Major survey reveals why campervans are so popular in the UK

The largest survey of its kind ever undertaken in the UK has revealed why campervans are proving so popular here.

The survey, which was carried out by Campervan magazine, in partnership with the Caravan and Motorhome Club (C&MC), had almost 1,900 respondents, the vast majority of whom own a campervan

The survey aimed to discover why so many people are attracted to the campervan lifestyle. The results revealed that the passion to escape the everyday drudgery of life and the desire to have the freedom to go where you want when you want was an overriding reason why so many people buy a campervan. This was confirmed by the fact that almost half of all respondents said they do little planning before jumping in their campervan and heading off, preferring instead to “see where the mood takes me”.

But this freedom to explore and then move on is not the only reason people are flocking to the campervan hobby. Many respondents said it is belonging to an exclusive community that also attracted them to campervanning, with many identifying with the phrase: “It’s a lifestyle thing – I love being part of the campervan scene”.

Over the past eight years, sales of new campervans have rocketed with some estimates suggesting as many as one-in-three new motorised leisure vehicles now being sold are campervans. This equates to over 4,000 every year, with some suggesting the true figure could be as high as 6,500.

“The wonderful vision of escaping everyday life and setting off on an adventure is not unattainable dream and this survey proves it – thousands of people have literally turned their dream into a reality with a campervan,” said Daniel Attwood, Managing Editor of Campervan magazine. “While there are some fascinating statistics in the survey that will help us shape the future content of Campervan magazine, which moves from bi-monthly to monthly in January because of growing demand, the one thing that really struck me is the most common comment respondents made. And that comment was ‘just do it!’ when we asked them what one piece of advice they would offer to someone thinking of buying a campervan.”

The C&MC said the results provide a fascinating insight into the needs of campervanners. The Caravan and Motorhome Club's Director of Marketing, Harvey Alexander, said: “The survey provides the Caravan and Motorhome Club with the perfect reference tool to enable the Club to continue to be at the forefront of offering leisure vehicle users exactly the type of sites and facilities they are looking for, and to inspire them to embark upon new adventures.”

As a result of this growing demand for campervans, all the major British and European motorhome manufacturers have, or are about to, produce campervans as part of their portfolio.

It is now estimated that there are currently 225,000 campervans and motorhomes on Britain’s roads, although it is impossible to calculate what percentage of these are campervans. While they are both leisure vehicles, there is an obvious difference between a campervan and a motorhome: campervans are built within the metal structure of the original van, while motorhomes have a complete replacement coachbuilt body added.

New campervans can cost as much as £100,000 but many people have discovered you can buy a campervan for much, much less. Over a third of respondents said their current campervan was bought second-hand for under £10,000, although a third said they spent between £35,000 and £55,000 on their current campervan.

You can read more about the survey in the next issue of Campervan magazine, which goes on sale in shops on September 27. Or subscribe to Campervan magazine to get your copy first!