Buying a Motorhome: The Complete UK Guide

This guide draws on the shared experiences of thousands of MotorhomeFun members to help you make good, sensible choices rather than rushed or emotional ones. Whether you're on the brink of your very first motorhome or you've been here before and the pull of the road still hasn't worn off, you're in the right place.

Buying a motorhome isn't a small decision. For many people, it's the biggest purchase they'll ever make after buying a house. And there's an important difference: when you buy a motorhome, there aren't any solicitors, banks, or safety nets looking out for you. It's just you and the seller. That makes it all too easy to miss something important and turn what should be an exciting purchase into a costly mistake.

This guide is here to shine a light on the traps and pitfalls that regularly catch buyers out, and to help you spot the problems before they become regrets.

If you want to go deeper, this article is drawn from The Motorhome Buyer's Guide, a full-length book updated every year and written specifically for the UK motorhome market. MotorhomeFun members can download it free from the member area. If you're not yet a member, it's also available on Amazon.

Why Do People Buy Motorhomes?

They're expensive to buy, and they can be expensive to run. Unless you go for something very small, you're unlikely to use one as your everyday vehicle. Most of the time it'll be sitting on your drive, quietly depreciating. So why on earth are they so popular?

Back in 2007 I asked a question on our forum at MotorhomeFun. I titled it "I love motorhoming because?" then added my own reason and invited others to chip in. Here's what I said:

"I love Motorhoming Because... it brings our family together. When we are in the motorhome, we drink each other in. Being together in the confines of the motorhome is fantastic. We become a proper family again, doing everything together as one unit, feeding off each other and growing closer together. In a couple of days' time we will head down some French roads, not really knowing where we are, or where we are going to stop for the night. We will sing some stupid songs at the top of our voices, loving every minute. There is nothing quite like it."

The replies kept coming for years. Redframe summed it up beautifully: "In one word, Freedom. Having a van provides us with the Freedom to go pretty much anywhere we want at the drop of a hat. After a bad week at work, we can be in a Scottish Forest, on a Welsh Beach, or in an English National Park within hours."

Perhaps the most moving reply came from Derek, who wrote about being diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2018. His oncologist advised no flying. His motorhome gave him five years he hadn't expected, touring Europe easily, with the onboard WC always available, no arrival time pressures, no ferry-accelerating setup process. He ended simply: "Thanks to the NHS and our motorhome, I enjoy life to the full."

Buying a motorhome really can be life-changing. People who embrace motorhoming don't just travel differently. They get out more, often three or four times as often as they did before. Some fall so hard for the freedom it brings that they end up living in their motorhome full time.

That's the upside. There is a downside too, and it's important to be honest about it. When a motorhome purchase goes wrong, the disappointment and stress that follow can be just as life-changing, but for all the wrong reasons. Get the purchase right, and it can steer your life towards years of positive experiences and memories. That's exactly why this guide exists.

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What Questions Should You Answer Before You Buy?

Some of the most common buying questions that come up on our forums sound very familiar: "What is the best van I can get for £25,000?" "Is such-and-such make better than so-and-so?" "What motorhome should we buy?"

The honest answer is that nobody can tell you, because everyone's needs and wants are different. What works perfectly for one person might be completely wrong for someone else. That's why choosing a motorhome starts with understanding your own needs. Here are the questions you really need to answer first.

What is your budget?

Before looking at layouts, brands, or optional extras, you need to establish what your real budget is. Not just the figure you'd like to spend, but the amount you can comfortably afford without turning every trip into a source of financial stress. If you need to borrow money, it is usually better to arrange finance through your own bank rather than taking dealer finance. Having a loan agreed in advance allows you to walk into a dealership as a cash buyer, which often puts you in a much stronger negotiating position.

The purchase price is only the starting point. Budget for insurance, storage if needed, habitation checks, MOTs, tyres, and the occasional unexpected repair. Motorhomes are complex vehicles, and repairs are rarely inexpensive. Then there are the extras: awnings, solar panels, bike racks, security systems. Individually, they seem reasonable. Collectively, they add up quickly.

Motorhome insurance is one of the more significant ongoing costs and deserves proper research before you buy rather than after. If you need finance, we'd recommend arranging a loan through your own bank before you visit any dealer — we cover motorhome finance in a dedicated guide.

How many of you will travel?

This is not just about having enough beds. You also need a proper travel seat with a seatbelt for every passenger. It's easy to assume that a six-berth motorhome will automatically have six travel seats, but this is often not the case. Side-facing seats are not safe for travel, even if fitted with lap belts. Before committing to any motorhome, always check how many legally approved, forward-facing travel seats it has, not just how many people it claims to sleep.

Will your trips be weekends away or months on end?

Trip length changes what the right motorhome looks like. For short weekend breaks, your needs are simple. You might eat out most nights, generate hardly any laundry, and a shower room may not feel essential. Smaller vans can be ideal. Longer trips of more than two or three weeks are a very different proposition. You'll need more storage for clothing, proper cooking facilities, and if you're not staying on a campsite every night, proper toilet and washing facilities become essential. Being cramped for weeks on end is a reliable way to start getting on each other's nerves.

Are you a wild camper or a campsite person?

Wild campers tend to need greater self-sufficiency: plenty of roof space for solar panels, good storage, and enough payload to carry extra batteries and kit. You can wild camp in almost any motorhome, but once you start factoring in solar capacity, payload limits, and the need to carry additional gear, certain vans will quickly drop off your shortlist. Thinking this through early will save you from buying a motorhome that works in theory but falls short in real-world use.

Will you tour the UK or mainland Europe?

If a significant amount of your touring will be on the continent, it's worth considering a left-hand drive motorhome. They're generally easier to drive on European roads, particularly on narrow lanes and at junctions. A left-hand drive motorhome also means the habitation door will be on the correct side when parked on aires or campsites. Left-hand drive motorhomes are more common in the UK than many people realise, and the claim that they're harder to sell on has never been our experience.

Will you tour in winter?

The word "winterised" gets used very loosely and can mean very different things depending on the manufacturer. Do not assume that all motorhomes offer the same level of frost protection. In a properly winterised motorhome, tanks and pipework are housed in a double floor and heated by warm blown air. As long as you have a heat source, nothing should freeze. Plenty of British-made motorhomes sold as "winterised" might just have a fish-tank-style heater in the wastewater tank and a bit of exterior insulation around exposed pipes. If winter touring matters to you, look closely at what protection is actually built in.

How long is your driveway?

This would not be the first time someone has bought a motorhome only to discover that parking it at home is awkward, impractical, or simply not possible. Before you buy, measure your drive carefully and think about how you will actually manoeuvre the motorhome in and out. If the motorhome you want is bigger than your drive, storage is a perfectly workable solution, but sort it out before you buy. The stress of wondering where you're going to park your expensive new toy on the first night really isn't worth it.

Which Type of Motorhome Should You Buy?

At first, it can all feel a bit confusing because they seem to look much the same. That won't last long. Once you start looking, you'll quickly learn to spot the differences.

The A-Class

With an A-Class, the motorhome manufacturer builds all of the bodywork themselves. None of the original van body is used. They begin with little more than a chassis and an engine. That freedom allows the manufacturer to design the motorhome body exactly how they want, without having to work around an existing cab. The result is a motorhome with far fewer compromises. European A-Class motorhomes are typically around 2.2 metres wide for their entire length, which gives them a very square, roomy interior feel. Drop-down beds over the cab area are something A-Class models are particularly well known for. Some of the world's most expensive motorhomes are A-Class. So are some of the most sensibly sized and priced ones.

The Coachbuilt (C-Class)

The C-Class keeps the original cab and has the living area built onto the back of it. By far the most common type of motorhome in Europe, and for good reason. They do the job well and they're relatively affordable compared with some of the alternatives. A typical C-Class motorhome will happily take a family, plus the dog, away in comfort, with plenty of storage and sensible sleeping arrangements. Most feature a large double bed over the cab, which kids absolutely love, and parents tend to love too, mainly because it gets the kids tucked away in the evening and frees up the rest of the living space.

The Panel Van Conversion (B-Class)

Many people see the panel van conversion as the ultimate motorhome. It packs an impressive amount of comfort into a relatively small footprint, while still being compact enough to go almost anywhere. Easy to drive, easy to park, and they don't scream "motorhome" in quite the same way as larger vans. If your idea of motorhoming is exploring the highways and byways, slipping down narrow roads, and heading a little further off the beaten track, a panel van conversion is hard to beat. Some long wheelbase versions are surprisingly capable, offering facilities that rival much bigger motorhomes, including proper kitchens and full-size showers.

The Campervan

Smaller panel van conversions don't usually have a toilet. Many have a rising roof or pop-top, which is really only practical for summer use. They're ideal for weekends away and short trips, but for longer periods you may start to feel the limitations. Extended stays on campsites with full facilities are perfectly possible and work well for some people.

American Motorhomes

American motorhomes use the same ABC classifications as we do. Some A-Class American RVs have slide-outs that once pitched up on site can almost double the living area. They can be spectacular. They can also be spectacularly impractical in the UK, with more than 70% of European campsites off-limits because of size, and fuel stops requiring 100 gallons at a time. Big isn't always better.

The Self-Build

Some people are clever, brave, or stubborn enough to build their own motorhome. Most of those end up fantastic. A few are, frankly, awful. That's the nature of self-builds. If you want to dig deeper, take a look at the Self-Build forums on MotorhomeFun. There's a wealth of experience there, along with plenty of inspiration and the occasional cautionary tale.

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Should You Buy New or Used?

It's a major decision and there's no universal right answer. Both have their own appeal, strengths, and compromises. Let's break down the key factors.

Price and depreciation

A new motorhome will almost always cost more than a used one. You're paying a premium for being the first owner and for choice of specification. The first owner takes the biggest hit on depreciation, especially in the first few years. Once a motorhome is more than three years old, depreciation tends to be relatively gentle, with more noticeable dips when manufacturer warranties expire, at around ten years old, and when mileage approaches roughly 100,000. For many buyers, that stability is one of the main attractions of choosing used.

Getting what you want

Buying new gives you the greatest level of control. You can choose the base vehicle, the colour, the layout, the upholstery, and the finishes. Buying used takes more patience, but compromises are often easier to live with once you're actually using the van. The layout matters far more than the colour of the lockers.

Warranties

A motorhome is a complex machine. Things going wrong is not a possibility. It's a certainty. Buying new means dealer warranties, manufacturer warranties, and the base vehicle warranty from Fiat, Ford, or Mercedes all provide reassurance. Buy used privately and you may have no warranty at all. There's a flip side though: many used motorhomes have already had the early niggles resolved under the previous owner's warranty. The teething problems are already fixed, saving you time and frustration.

Extras already fitted

Used motorhomes often come with a long list of extras already fitted: solar, lithium batteries, bike racks, alarms, satellite systems. These upgrades rarely push the asking price up by much, which means you're often getting them for a fraction of what they cost the previous owner. New motorhomes arrive clean, but most owners quickly start upgrading, and those additions rarely add to resale value.

Over the years, we've owned both new and used motorhomes. We've enjoyed every single one of them. Once you're on the road, settled in, and heading for somewhere you actually want to be, the age of the van fades into the background. New or used, it becomes your motorhome.

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How Big a Motorhome Do You Actually Need?

Many first-time buyers are drawn to size. They walk into a large motorhome and feel instantly impressed. Big interiors, full-size fridges, generous kitchen worktops, fixed beds, plush bathrooms, lockers everywhere. Then they step into something smaller and the spell breaks. The bigger van feels like the obvious choice.

Here's the rule, and it's a simple one: buy the smallest motorhome you can happily live with.

Smaller vans are usually cheaper to buy and run. They're easier to drive, easier to tour in, and allow for more spontaneous travel. Parking and pitching are simpler, and negotiating narrow country lanes with tight turns is far less stressful.

My perfect motorhome used to be 34ft long. Back then, we toured with three home-educated children and a large family dog. We genuinely needed the space. These days, 6m is perfect. There are just two of us now. We like cities as much as remote places, and 6m suits that style of travel beautifully.

I know a couple with a 10.97m American RV with two full wall slide-outs, designed for just the two of them. They would never consider going smaller. For them, 36ft is as small as they want to go. That's the nature of it. What "small" means is entirely subjective.

The jump from 7.5m to 8.5m is not insignificant. That extra metre makes a real difference. It affects how the van handles, where it can park, and how much margin for error you have on tight roads. Dragging an extra metre of motorhome around Europe for thousands of miles, if you don't genuinely need it, can quickly become more burden than benefit.

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What Driving Licence Do You Need for a Motorhome?

Before you can be sure what you're legally allowed to drive, you need to understand that it's the vehicle's weight that determines what licence you need. The maximum weight figure shown on the vehicle's plate, variously called GVW, MAM, or MTPLM, is the weight the motorhome is allowed to be when fully loaded.

If your motorhome has a MAM over 3.5 tonnes but does not exceed 7.5 tonnes, you need a driving licence that includes Category C1 entitlement. If you passed your car driving test before 1 January 1997, you should already have C1 on your licence. From that date onward, the standard test only provides for driving a vehicle up to 3,500kg.

Many motorhomes sit at or below 3,500kg MAM, which means a standard Category B car licence covers you. But check the plate before you assume, not after.

For drivers aged 70 or over who wish to drive a motorhome heavier than 3,500kg, a medical check is required every three years. Many motorhomers who reach 70 while owning a motorhome over 3,500kg choose to down-plate their vehicle, which officially reduces the MAM and allows them to continue driving the same motorhome. Down-plating reduces payload and may increase road tax, but if you fail a medical, it may be your only option.

See our full guide: Can You Drive a Motorhome on a Car Licence?

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What About Motorhome Payload?

A well-educated estimate suggests that more than 35% of motorhomes are running over their legal weight limits. That figure comes from years of weighing fully loaded motorhomes at major rally events. In most cases, the owners had no idea they were breaking the law.

Payload is not optional knowledge. Every motorhome owner should understand what their payload is and make sure they don't exceed it. And here's the inconvenient truth: you have to calculate it yourself. Yes, the glossy brochure for that shiny new motorhome probably lists a payload figure. Ignore it. Those numbers are often optimistic, sometimes wildly so.

Payload is the spare weight you have available for everything else: passengers, gas bottles, water, food, clothing, solar panels, leisure batteries, bike racks, awnings, windbreaks, and all the things you "only take just in case." A single wind-out awning can add 35kg. That's 35kg straight off your usable payload. Add solar panels, extra batteries, and a bike rack, and things get tight very quickly.

Our poll of hundreds of motorhome owners found that a couple will typically need a payload of around 400kg. Family vans frequently struggle to stay under their MTPLM when loaded for real use. Know what you need before you buy, and ask the dealer directly: "What's the payload on this model?" If you don't ask, they aren't going to tell you.

See our full guide: Motorhome Payload: How Much Can You Legally Carry?

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How Do You Choose the Right Layout?

Layout is one of the most commonly quoted reasons for selling a motorhome. Layouts that turn out to be unsuitable often lead to the van being resold within three months of purchase. That is a very costly mistake.

Most people are simply too excited at first to notice the problems. Then the honeymoon ends, and the shortcomings of your "new pride and joy" become glaringly obvious. Maybe the bed is an inch or two too short. Maybe the kitchen worktop is so small that cooking feels like punishment, so you stop bothering. It won't take long before you resent the three cushions you have to move every single morning just to reach the only storage space big enough to hold a box of cereal.

The most common layouts

Island bed: Island beds were once very much an American RV thing, but they've become hugely popular in European motorhomes. You can walk around them on all sides, which means each person can get out of bed on their own side without climbing over their partner. Making the bed is just like doing it at home. Some of you might be thinking that doesn't sound like a big deal. Trust me, it is. You only have to wrestle with a few other bed types before you fully appreciate just how civilised an island bed really is.

Twin singles with romantic infill: A very common sleeping layout, often a little higher than an island bed with wide, sensible steps rather than ladders. They're ideal for couples who are used to having their own sleeping space, with the option of dropping in the infill and turning it into a large double when the mood takes you.

French bed: Tucked into a corner of the motorhome, usually with one corner cut off to make better use of the available space. They work best for couples where one partner is noticeably taller than the other. Like transverse beds, they come with the small issue of one person being "trapped." Getting out generally involves shuffling down towards the cut-off corner. If you're on your front, think Royal Marine leopard crawl but backwards. Others prefer to exit bum-first. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Front lounge: By far the most common European layout. Driver and passenger seats swivel to face an L-shaped dinette. Unless you're in one of the largest motorhomes, this setup isn't exactly spacious. Everyone tends to be touching knees under the table, whether they want to or not.

Rear U-shaped lounge: Once essentially the only British layout available. It gives you a lovely big lounging area, and there's no denying how pleasant it is to stretch out properly in the evening. The downside is that this layout almost always means making the bed up every single night. Personally, I find that a right faff. And no bed made from separate cushions will ever be as comfortable as a proper fixed bed, no matter what the salesman says.

Bathrooms

Don't just peer into the shower and nod approvingly. Get in it. Is there actually enough room to move? Some bathrooms are so badly designed that showering, especially for the larger adult, is a real challenge. And if you do manage to get in, dropping the soap can turn into a full-scale operation. Many motorhomes still persist with the shower curtain. This freezing cold sheet of plastic has a habit of clinging lovingly to your naked body mid-shower and should be avoided wherever possible. Solid plastic shower doors are becoming far more common, and for good reason.

The golden rule about layouts

Sit down. Test it. Adjust things. Move around. Make the beds up. Lie on them. Sit on the loo. See how you get on. What looks fine in a showroom can be incredibly annoying once you're living in it. We even have a downloadable form to help with your research. Members of MotorhomeFun can grab it from the site.

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Buy Your Third Motorhome First

At MotorhomeFun we coined a saying: "Buy your third van first." It sounds simple enough, but it's harder to do than you might think.

A lot of people buy their first motorhome on a whim. You're driving past a dealer on a Sunday and just pull in for a look. Dangerous stuff. Or you overtake a motorhome on the motorway and spot a happy family inside. At this stage, all motorhomes look more or less the same. Fired up with enthusiasm, you head to your local dealer and buy your dream van. More often than not it's one of the first you see, and quite conveniently, one the dealer is keen to move on.

After a while, the shine starts to wear off. Something isn't right, and one big thing is really annoying you. Maybe the van's just too big and parking it is a pain. Maybe you hate the fact your feet don't touch the floor when you're sat on the loo. Whatever it is, that one thing is driving you mad. So you're back at the dealers and you spot another van that fixes that problem.

Give it a bit of time and you realise your second van isn't perfect either. But now things have changed. You're seeing lots of motorhomes on sites. You're going to shows. Suddenly, motorhomes don't all look the same anymore. You start to notice big differences and tiny ones. Then one day, when you're not expecting it, it happens. All those little good ideas you've spotted over time appear together in one single van. That's van three.

Does it always take three goes? No. Some lucky people are happy with their first van. But changing motorhomes quickly can be brutally expensive, with big losses and a lot of heartache. Don't let that be you.

That said, here's a warning. I knew a couple who spent just over two years searching for their perfect motorhome. They finally found it, waited months for delivery, and took delivery of the van of their dreams. Sadly, within three months one of them became seriously ill and died shortly afterwards. In their perfect motorhome, they managed just two trips. So yes, buy your third van first, but don't waste too much of your life trying to find perfection. You can have brilliant adventures in a motorhome even if the only thing wrong with it is your legs dangling when you sit on the loo.

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Which Motorhome Brand Should You Buy?

There are dozens of manufacturers worth considering in the UK, from premium German names like Hymer and Carthago through to solid British brands like Swift, Bailey, and Auto-Trail. Much of the industry is owned by a surprisingly small number of groups, which affects how brands compare on components and build standards.

We've covered every main brand in detail in a dedicated guide, including a comparison table to make it easier to see how they stack up against each other.

Read our full guide to motorhome brands in the UK.

What Base Vehicle Do Most Motorhomes Use?

Nearly every motorhome is built on a light commercial vehicle. The most common base vehicles are:

Fiat Ducato: By far the most popular base for both large and small motorhomes. Available in 2.3-litre diesel in several power outputs. The Comfortmatic automated gearbox has attracted criticism on the forums, but when you consider how many motorhomes use it compared with the number of reported issues, its real-world performance is broadly in line with comparable systems. It's no automatic from a Ford or Mercedes, but it's not the disaster some would have you believe.

Ford Transit: Gaining ground, partly because Ford vans are generally lighter than some rivals, which translates into more generous payload. Car-like driving position, intuitive controls, and good infotainment. The security issues of the late 2010s have largely gone.

Mercedes Sprinter: Found under most flagship models. Available in rear-wheel drive (better traction, preferred for heavy motorhomes), front-wheel drive (lighter, better payload, nine-speed auto available), and four-wheel drive.

Peugeot Boxer / Citroën Relay: Close relatives of the Fiat Ducato, all three built in Italy. Neither Boxer nor Relay is currently available with an automatic gearbox, which rules them out for buyers who insist on an auto.

VW Crafter / MAN TGE: Effectively the same van built in the same Polish factory with different badges. An excellent base that drives very well. The MAN is rarer in the motorhome world than the Crafter, but well worth considering.

Modern base vehicles are far more civilised than they used to be. Passenger airbags, cruise control, integrated navigation, air conditioning, and driver assistance systems are now common. That said, electric motorhomes remain largely theoretical. The technology and infrastructure are not yet there for widespread practical use in this sector.

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What Extras Are Worth Having on a Motorhome?

Getting a new van is often just the start. Here are the most worthwhile additions.

Awning: There's nothing quite like eating a meal under the shade of your awning, except maybe sitting under it drinking coffee in pouring rain. Both experiences are worth it. Awnings are heavy and eat into your payload, but yours should have one.

Solar panels: A genuine game-changer for anyone who enjoys the freedom of motorhome life without being permanently tethered to hook-up. Once installed, there are no moving parts, nothing to switch on, and very little to think about. You cannot really have too much solar. If there's spare roof space, it's usually better filled with panels than left empty.

Leisure batteries: Lead-acid batteries still work and are perfectly adequate for light to moderate use, especially if you mainly stay on hook-up. Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries are the current gold standard: significantly lighter, can be discharged much deeper, and last far longer. A single lithium battery can often replace two lead-acid batteries while giving more usable power. They cost more upfront, but off-grid, the difference is significant. In short: lead-acid works. We motorhomed for 30 years before we bought our first lithium battery. Either will do the job depending on how you travel.

Reversing camera: Even in the smallest van, a reversing camera is more than a gimmick. It reduces stress, saves arguments, and dramatically lowers the chances of meeting a bollard you didn't know existed. A twin-lens system, with one lens pointing downwards and one facing straight back, is the smart choice.

Gas setup: Most motorhomes arrive with removable Calor-style bottles. These work, they're familiar, and they empty your wallet with admirable consistency. Refillable gas bottles are a far better setup for most people. The initial purchase hurts, but refillable LPG is significantly cheaper than exchange bottles over time. Underslung gas tanks, permanently mounted beneath the vehicle and refilled externally like a fuel tank, are the best solution of all for frequent tourers.

Levelling: Being reasonably level does matter. Sinks and showers drain badly on a slope, fridge performance can suffer, and gravity will spend the night reminding you which way is downhill. Levelling ramps (about £50) do the job without drama but involve some faff. Hydraulic levelling systems (around £5,000 fitted) press a button and sort it out while you look smug. Whether that's worth it depends entirely on your budget and how much patience you have left for crawling around with ramps in mud.

SOG toilet system: This is one of those upgrades that sounds faintly unnecessary until you've actually lived with it. A SOG system tackles toilet odours without chemicals. When you open the toilet blade, a small fan creates negative pressure inside the cassette, venting smells through the side of the van rather than into the bathroom. If a motorhome already has one fitted, that's a genuine bonus. If not, it's well worth considering.

Sat nav: Factory-fitted sat nav systems look impressive in the brochure. In real life they're often slow, awkward, and about as up to date as a road atlas from the glovebox of a 2009 Mondeo. For most people, your phone does a better job. A decent phone mount and a charging cable will often outperform a built-in system with less effort.

Security: Most modern motorhomes come with factory-fitted alarms and immobilisers, and for many owners these are perfectly adequate. Personally, I remove any factory alarm and replace it with a Vanbitz system. In my opinion, nothing else comes close in terms of comprehensive protection. Their systems are designed specifically for motorhomes, addressing vulnerabilities that standard vehicle alarms often ignore.

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Where Should You Buy Your Motorhome?

The web is your first and best tool. Almost all dealerships list their stock online, and any dealer who is serious about selling will provide plenty of photographs. Always check the dealer's website before you even consider visiting. A fast-loading, well-presented site with high-quality photos and detailed descriptions doesn't guarantee a good dealer, but it's a positive sign. A poorly maintained site with blurry images and vague descriptions often tells you something too.

Buying from a dealer

Begin with your local dealer. Be upfront: tell them you're not buying for several months and that you're only looking. Expect some persistence. A good salesperson will respect that. A bad one won't. If the pressure starts early, take it as a sign and leave.

It's worth remembering that it's the dealer's job, and the salesperson's job, to extract as much money from you as possible. Most motorhome salespeople work on commission. We're generally conditioned to be wary of used vehicle salespeople, then suddenly we meet a friendly, helpful person who seems to be on our side. Combined with the excitement of buying a motorhome, this can lead to poor decisions. Not all salespeople are out to rip you off, but enough are that you should remain cautious.

Part exchange

When part exchanging, always focus on the cost to change. A dealer may appear to give you what you want, but that doesn't mean you're getting the best deal. If they think your priority is a higher value for your part exchange, they may inflate that figure while refusing to negotiate on the price of the new motorhome. The only figure that really matters is the difference between the price of the new motorhome and the value of your trade-in.

Buying a motorhome privately

You can save money buying privately, but you're also taking on greater risk. Some so-called private sellers are actually dealers posing as private individuals to avoid their legal obligations. When buying privately, you must ensure the seller actually owns the vehicle. If you buy a motorhome privately and it later turns out to be stolen, you may have no legal right to keep it.

Always view the motorhome at the seller's home address, which should match the V5C logbook. Be wary of sellers who want to meet at motorway services or other public locations. Genuine private sellers have no reason to avoid a home visit.

Buying a motorhome at a motorhome show

Motorhome shows are excellent for research, but they're not always the best place to buy. They are, by far, the easiest way to look at a large number of motorhomes in a very short space of time. Go armed with a checklist. Use the opportunity to narrow things down. Just remember: this is research. Don't rush in and buy.

It's very easy to get side-tracked by a smart-looking motorhome and a salesperson's well-practised talk of "show prices" and "when it's gone, it's gone." Don't move into buying mode until you are completely sure the motorhome is right for you.

Also remember that the dealer you're talking to may not be local. A saving of £500 can quickly disappear if the dealer is 200 miles from home and you have to travel back for warranty work or servicing.

At shows, talk to motorhome owners, not just dealers. Most motorhomers are more than happy to share their experiences. A simple comment like "I really like your motorhome, how long have you had it?" can easily turn into a very informative conversation. Getting honest feedback from an owner rather than a dealer is valuable research, and motorhome shows are one of the best places to do exactly that.

Buying on eBay or Facebook

People sell thousands of motorhomes every week on eBay, and buyers can find real bargains. Don't be afraid to shop online. As long as you're prepared to travel to inspect a motorhome before bidding, all you stand to lose is a bit of time and some fuel. But eBay is full of sharks, so make sure you don't get bitten.

Read the small print in the advert. Anything questionable is often buried there. Never bid a single penny until you have physically inspected the motorhome. The same general principles apply when buying through Facebook.

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How Do You Avoid Motorhome Buying Scams?

Every scam below has played out on our forum in real time. Not as rumour, not as "my mate heard", but as posts from ordinary buyers who were doing their best and still got caught by a system designed to exploit excitement, trust, and time pressure.

The golden rule is simple: No viewing, no money. No deposits "to secure it." No holding fees. No "transport booking." If you haven't seen the motorhome, verified the paperwork, and met the right person, you haven't bought anything.

Common scams to know about

The cloned dealer website: A professional-looking site appears to be a real dealership. Stock looks impressive. Photos are glossy. Reviews are present. An invoice arrives. Then comes the payment request: bank transfer, framed as "standard practice." If you're suspicious, find the dealer independently via Google Maps and call the public number. Don't use the link you were sent.

The stolen listing: A real motorhome advert is copied and reposted cheaper. Sometimes the same photos appear in multiple places with different locations and prices. Do a reverse image search. Copy a section of the advert's description and put it in quotes in Google. If the seller has reused text from another advert, you'll find the original.

"Selling for my brother": The person messaging isn't the registered keeper. That distance creates cover for why viewing is awkward and paperwork is missing. If you can't meet the registered keeper at the registered address with matching ID and V5C, walk away. There's always another motorhome.

What to do before you send any money

• Ask for full name, phone number, and full address. View at the address on the V5C.
  
• Request a live video call showing the VIN/chassis plate, odometer, and a specific action you choose (turn on the control panel, open the hob). Anyone genuine can do this in minutes. Anyone fake can't.
  
• At viewing, confirm the V5C keeper details match the seller and their photo ID, and that the VIN on the vehicle matches the V5C.
  
• Before you send a penny, post the listing link and details on the MotorhomeFun forum and ask: "Is this genuine?" A few minutes of peer review can save you thousands.
  
• MotorhomeFun also maintains a stolen motorhome database — worth checking any vehicle against before you hand over money.
  

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How Do You Negotiate the Price?

When negotiating for a motorhome, most Brits hate to haggle. We like prices to be clearly displayed and, if we think they're fair, we'll pay them without fuss. The full extent of most people's negotiation goes something like this:

*Customer: "What's your best price on this one?"  

Dealer: "That one's already at its lowest price."  

Customer: "OK, I'll take it."*

You must haggle. Dealers and sellers will think you are dumb if you don't. Negotiating is just a conversation. If ten minutes of negotiation saves you £2,000, that puts you on roughly £12,000 an hour. That is surely worth a bit of discomfort.

Your opening bid

You cannot negotiate until you know what the van is worth. Ask on the forum what you might expect to pay for that model and year. Check completed sales on eBay. Know what your target price is. Then your opening bid must be the same distance below your target price as the sticker price is above it.

If the van is £76,000 and you know it's worth £72,000, you open at £68,000. That gives you £4,000 to move and the dealer £4,000 to move. If all goes well, you meet in the middle at £72,000. Open higher and you're giving away your negotiating room before it's even started.

Useful tactics

The higher authority: "This is the motorhome I want, but if I pay this much my wife will murder me." Or "The bank has allowed a loan of X and won't budge. Can you help me?" This allows you to push hard while remaining friendly, because the pressure is coming from someone else. Expect them to use it right back at you.

Silence: If the salesperson makes you an offer, resist the temptation to speak. Just wait. The silence will be painful for you and hopefully more painful for them. Often the first person to speak is the one who compromises.

Little things wrong: As you look over the motorhome, make a quiet mental note of every small thing that isn't right: tyres, marks, worn fabrics, cracked plastics, missing bits. Do not raise these during the price negotiation. Once a price has been agreed, and only once it's been agreed, that list comes out. At that point you are no longer negotiating the price, you are negotiating the condition.

Never split the difference first: If you suggest splitting the difference, the salesperson will often split it again. That leaves you having moved 75% of the way towards their price while they've only moved 25% towards you. If they suggest it, you can split it again yourself.

Never rush to do the deal today: No matter what the salesperson says, or how insistent they are that the deal is today only. If the deal is on today, it will be on tomorrow. Walk away, sleep on it, and use MotorhomeFun to ask whether you're getting a good deal. Thousands of experienced owners will soon tell you, one way or another.

A deal should end with both parties happy, or it isn't a good deal. I once negotiated so hard on an Auto-Trail that when I called a month later asking for a favour, the dealer wasn't interested in helping. Sometimes screwing that extra couple of hundred quid really isn't worth it.

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What Should You Check Before Buying a Motorhome?

The notes below give you the most important things to check. The full pre-purchase checklist is available to download from the MotorhomeFun member area.

• The owner: Is everything ready to show? Are batteries charged and documents laid out? A proud, careful owner will usually have full service history to hand. Sloppiness here is often an early warning about the motorhome itself.
  
• General condition: Stand back and look down the full length. Check for bumps, bulges, or ripples which could indicate delamination. Look for chips, cracks, and signs of previous repairs.
  
• Roof: You must see the roof. Inspect all seals and gaskets around roof fittings. Look for cracked or dried sealant and check vent covers for damage.
  
• Tyres: Check tread depth and tyre age using the four-digit DOT code (first two digits are the week of manufacture, last two the year). Motorhome tyres should not be over seven years old. Many owners replace them at five. Never accept cracked sidewalls.
  
• Damp: Never buy a damp motorhome. Smell inside cupboards, wardrobes, and under sinks. Inspect roof linings, corners, vents, and joints. Look for rust on fixings and mildew stains. Damp spreads and repairs are horrendously expensive. Always get a damp check.
  
• Engine bay: Check oil, coolant, power steering, and transmission fluid. Look for leaks, worn hoses, or damaged wiring. On Fiat-based vans over four years old, ask for proof of cambelt replacement. Start the engine and listen for unhealthy noises.
  
• Leisure batteries: Locate them. Check condition, capacity, and age.
  
• Awning: Fully extend it. Check fabric, support arms, and fittings.
  
• Toilet cassette: Make sure it's there, clean, and empty. They're expensive and often stolen.
  
• Fridge: Test on gas, mains, and 12v. Should begin cooling within 15 minutes.
  
• Heater and blown air: Set thermostat at least 10° above ambient. Fans should start, ignition should click, and warm air should flow from all vents.
  
• Hob and oven: Check Flame Failure Devices. Test ignition after cooling without holding the knob in. No gas should escape.
  
• Alarm system: Set and test it. Obtain written instructions. Insurers will want proof of approval.
  
• Documents: Check the V5, MOT history, taxation class, service records, and weight limits. Confirm cambelt history where applicable. Ensure handbooks are present.
  
• Walls and floors: Press walls and ceilings firmly, especially low down and in corners. Softness indicates water damage.
  
• Anything bolted on: Inspect ladders, racks, boxes, and accessories. Rusted or wet screws can indicate water ingress or rotten frames.
  

Buying a Motorhome - The test drive

It's surprising how many people buy a motorhome without first taking it for a test drive. Insist on one. A test drive should include town driving, winding country roads, and dual carriageways or motorways. Try to see the motorhome started from cold. Test the brakes firmly on a clear straight road and expect to feel the ABS pulsing. Listen for persistent rattles or suspension noises over bumps. Check that the steering wheel sits straight when driving. Give the engine some work under load. Everything should be smooth, with no clutch slipping. Check your mirrors: is there black smoke behind you?

Closing the deal

Once you've agreed a price, you'll be asked for a deposit. £500 is reasonable, and £1,000 is more than enough. Always get a receipt that clearly states exactly what you are buying: the registration, model, mileage, any accessories included, and the agreed trade-in price if there is one. When buying from a dealer, the contract you sign at this stage is binding. Make sure everything agreed verbally is written down before you hand over any money.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Buying a Motorhome

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Buying a motorhome can be stressful and leave you full of questions. If you've worked through this guide properly, you're now in a far stronger position than most people buying a motorhome. You know what you want, you know what it's worth, and you know how to negotiate without being rushed or pushed into a decision.

Still Got Questions? Come and Join Us

But the buying process throws up questions. Specific questions about specific vans, specific dealers, specific layouts. That's exactly where MotorhomeFun comes in.

With over 80,000 members sharing real-world experience, honest advice, and hard-earned knowledge, there will always be someone there who's been exactly where you are now. Whether it's pricing, damp worries, payload calculations, insurance, negotiation, or "does this sound right?", ask on the forum.

And if you want everything in one place, The Motorhome Buyer's Guide covers the buying process in full. Members download it free. Not yet a member? Pick it up on Amazon.

Join MotorhomeFun free and start asking questions today.

Buy well, buy calmly, ask questions when you need to, and enjoy the motorhome life.