VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
Buying a campervan or converted van: prices, used market, pitfalls (2026)
New and used price ranges, where to look (dealers, private sellers, shows), registration rules, a pre-purchase inspection checklist — and why you should rent the exact model first.
Buying a campervan is the project that naturally follows a few successful rentals. Before you sign, here are the real 2026 market figures, the buying channels that work, and the expensive traps — damp, registration, payload.
New prices in 2026
- New compact campervan (VW California, Mercedes Marco Polo, Ford Nugget): €60,000–85,000 depending on trim and transmission.
- New series-built converted van (Adria Twin, Pössl, Chausson on the Fiat Ducato…): €55,000–75,000; well-equipped 6.4 m layouts easily pass €70,000.
- Custom conversion by a professional converter: the base van (€25,000–35,000) plus €15,000–40,000 of fit-out depending on finish.
Add delivery costs and, above all, waiting times still counted in months on sought-after models — which is exactly why recent used vans sometimes sell barely below new.
The used market: ranges actually observed
The second-hand market has normalised after the wild Covid years. In 2026, roughly: a recent campervan (3–5 years, 40,000–80,000 km) trades at €40,000–60,000; a series-built converted van of the same age at €38,000–55,000; self-built conversions at €15,000–35,000 depending on the base vehicle and build quality — where the best deals and the worst surprises both live. Depreciation is steep in year one (15–20 %), then very slow: a well-kept van resells remarkably well, making it a far less ruinous pleasure purchase than a car.
Where to look
- Dealers and specialist networks: higher prices, but a warranty (often 6–12 months), a serviced vehicle and a possible trade-in.
- Private sellers: 10–20 % cheaper, direct history from the owner — but no warranty: the inspection below becomes decisive.
- Shows: the big leisure-vehicle shows (in France, the Salon des Véhicules de Loisirs near Paris every autumn; in the UK, the NEC shows) let you compare dozens of layouts in a day — the best one-day investment before any purchase.
Campervan or converted van: which should you buy?
The rule that emerges from thousands of rentals: the campervan (under 2 m tall on some models) for mixed daily-driver-plus-weekends use, the converted van (standing height, a real shower) for long trips. Our guide which vehicle for which trip details the layouts — everything it says about renting applies to buying.
The paperwork: registration matters
A van with permanent living equipment (bed, kitchen, water) must be re-registered as a motor caravan — in France that is the VASP category on the registration document, in the UK the DVLA motor-caravan reclassification. A conversion still registered as a plain panel van can mean insurance trouble after a claim, stricter roadworthiness testing and a complicated resale. On any used purchase, check the registration category first; for a self-build, ask for the full approval file.
The inspection checklist
- Damp: the silent killer. Touch-test window seals, roof corners, under lockers; a musty smell is a signal, not a detail.
- Water-ingress warranty: series-built vans often require a paid annual leak test to keep the warranty alive — ask for the invoices.
- Gas and electrics: gas-safety certificate, condition of the leisure battery (an AGM/lithium battery can be replaced, but negotiate it).
- Payload: registered maximum weight minus real unladen weight. Under 400 kg of payload on a family van, you will drive overloaded — weigh the vehicle if in doubt.
- Base vehicle: service history (well-maintained Ducatos and Transits take 300,000 km in their stride), condition of the specific “camping” tyres.
The real cost of ownership
Beyond the purchase price: motor-caravan insurance (€400–900 a year depending on profile and value), servicing of both base vehicle and habitation, roadworthiness tests, parking (a secure space rents for €30–80 a month on the outskirts) and residual depreciation. A vehicle that sleeps eleven months a year costs a fortune per kilometre actually driven — that is the honest sum to do before signing.
Try before you buy — seriously
A week renting the exact model you covet costs €600–1,000 and may save you a €50,000 mistake. Peer-to-peer rental now covers every mid-size city: try a weekend from Brest, La Rochelle, Le Mans, Tours or Limoges; in the east from Nancy, Metz, Strasbourg, Mulhouse or Dijon; up north from Lille, Amiens or Reims; in the mountains from Grenoble or Chambéry; and in the south-west from Pau. Many owner-hosts end up selling their van to a smitten renter — a week on board is the best inspection there is.
And if a faraway trip is what motivates the purchase — Namibian gravel tracks, the Icelandic Ring Road — the detailed self-drive itineraries from Partir en Liberté help frame the project, stage by stage, before you even pick the vehicle.
Free checklist: your first campervan trip
Licence and vehicle size, pick-up inspection, stopovers or campsites, water and electricity, insurance, drop-off: everything to check before and during a first trip. Sign up — the link to the full checklist appears immediately.