The best motorhome cover provides you with a simple way of protecting your pride and joy from the harsh winter elements, as well as UV damage and bird droppings. It can also act as an extra line of defence against burglars, making it a fairly important buy to get right.
It’s understandable that after buying one of the best motorhomes, you’ll want to do everything you can to look after your ‘van – so, how do you go about choosing the right cover?
Make sure you’ve checked the hydrostatic head of the cover you’re thinking of buying – this means how waterproof it will be. Take the material it’s made with into consideration too, ensuring it has a soft inner lining and is also breathable. Are you likely to be popping in and out of your ‘van during the offseason to carry out some motorhome maintenance or cleaning? If so, an easy-to-use door flap will be important. Equipment like satellite dishes and solar panels could require a customised cover too.
Motorhome covers come in various guises and sizes, so it can feel daunting to pick the one for your ‘van. That’s where the Practical Motorhome Awards 2024 come in; we’ve used our decades of collective experience to pick out the best motorhome covers, as well as sharing our top pick on the market.
Practical Motorhome is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
The best motorhome cover is:
Protec Motorhome Covers
Reasons to buy
- Straightforward to fit onto your motorhome, impressive materials and construction
All motorhome covers are basically the same, right? Not quite – while you can buy very cheap examples online, to properly protect your pride and joy it’s well worth investing in a quality model that could last the lifetime of your vehicle.
Enter Protec covers, which offers premium covers specifically designed for their large database of campervan, coachbuilt and A-class motorhomes – and if yours isn’t there, contact the team who should be able to help. Fitting these covers is really easy, thanks to the appropriately named Easy-Fit System: the rear of the cover rolls up, making it more simple to get the rest of the cover in place, before you then roll the door back down. Protec also uses its exclusive PROTEX003 fabric, which has a breathable membrane to help prevent condensation build-up.
Door access comes as standard, too, so you can easily get in and out of your ‘van during lay-up; Protec covers also have a three-year warranty, and come in a choice of three colours.
Price: From £410 at Protec Covers
On our shortlist for the best motorhome cover are:
Specialised motorhome covers
Reasons to buy:
- Great quality materials, caters for solar panels and similar
Yorkshire-based motorhome cover manufacturer, Specialised Covers, has a reputation for creating covers of the very highest quality, be that for a motorhome, caravan or classic/prestige car. Each one is designed to offer the utmost protection, thanks to the strong, durable and breathable material used in its manufacture.
Torrent is the non-abrasive material that each cover is lined with. This soft fabric is in contact with your motorhome panels, ensuring maximum defence against scratching.
Specialised Covers has a team of top designers who create bespoke plans using CAD to meet each customer’s specific requirements, be that a rare motorhome model or one fitted with aftermarket additions like A/C units and satellite dishes. They can also add additional access points into the design, and transparent vinyl windows to allow PV solar panels to charge the leisure battery (£75 extra) when the cover’s fitted. Each cover comes with telescopic fitting poles.
Price: From £899 at Specialised Covers
Maypole Motorhome Cover
Reasons to buy:
- Elasticated hem should help secure fit, reasonable price
Maypole’s Universal motorhome cover offers a cost-effective way to give your treasured motorhome the protection it deserves.
Made from robust, waterproof and breathable four-ply material, these covers feature many clever details which hint at the level of thought that’s gone into their design. For example, a Velcro strap reinforces the zip access, to protect against damage in even the highest winds, while the cover design makes it very easy to fit and remove, or access the vehicle when you’re storing a motorhome.
Super-strong nylon straps with buckles attach the cover securely to your motorhome, and provide an extra layer of defence against opportunist thieves.
A tight fit is essential with all covers, and this Maypole boasts an elasticated hem which prevents loose material flapping in the wind and buffing the finish on the side panels.
Motorhomes up to 2.705m high and from 5.7m to 8m in length can be fitted with these superb covers.
Maypole 9325 roof cover
Reasons to buy:
- Handy if you don’t want a full cover, ideal for overcab motorhomes
With a range of four designs, made to fit motorhomes measuring from 5.7m to 8.5m, Maypole’s Top Covers offer a great combination of convenience, protection, ease of use and great value.
The heavy-duty polyester material is strong and durable and comes with a silvered finish that not only looks great, but reflects heat and damaging UV rays, too.
The design is ideal for motorhomes with over-cab spaces, as there is a reinforced, elasticated hem at the front, which ensures a tight, neat look, and prevents moisture getting under the cover, even in the worst weather conditions you’ll encounter.
This cover comes with 18 adjustable straps and nylon-coated steel hooks for secure fitting, and the straps feature padded protectors to prevent damage to the motorhome’s paintwork. It’s this attention to detail that makes the Maypole such a great choice.
With prices from £84.50 to £106.12, the 9325 Roof Cover is one of the best ways to protect your motorhome from the damage caused by bird lime, sap, grime and UV rays.
UK Custom Covers Campervan Cover
Reasons to buy:
- Ideal if you have a VW campervan, light in weight and packs down small
This top-notch waterproof cover is designed to fit the VW Transporter T5 and T5.1 ‘like a glove’.
The grey cover is manufactured in robust polypropylene material, and provides a perfect fit for the sought-after VWs, including the wing mirrors.
The SMMS four-layer, non-woven, padded fabric is breathable, waterproof and UV proof, with a weight of 160GSM. This delivers a good combination of strength and light weight, and makes it easy to store inside the VW, where space is at a premium.
The cover fixes securely in place using straps which go under the body and clip together. Owners commend the excellent fit, including for non-VW vehicles such as Toyota’s Alphard and Regius campervan conversions.
At £99.95, this UK Custom Covers item offers excellent protection from grime, bird muck and tree sap, plus enhanced privacy and motorhome security when the vehicle is parked at home or in storage.
How to choose the best motorhome cover
A cover with a good hydrostatic head will be an important starting point. This essentially means how waterproof it is. How much waterproofing you need can be up for debate – for instance, contributor John Sootheran says ” The Ministry of Defence says that it’s under 1000mm, while some of the outdoor clothing manufacturers stipulate 4000mm”.
The process of stitching panels together can create potential weak spots. As a result, the best covers have minimal seaming to not only increase the waterproofing but to also lower the chance of weak seam ripping.
As well as the hydrostatic head, you will want to ensure the cover is made from a material with good breathability. Failing to do this can lead to damp and mould, two things you’ll never want to encounter. A soft inner lining will be important too, with a more abrasive lining capable of damaging the shine of the plastic and painted finish on your ‘van.
We’d always advise spending a bit more to get a longer-lasting and stronger cover. A good cover should provide tensile strength, tear resistance and elongation.
Think about the equipment your ‘van has too – are there solar panels or a satellite dish fitted, for instance? If so, a custom cover will be required to take these into account.
Your own habits are also worth thinking about. Are you likely to need access to your ‘van when you’re storing it? If so a quick-release door flap will be essential, allowing you to quickly get in and out as required.
Why do I need a motorhome cover?
Our ‘vans can deteriorate – fast – when they’re not in use, with the finish discolouring, seals and sealant perishing, and components corroding. This is caused by the weather and UV rays, with the latter causing flaking, cracking and chalking.
UV will not only dry out paint resins, leading to cracking, but also fade and discolour the pigments. This is where a cover comes in, helping to protect your home-on-wheels from these harmful rays. It also has the additional benefit of preventing other external factors such as bird droppings and tree sap from landing directly on your motorhome.
A cover can prevent sun damage to the interior of your ‘van too. Last but not least, a motorhome cover can be a good deterrent to thieves, helping you to keep your ‘van safe.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Motorhome magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things motorhome related.
