as a hob, oven, fridge, shower (internal or external), composting toilet, and so on. In short, you can narrow your choices down until you have selected the campervan of your dreams – and then hit ‘Apply Filters’ to see what’s out there.

You may also want to look out for classic campervans coming up for sale at auction. Buying at auction requires a certain degree of knowledge of how the game works, and we go into this in more detail in our top tips for buying at auction.

There’s also a growing industry for online auctions. If you know what you’re doing and follow a few key routines, as outlined in both these features, you have a chance of capturing a bargain.

What about classic campervans?

As we know so well at Lancaster Insurance Services, owning a classic car is a hugely important and enjoyable way of life for tens of thousands of British car enthusiasts.

From the MG Midget to the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, classic cars of all types, styles and vintages are lovingly restored and driven by classic car fans across the country.

And it turns out that there is a similar scene for lovers of classic campervans. Much-loved campers from yesteryear include (of course) the original VW Camper, the T1 or ‘Westfalia’.

That very first VW Camper had the unmistakable split windscreen, a distinctive look that earned it the nickname of ‘splitty’ for generations of fans.

It also sported that unforgettable two-tone colour scheme. If you’ve got the budget for one of these golden oldies, you may want to go even further and investigate the upmarket luxury Samba trim.

Instead of the usual three windows on each side, the T1 Samba got four on either side, plus a further eight skylight windows. Result: one of the lighter, airier campervan interiors out there.

These are revered classics that will often fetch around £50,000 – so whether you want something retro and gorgeous, or something state-of-the-art for similar money, is a decision for you. We’ll look at the modern versus classic camper debate in more detail further down.

Whatever you plump for, make sure you get specialist campervan insurance to protect your investment.

If I want a classic van, is a VW my only option?

Absolutely not. Other classic van options include the Commer Maidstone, the campervan derivative of the very popular 1500cc FC van produced by commercial vehicle manufacturers Commer (part of the Rootes Group) throughout the 1960s.

The FC family was extremely versatile and wide-ranging, also including a commercial van and a bottle float. We remembered the family fondly in our article on the Commer FC.

The Maidstone (and all other members of the family) got the same engine that went into a Rootes stablemate, the iconic Hillman Imp small car. As a result, pace isn’t blistering – but who needs white-knuckle hairpin turns in a campervan anyway?

A Weathershields rising roof, side and rear doors, and sleeping accommodation for two adults and two children were among the Maidstone’s creature comforts. Polished wood cabinetry, a sink and a two-ring gas hob completed the setup.

The Maidstone is now quite a cherished classic van and may not come cheap. If you do acquire one, make sure that any quotes you get from campervan insurance companies provide all the protection that a British classic like this deserves.

Two other familiar sights on Britain’s B-roads during the 1960s, 1970s and after were the two generations of Bedford Dormobile.

The first, based on the Bedford CA commercial van (another favourite of ours), came complete with gas stove, sink, cupboards and seats that could be repurposed into beds. Arriving as early as 1957, it was a true pioneer on the then-emerging campervan landscape.

For the 1970s, the Dormobile got bigger – which meant a six-foot double bed, fridge-freezer, kitchen area, and chemical toilet. All that the state-of-the-art 1970s campervan owner wanted – and the same goes for many of today’s van lifers.

Without quite the same cult status, one of these should set you back significantly less than an early VW or Commer.

Do you want a modern or a classic campervan?

This is an interesting debate, and one we’ve looked at in more detail in our piece on the various campervan options out there.

There has been a surge of interest in campervans and campervanning holidays in recent years. More and more Brits have woken up to the potential of the ‘staycation’ and asked campervan insurance companies for quotes for getting on the road.

The overseas travel bans inflicted by the pandemic only reinforced this interest in UK-based road trips.

As a result, interest in both modern and classic campervan sales has shot up. Unsurprisingly, the magazine Camping Trade World reported record annual sales for campervans during 2020-21.

That means there’s plenty of choice on both the new and used markets. When it comes to the classics, some of the more elegant models such as the VW T1 Samba or Commer Maidstone we mentioned above are now genuine classics, commanding prices to match.

If you’re worrying that an older van will mean basic facilities, fear not. Many of these older classics have been meticulously customised and will feature all the modern cutting-edge comforts you will need, housed inside that beautiful vintage body.

If you do opt for a classic van, you may be looking at slightly higher ownership costs, as an older campervan may be less fuel-efficient than one with a more modern engine. It may also require more maintenance, too.

Plus, there’s a chance that they may not have quite the same off-road capabilities as some of today’s all-conquering vans. If you plan on really heading off the beaten track, a more contemporary van may be a better fit for you.

Then again, if you’ve got a taste for all things classic and vintage, the sheer pleasure and sense of style you get from driving one of these classics may be the one factor that seals the deal.

Join the club

Whichever sort of camper you end up going for, we’d recommend joining an owners’ club. As we explained in our series on some of the best UK classic car owners’ clubs, joining one of these groups brings so many benefits.

You’ll instantly connect yourself to a world of fellow drivers and enthusiasts. This means that, if you ever come across a problem with your van or need help sourcing an elusive replacement part, there’s a good chance that help will be at hand on the club forum.

What’s more, owners’ clubs often have relationships with campervan insurance companies, meaning that you may even be able to secure a discount on your campervan insurance.

Some of the busier campervan owners’ clubs include the Mazda Bongo Owners’ Club and – for the owners of those classic vans we mentioned above – the Classic Camper Club.

When it comes to VW Campers, ownership is so widespread that owners’ clubs are organised on a regional, rather than national level. Check the Clubs Directory page of the VW Campers site to find the club nearest to you.

What other costs should you budget for when buying a campervan?

Remember that, once you’ve got your campervan, your outgoings won’t end there. You will still need to budget for:

Insurance

Your campervan will undoubtedly become your pride and joy, and it’s important to protect it – and all the various features inside – against any accidents or theft. There are quite a few campervan insurance companies in the UK but by visiting a specialist like Insurance Services, you could save yourself both time and money.

Road tax

Campervans must be taxed, just like cars. Road tax rates vary according to the engine size, weight and emissions of the vehicle. You will find the various rates on the relevant section of the Government website.

One key plus offered by classic vans here is that, past the age of 40, older vehicles can apply to become exempt from road tax. We explain this more fully in our feature on tax exemption for classic cars: the rules for campervans are exactly the same.

Fuel

Remember that campervans are significantly larger than standard cars and are likely to be heavily laden when you take them out on an extended road trip. Given this, it should come as no surprise that their fuel consumption will be a little higher.

Changes to the interior

This really depends on what you will be using your campervan for.

If you only plan to take it out for the odd weekend now and again, you may not need too many creature comforts. If you plan to spend, say, a week or two on the road, however, you will find yourself grateful for extras such as a shower, chemical toilet, oven, awning and so on.

Find campervan insurance through Insurance Services

Specialist campervan insurance companies like Lancaster insurance services take pride in providing a comprehensive level of cover for your cherished campervan.

Contact us today to get a quick campervan insurance quote.