Leisure vehicles are a fantastic way to holiday more often and more freely. We explain the pros and cons of a motorhome vs caravan, so you can make the right buying choice, first time.
After the trials and tribulations of lockdown, we all want to get out more, do more, experience more. Leisure vehicles are the ideal way to do this cost-effectively. But, as they come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, which type is best for you?
Choosing Between a Motorhome and Caravan: Your Complete Guide
The dream of hitting the open road and exploring at your own pace has never been more appealing. But should you buy a motorhome or tow a caravan – which option suits your needs?
Let’s explore the key differences between motorhomes and car-towed caravans to help you make the perfect choice for your adventures.
Understanding Your Options
Unlike static caravans that stay in one location, both motorhomes and touring caravans offer the freedom to explore different destinations. The main difference lies in how you travel – motorhomes are self-contained vehicles, while caravans need a towing vehicle to get around.
Key Considerations for New Buyers:
Living Space and Comfort
- Caravans often offer more living area for their size, as they don’t need space for a driving cab
- Motorhomes integrate driving and living spaces efficiently
- Both options provide comfortable spaces for relaxing after day trips
Legal Requirements and Driving
- Once you’ve passed your test, you can drive most motorhomes under 3.5 tonnes
- Understanding caravan requirements is essential – towing may require additional qualifications depending on combined weights
- Remember to factor in road tax costs – motorhomes require annual tax while caravans don’t
Practical Features
- Both types come with fresh water tanks and modern amenities
- Motorhomes offer the convenience of driving off without unhitching
- Caravans provide a permanent base while you explore locally in your car
Cost Considerations
When budgeting, consider:
- Purchase price
- Annual maintenance
- Insurance costs
- Storage fees (particularly for caravans)
- Fuel efficiency differences between towing and driving a motorhome
The main choice you have is between touring caravans and motorhomes. Campervans (small motorhomes) muddy the waters a little, but mostly they share the same pros and cons as motorhomes. Where they don’t, we’ve mentioned it.
Pros & Cons of Caravanning and Motorhoming
Is towing a caravan difficult?
When it comes to caravanning, towing is the elephant in the room. If you fear the towbar, and can’t see any way around it, then caravanning probably isn’t for you. However, what we would say is towing is so much easier than everyone believes, especially if you take one of the brilliant Club towing courses.
• Camping and Caravanning Club
• Caravan & Motorhome Club
These courses come in various flavours, but all will give you the knowledge and confidence to tow safely in Britain and abroad. We’ve done them several times, and they are always inspiring, fun and filled with a wide range of people.
Without exception, every candidate is astonished at how much they learn and how they become a decent towing expert in such a short time.
We’d say, if the space and versatility of caravanning appeals to you, but you’re unsure about the towing aspect, go on a one-day towing course. It could be the best £150-£200 you’ve ever spent!
(For more towing details read ‘Driving to your destination’ below)
Getting to your destination
As a caravan and tow car outfit is articulated in the middle (it pivots around the towball) it’s very different to driving a motorhome, especially when it comes to manoeuvring and reversing.
Caravans can also be affected by strong winds or the blast of air from other traffic passing at high-speed. Both can cause them to sway, especially if you are speeding. This seems a little unnerving at first, but you soon get used to it, and the same thing does happen to ‘slab-sided’ motorhomes.
A piece of caravan technology called AL-KO Trailer Control (ATC), from the chassis maker, corrects this caravan snaking by automatically applying the caravan’s brakes for an instant, before any problem develops.
With a caravan, you tow with a regular vehicle, but, as you have a 1.5-tonne, white box behind you (see weights section), you need a sizeable towcar to match. Family estate cars, saloons, SUVs and 4x4s are the most popular towcars.
Modern campervans and motorhomes are easy to drive, as most are based on Ford Transit vans or the Peugeot or Fiat equivalents.
Obviously, they’re much bigger than a car, so care needs to be taken, but the driving position, brakes and gearboxes are generally very good.
Driving a large motorhome can have its own challenges, and there are Club courses for using and manoeuvring those too.
Campervans are probably the easiest leisure vehicle to drive and manoeuvre because of their smaller size. Of course, you have much less living space inside them. This is the sort of compromise you’ll face time and time again in touring world!
Avoid bad weather and stick within the speed limits (60mph on dual-carriageways and motorways, 50mph elsewhere, unless stated) and towing a caravan is safe and easy.
Travelling in a motorhome can be a little noisy, too. Remember to remove the grill pan, its rack, and the glass microwave plate, as fixtures and fittings can move as you drive along Britain’s bumpy roads.
Plan your journey to avoid towing and motorhoming through towns, and pick an edge-of-town campsite.
At your destination
Travelling to your destination in a motorhome tends to be slightly easier and faster, but, once you’re at your destination, the caravan outfit comes into its own.
Park the caravan on your pitch, unhitch the tow car, and you have a permanent base to live in, and your lovely daily-driver for tootling about in.
Whenever a motorhomer wants to head out, they have to unhook the facilities and tidy the van.
When motorhoming, consider taking bicycles for your daily excursions or use public transport. Big motorhomes into small towns don’t go (easily), and parking can be an issue, with many height-restricted car parks.
On a positive note, for motorhomers and campervanners, in Europe there are 11,500 Aires – small camping grounds where can stay for free (or a very small fee).
Many towns have them, in an attempt to get your touring spend in their community. A similar scheme called France Passion, has over 2000 locations in France, often near wineries or farm shops.
If you stay for free at one, forget shopping at the large supermarket and buy local to support the schemes. Aires do not accept caravanners.
Living in your leisure vehicle
Generally, length-for-length, caravan living quarters offer more space than equivalent motorhome living quarters, as the forward section of a motorhome is the cab.
In an average caravan, you’ll get a full washroom and kitchen, plus a fixed bed and a sizeable lounge. At least one of these elements is likely to be missing in the equivalent motorhome, or several will be much more compact.
We’ve found that space may not be such an issue if you mainly camp abroad in warmer climates, where most of the day is spent outside, but in the colder UK, space is at a premium, especially with young kids or grumpy teens!
Caravans are available with separate areas for kids, where they can sleep, eat, play or watch TV. Most accommodate two to three kids.
Newer eight-foot-wide caravans feel more like apartments than caravans and the best are beautifully-appointed. Of course, the extra size affects weights, towing and storage.
Smaller, two-berth couples caravans and motorhomes have much more compact interiors and lower towing weights, but they are still comfy and can be luxurious.
Adding an awning is a great way to expand your living and storage space easily and (relatively) cheaply. Porch awnings add a proportion of the floor space of the vehicle, while full awnings can double it.
Drive-away awnings are available for motorhomes and campervans.
In our experience, motorhomes can have very upright seating with safety belts in the lounge/dining area, as it’s also passenger seating when on the road.
Likewise, do you want to sit in the reversed driver’s seat in the evening?
Only you can decide how much space you need and where you are prepared to make compromises.
Storing your leisure vehicle
Finally, consider whether your motorhome will be parked up when not on holiday, or will you use it as a second vehicle? This may be practical with a campervan, but is much less so with a large motorhome.
That means you have another vehicle to tax, insure and maintain each year, that may get relatively little use. Of course, you could SORN it through the winter months.
Caravanners, of course, have their tow car for daily use, but they also have to store their tourer, either at home or in a storage facility. Some house deeds preclude the storing of leisure vehicles on the drive.
Factor the potential cost of storage (typically £200 to £600 a year) into your decision making.
Status symbols
“I wouldn’t be seen dead in a caravan” is a comment sometimes when touring comes up in conversation.”
This view may well be based on memories of childhood caravanning, in cold, musty tourers, where the loo was little more than a bucket in a cupboard. But times have moved on.
Modern caravans and motorhomes are like luxurious apartments with comfy lounges, superbly-appointed kitchens and shower rooms (with flushing loos) and large, permanent double or single beds which don’t have to be ‘built’ each evening.
They’re carpeted, have effective central heating, air-con as an option, superb insulation for winter touring, blinds and curtains and a wide range of LED lighting options to enhance the cosy ambience after dark.
Even the ubiquitous beige interiors have been superseded, and modern van interiors are no longer a cocktail of ghastly brown swirls.
Motorhomes are much more expensive than the equivalent caravan, so owning one may be seen as a sign of success in life.
The cost of a leisure vehicle
Prices of leisure vehicles have spiralled in the years since COVID, but there are still entry points to the leisure vehicle market for almost all budgets, and it looks like there are some great deals available, as the market cools.
Here’s what you might expect to find in each price bracket.
Note: All pricing is approximate and based on values in August 2024.
The best deals may be found in the summer months just as the next year’s models are launched, or they may be available at the NEC show in October.
£5000 to £10,000 Budget
You can buy an older, but decent, used caravan, with fairly modern facilities, from £5000-£10,000.
If you’re at this end of the market, buy from a reputable dealer and we’d recommend having the caravan checked for damp, and all safety checks done.
An AWS-accredited service technician should be able to do this for around £200-£250. If the vendor doesn’t agree to this, walk away.
Buying a damp or damaged caravan or motorhome is the biggest mistake you can make, and many serious issues aren’t visible to the naked eye.
I’d be very wary of buying a motorhome or campervan at this price point.
£10,000 to £20,000 Budget
Buying a used caravan in the £10,000 to £20,000 price bracket from a reputable dealer, should secure you a decent tourer, but make all the usual checks and pay for the deposit on your credit card, which gives you consumer protection for the entire purchase.
You may find a motorhome in this price bracket, but it will be older, and the same inspections should be carried out.
Any decent-looking motorhomes in this bracket could easily be 20 years old, though they may have low miles for their age. They will, of course require MOT and vehicle/engine checks, as well as all the usual habitation inspections.
Likewise, you’ll only get an older campervan for this money, but if you buy carefully, you could find yourself a gem.
£20,000 to £30,000 Budget
The first brand new caravans appear from just over £20,000, though these will be the budget ranges (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
If you can get a deal or a sale example for around £25,000, you could even be sneaking into a mid-spec caravan, though it might be the current year’s model that they’re trying to clear (nothing wrong with that!).
Buying used at around £25,000, you’ll be looking at a two to three year-old mid-spec tourer, or a lovely luxury model, perhaps around five to eight years old.
In the mid-£20,000s, you’re looking at a seven to 15-year-old campervan with around £100k on the clock. While at this price point, you’re still some way off a 10-year-old motorhome in like-new condition.
£30,000 to £50,000 Budget
This budget lands you in brand-new, mid-spec or luxury caravan territory. In fact, in 2024, many luxury vans have been sold at significant discounts, making it a good time to buy.
At £40k+ we’re talking new, eight-foot-wide, top-of-the-range Adrias, Elddis Crusaders, Swift Elegances and Coachman Lussos – mobile luxury apartments!
You’re still in largely used motorhome and campervan territory, though you might find the odd sale offer on a new budget model.
In the used sector, there’s a wide choice of motorhomes and campervans – the bigger and better the spec, the older they will be.
£50,000-plus Budget
At this price point (with a five in front), you’ll find some brand new campervans, including a few super-cool VWs, eg: a lovely flat-grey T6.1 with 45 miles on the clock for £56k on sale as I write.
You’re still in used-motorhome territory up to around £60k, but the odd great deal might just slip below that.
This outlay bags you a new, fully-loaded, top-spec caravan (but you’ll need a Range Rover to pull it!).
Hit a £70k budget and a whole world of new campervans and motorhomes opens up to you, but for the truly luxury stuff you’ll be looking at £80 to £100k.
Spend over £100k and the world is your oyster…buy wisely and you could bag yourself a ‘bargain’ with a spec so opulent that it makes home look distinctly average!
Whatever you’re spending, my advice is to try touring first, before splashing the big cash. Initial depreciation on both vehicles, when bought new, can be high, but soon settles down to a relatively slow decline in value, if you look after them.
It’s easy to trial the touring life, as you can now rent leisure vehicles, airbnb-style, from the likes of camptoo.co.uk or camplify.co.uk, or hire motorhomes and campervans from swiftgo.co.uk, a subsidiary of the leisure vehicle maker, Swift Group. Try it, you’ll like it.
Caravan weight limits
MTPLM – A caravan’s Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass weight (printed on a weightplate next to the door) shouldn’t be more than the towcar’s kerbweight.
It’s recommended that novice caravanners don’t tow a caravan with an MTPLM of more than 85% of the towcar’s kerbweight, i.e: a 1800kg towcar can pull a caravan weighing up to 1530kg.
To work out the maximum weight of caravan you can tow, multiply your car’s kerbweight by 0.85.
Experienced towcar drivers can tow a caravan with an MTPLM weight up to 100% of the car’s kerbweight, so, a 2000kg towcar can tow a 2000kg caravan.
If you only own a small car, you may need to buy a heavier one for towing.
Caravans v motorhomes summary
Leisure vehicles make tent camping seem mediaeval! Modern caravans and motorhomes are very comfortable and convenient, and many are very luxurious!
The scene is fun, too. On the whole, caravanners and motorhomers are very friendly and helpful folk, who are always keen to assist novices who may be struggling.
The leisure vehicle lifestyle is very freeing and enjoyable, and many participants have half-a-dozen holidays a year for the price of one foreign package holiday.
A decent, confident car driver will have no problems with towing or driving a large motorhome, so don’t let that put you off.
Choosing the right vehicle will ensure you maximise your enjoyment and minimise any stress and the cost.
Motorhome pros
- No towing
- Cheaper ferry travel
- Warmer accommodation on arrival
- No unhitching on site
- Payload 500kg v 150kg
- Toll roads might be cheaper
- Your neighbours will be jealous!
- Campervans can be used at home as a second vehicle
- Wild camping available in some regions
- Free Aires for camping in France and Europe
- Better for long-distance touring where you move on every few days
Motorhome cons
- The cost
- You have to go everywhere in a van…
- or tow a small car behind you when touring
- No corner steadies, so they may rock
- Have to re-pitch/level the van when returning to your campsite
- Have to tax and MOT your motorhome
- Motorhomes can’t easily be used as a second vehicle
- Generally less space than a similar-sized caravan
- All valuables in motorhome when left in town/car parks
- Using driver and front passenger seat for lounging in many vans
Caravan pros
- Extra space compared to motorhomes/campervans
- A permanent, secure holiday hub
- Daily travel in standard car
- Lower cost to buy
- Peaceful towcar interior when towing
- More leisurely – separates driving and relaxing
- Don’t have to put everything away when going out for the day
- Don’t have van as 365-day vehicle.
- Cheaper to maintain/insure?
- Better for touring where you only stay in one or two destinations
- No need for caravan MOTs or tax
Caravan cons
- Some drivers scared of towing
- You may have to swap your car, for one that’s suitable for towing
- You’ll need to fit a tow bar
- Manoeuvring and reversing perceived as difficult
- The image of caravans
- Paying for a storage facility