Brand new van conversions under £50k

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If you're shopping for a van conversion, there's plenty of choice - and not just in the used or second-hand market. There are lots of well-known motorhome and campervan manufacturers creating and launched brand new van conversions aimed at the entry level market, and priced at £50k or below.

What Motorhome magazine has handpicked a selection of brand new van conversions within the £50k price budget. Whatever type of van conversion you're searching for - fixed bed, large garage, bunk beds, rear lounge, double bed in the pop-top roof - you'll find something to catch your eye here...

Adria Twin Plus 600 SPB

The Adria Twin was something of a gamechanger when it arrived on the scene - as a transverse rear double bed campervan. Now, many major European motorhome makers have one in its portfolio but the Twin has continued to be at the forefront of the sector. The Plus spec lacks the large overcab sunroof of the Supreme model - which is more expensive - but you still get the full-height walk-through from the living area to the cab. Layout is mirrored for the UK, the 2020 spec includes the oven/grill unit as standard, and the washroom is cleverly designed as a swing wall creates a shower cubicle.

Auto-Trail Tribute Compact

Take your pick from four different Fiat van conversions from Auto-Trail, all of which come under the £50k budget. In fact, prices start from just over £42k. The floorplans are all broadly similar - all have a rear lounge by the rear doors, and all (expect for the Tribute 660) have a half-dinette seating area at the front. The 660 is a pure two-person layout with large rear settees that can be converted into a huge bed. All models - Tribute 669, 680, 660 and 670 - get the 120bhp engine as standard.

Benimar Benivan 120

This 120 model is a six-metre Fiat Ducato conversion with a traditional two-berth layout, spacious rear lounge and two travel seats in the cab. As is typical for a product marketed by Marquis, the Benivan has a higher standard spec than a lot of its rivals. Built on the Fiat Ducato, it comes with the 160bhp Euro 6d as standard and gets 16in alloy wheels and a 7in touchscreen featuring DAB radio, sat-nav and a display for the reversing camera. Sleeping arrangements are in the form of a transverse double bed converted from the rear settees.

Carado campervans

There are four models in the Carado campervans range, all based on the Fiat Ducato and in three different lengths. These are medium-wheelbase (5.41m), long (5.99m) and extra-long (6.36m). The line-up includes the CV540, with a rear transverse double bed; the CV600, which has a similar layout but is more spacious thanks to a the LWB van; the CV601 is a family-friendly model with rear double bunk beds; and the CV640, which is the top of the range model and boasts a huge rear bed. Even so, the price for this starts from £38,399.

Chausson 33 Line V594

The Chausson 33 Line was developed especially for the UK market and is only sold in Britain - it's even built there, by Auto-Trail, sister company of Trigano Group. There's no overcab sunroof, though the exterior does carry a sporty vibe thanks to its non-metallic grey paint and black alloy wheels. The interior is a classic two-person design with a large rear lounge. If you want more living space, the two front seats swivel to meet a coffee table. There's an oven and grill in the kitchen.

Compass Avantgarde CV

It's fair to say that campervans probably don't come much more keenly priced than this trio of Compass Avantgarde models. The most expensive is the CV40 and even that comes in at under £41k. For that, buyers get lots of kit, including DAB radio with steering wheel-mounted controls, the VIN Chip theft deterrent system, an oven/grill, 90-litre compressor fridge and plenty more. The CV40 (three berth) and the CV20 (two berth) both have classic rear lounge layouts. New for this season is the third member of the family, the CV60, which has a rear lengthways daybed.

Dreamer D42 Fun

The Fun range of campervans from Dreamer are all available for below the magical £50k mark. But, if you're looking for a compact model, the D42 is perhaps the one for you. At 5.41m in length it's almost a metre shorter than the Camper Five (below) and the price is on the smaller side, too, starting from £43,025. In typical continental van conversion style, it has a fixed bed layout but unusually, this is a lengthways French bed instead of a transverse mattress. There's a half-dinette lounge, a table large enough for four thanks to an extension leaf, and a kitchen equipped with a 90-litre fridge.

Dreamer Camper Five

As the name of this campervan suggests, the Camper Five has five berths and five belted seats, making it suitable for a family. There is a drop-down double bed above the front lounge, which is operated manually, and a pair of bunk beds to the rear. The fifth bed is converted from the separate seating area and table located by those bunk beds. The front lounge is roomier than many continental campervans and the fridge is family-sized too, at 135 litres.

Elddis Autoquest CV60

The Elddis Autoquest CV60 is a van conversion that's not quite like any other. Why? There's a rear lounge but in a different form than we're used to. Instead of two parallel settees, there is just one on the offside, which is more like a day bed. This can then convert into a double bed. There's a galley kitchen, fitted with a Thetford Triplex cooker, oven/grill and three-burner hob, and a circular sink. The washroom is impressive, too, particularly for this price point.

Globecar Campscout

There are a range of permutations available in the Globecar's eight-model D-Line range, though there is a chance the spec you want may nudge the price over £50k. Long-wheelbase, extra-long or medium; single or double beds; compact washroom or one that extends into the aisle; an extra berth in the lounge, double bunks or an extra double in the pop-top roof - all of these are features you can choose. We're looking here at the Campscout, which is a 6.36m-long model with separate single beds. There's an angled kitchen, an expanding washroom and a good-sized fridge, at 138 litres.

Globecar Summit Prime

Globecar's Summit range has some smart features. The swing-wall washroom - introduced in 2016 - is a curved wall onto which the basin is fixed in the corner of the bathroom and hinges around the toilet to create a curtain-free shower cubicle. Now, new for 2020, is an opening overcab SkyRoof that enhances space and daylight in the cab and lounge areas. There are three models in the Summit Prime range; the 540 is the compact version, the 600 has a transverse double bed and extra kitchen space, and the top-of-the-range 640 has twin beds arranged lengthways.

Hobby Vantana OnTour

There are three models in Hobby's Vantana range. The OnTour version starts in price from £43,038 and is the model we're focusing on here (though the K60 FT De Luxe just comes into the £50k budget, too). The cab has driver and passenger airbags and air conditioning. There's a fridge at the end of the galley kitchen, comfy foam mattresses on the beds, and gas-fired Truma Combi 4 keeps things warm on the heating and hot water front. A flyscreen for the sliding door is a welcome touch.

Hymer Free

Hymer is a famous name in motorhomes but you can get a campervan from this big hitter for less than £50k. The Hymer Free range is designed with a more youthful interior than the rest of the Hymer Camper Van line-up and includes the Free 540 (the smallest model in the range), the Free 600 and the Free 602. The latter is unusual in that it has a much more spacious lengthways bedroom, but is still in the 5.99m van rather than the extra-long Fiat Ducato. If you need extra berths, all three models can have a pop-top roof added, which includes a large double bed.

Malibu Charming Coupe

The van conversion range from Malibu is all Fiat Ducato-based, with 11 models to choose from. The Charming Coupe, in the spotlight here, is the newest addition to the line-up. The 600 DB layout has a transverse double bed to the rear, including pull-out steps for access. There are soft-close drawers in the kitchen and generous extra storage under the half-dinette bench, but the undisputed star of the show is the washroom. This has a slide-away toilet and a large shower.

Rapido V55

A confession - if you add the VED to the starting price of £49,810, the cost of this Rapido slips over the £50k mark, but we had to include this model anyway. The V55 isn't a new model, but the Modul'Space washroom design has been a real innovation. The clever bit is the double use of the shower space. There is a separate shower cubicle when needed and the area also houses a wardrobe. You can also create a full-width changing room. UK models get an oven in the kitchen, while the 2020-season Rapido V55 has a big overcab sunroof. If you're interested in a six-metre campervan with a fixed bed, this should be on your shortlist.

Roller Team Toleno

Roller Team's Toleno range is closely related to the Auto-Trail Tribute, Benimar Benivan and Chausson 33 Line - they all emerge from Auto-Trail's factory in Grimsby. The three Toleno models are based on the Fiat Ducato with 120bhp Euro 6d engine, and all have 16in alloy wheels. The latest 2020 versions have a slimmer kitchen with a gas oven. New for the 2020 season is the Toleno S, a four-travel-seat, two-berth model with a spacious rear lounge. This joins the two existing 5.99m models, the Toleno L and Toleno R. The Roller Team Toleno S is an extra-long model, at 6.36m.

Sunlight Cliff XV

The new Cliff XV editions were created and launched to celebrate Sunlight's 15 years in business. The XV range stands out due to its stylish metallic black paint exterior and 16in alloy wheels, while the interior has high-end mattresses and showers with duckboards. The Fiat base vehicle has air-conditioning, a passenger airbag, leather steering wheel, cruise control and other specs, while there's a large rooflight in the lounge. All of this makes the Sunlight Cliff XV extremely well appointed for its price, which starts from £42,164.

Weinsberg CaraBus Outlaw

This is something really different from a mainstream manufacturer - the Weinsberg CaraBus Outlaw is a campervan designed to have the biggest possible garage; one large enough to house a motorbike or quad. It even comes with loading ramps!

Garage aside, the rest of the layout is fairly conventional, with a half-dinette and swivel cab seats create the lounge and dining area, and a 75-litre fridge and two-burner hob in the kitchen. The generously-sized bedroom is above the garage. Between the garage and lounge, on the nearside, is a washroom with swivel cassette toilet, fixed basin, shower and an opening window.

Westfalia Amundsen

This is a prestige campervan brand with a proud history dating back more than 65 years, so you might a bit surprised to see the name included here among what is a budget-priced selection. Yet, here it is - revised for 2020, the Amundsen marks a more serious attack on the entry-level Fiat-based van conversion sector. The new Amundsen retains its three existing layouts - the 540 D with transverse bed in a medium-wheelbase van, the longer 600 D, and 600 E, which offers lengthways sleeping but still in the 5.99m Ducato. The Amundsen's kitchen is more spacious than in some rivals and there's plenty of worktop. Diesel-fired Truma Combi heating is another plus.