Best motorhome under £80,000 2023

The best motorhomes combine a great layout with excellent fixtures and fittings and a quality base vehicle. But how do you choose the one for you? That is where the Practical Motorhome Awards 2023 come in. Our expert judging panel have used our years of collective experience to pick out the very best motorhome under £80,000 on the market, as well as revealing the shortlisted contenders.

Models from some of the biggest brands have made it onto our list, including Knaus, Ford and more.

We also share our top picks from recent years, with manufacturers including Hymer, Dethleffs and Swift all appearing.

You can find out more about the different brands that are out there by reading our guide to the best motorhome manufacturers.

This year, we selected the Knaus Tourer Van 700MQ Vansation as our winner, with the innovative washroom being just one of the features that our judges loved. In this guide, you can see what we made of it, as well as the models that made our shortlist.

The best motorhome under £80,000 is:

Knaus Tourer Van 700MQ Vansation

Price: £72,230
Berths: 4
MTPLM: 2800kg
Payload: 140kg
MIRO: TBC
Length: 5.88m
Width: 2.16m

Reason to buy:

Great cross between van conversion and coachbuilt, innovative washroom

Reason to avoid:

Perhaps too novel for now?

It probably misses the boat if you are looking for a budget version or low-profile, but if you are able to spend just a little bit more, this new model from Knaus manages to combine the best of both types of vehicles by being significantly less than 6m long (and so easy to park) while still offering loads of comfort and exciting innovations.

In particular, despite that relatively short length you can still have a separate shower cubicle, because the cubicle here folds down to half height when you don’t need it, so that you can have more room to stretch out on a large and comfy bed. Don’t worry – you still have access to the toilet whatever position the shower is in.

Inside the Knaus Tourer Van 700MQ Vansation

This motorhome also features a comfy front dinette, and – again unusual for a coachbuilt motorhome this size – a bed you slide out from over the cab if you need somewhere for the grandkids to sleep.

In the Vansation special editions coming to the UK you get all sorts of extras too, including DSG automatic transmission and a rear view camera.

You can opt for the slightly cheaper Weinsberg X-Cursion Van 500MQ with the same layout, but you might find the Knaus name carries more kudos.

Also on the shortlist for the best motorhome under £80,000 are:

Ford Nugget Plus

Price: from £79,617
Berths: 4
MTPLM: 3400kg
Payload: 1186kg
MiRO: 2214kg
Length: 5.33m
Width: 1.98m

Reason to buy:

Trusted name, great build quality

Reason to avoid:

Awkward table

Like the Jobl Kampa LE campervan in the best motorhome under £60,000 section, the new Ford Nugget Plus offers customers the comfort of having a toilet and small washbasin in the rear.

Unlike the Jobl van, it is also at a fairly premium price. However, given the Ford name, and the reputation of Westfalia, the company which makes the vehicle for Ford, it is likely that it will hold its value fairly well. So if you have the money, it could be a wise choice.

There is much to like about this vehicle in any case. The L-shaped kitchen at the end, for example, is luxuriously spacious for a campervan, and means the cook can keep in the conversation with whoever is in the lounge. The lounge area also folds over easily to make a second double bed that partly tucks under this kitchen to save space. That’s a useful addition to have, although if there is just the two of you you might prefer the comfy bed roofbed.

We did find the table Westfalia has had to substitute on right hand drive models for the clip-on table that was originally supplied takes up quite a bit of storage space when you are on the road. But it also makes for a great place to sit out and enjoy an al fresco supper under the roll-out awning.

You can get more van inspiration in our guide to the best campervans

Full review: Ford Nugget Plus

Benimar Tessoro 483

Price: £77,995
Berths: 4
MTPLM: 3500kg
MiRO: 3048kg
Payload: 451kg
Length: 6.7m
Width: 2.3m

Reason to buy:

Great spec, easily accessible garage and gas bottle locker

Reason to avoid:

Washbasin in washroom is tiny

End washroom motorhomes are becoming increasingly popular, and this one, Spanish manufacturer Benimar’s take on the motorhome layout, is one of the better ones.

Our winner of the best motorhome for couples category has a great spec level that includes a huge fridge and an extractor van in the kitchen, a garage with three doors to make loading and unloading easy, a gas bottle that for once is at a helpful height (ie not very high), and an electronically adjusted pedestal table, so no struggling with levers as you lower the table to make the bed.

You may not need to, if it’s just the two of you (which is actually how we think this motorhome works best) because there is also a comfy drop-down bed.

The washroom at the end has plenty of room to get dressed in, and feels even larger thanks to the clever use of mirrors.

Perhaps best of all, when it comes to Benimar, sold exclusively through Marquis Leisure in the UK, you know the price on the label is what you are going to have to pay. There are few, if any, hidden extras.

Full review: Benimar Tessoro 483

The shortlisted models for the best motorhome under £80,000 at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2023 were:

Adria Matrix Supreme 670SL

Price: £75,895
Berths: 4
MTPLM: 3650kg
MiRO: 3150kg
Shipping length: 7.48m

Reasons to buy:

Good kitchen
Bright lounge

Reasons to avoid:

No microwave
Toilet hatch would most likely be accessed from within the awning

Last year’s winner of the best motorhome under £80,000 offer a quality interior at a price that is not hugely excessive. This one gives you just that little bit more room compared to its 5.99m-long cousins. You can really luxuriate in the extra-long beds Adria has fitted at the front too.

Drop-down beds can sometimes make the front lounges beneath them feel a bit dingy, but the enlarged sunroof in this motorhome makes sure that as much daylight gets in as possible.

The whole motorhome is 7cm higher than the previous Matrix generation, but that shouldn’t necessarily lead to a more blowsy driving experience. And the benefit you get is a double floor right the way along the motorhome and a flat floor inside. So no one should be tripping over anything.

We like the side kitchen of this model – it provides you with a three-burner inline hob, Duplex combined oven and grill, a rectangular sink, a 142-litre fridge and an extractor fan. It’s well lit too, courtesy of a Heki, window and strip lights, although we would have liked to see a microwave.

Something to bear in mind with this ‘van is that the split central layout of the washroom means the toilet is on the side that an awning would be on, and as a result, the hatch would need accessing from within the awning.

We think useful additions, like the cubbyhole for the eclectic hook-up immediately outside the door, add to this van’s attractiveness.

Read our full review: Adria Matrix Supreme 670SL

Adria Matrix 600SL Axess

Price: £65,795

Axess gets a similar upgrade to what Plus and Supreme had last year, which means a flat floor. With this model you also get 2m-long beds in less than 6m of space.

Mobilvetta Tekno Line Kea P86

Price: £69,995

There’s a huge amount of storage in this stylish low-profile, thanks to a large garage and two skirting lockers on the outside. Plenty of room for people to relax too.

Mobilvetta Tekno Line K Yacht 86

Price: £79,995

We go for the fixed single bed option of this Italian designed and nautically-inspired A-class, complete with underfloor heating and plenty of storage.

Auto-Sleeper Broadway EL

Price: £68,700
Berths: 2
MTPLM: 3500kg
MiRO: 3171kg
Length: 6.63m

Reasons to buy:

Great central washroom

Reasons to avoid:

Storage could be better

There’s a lot to like in this 2 berth, with a comfortable rear lounge that is well lit, thanks to a huge Heki and three windows, just one of the highlights. Eight spotlights ensures this continues into the evening too.

If you need a temporary desk while you’re in your van, the swivelling passenger seat and fold-down bar will provide just that, while the kitchen is also well-lit.

The central washroom is another standout feature, with a swinging partition opening out to give extra room for a separate shower cabinet.

When it comes to sleeping arrangements, the settees are comfortable single beds, but can easily transform into a double, thanks to the pull-out platforms.

We would like to see better storage on offer. We liked the seven overhead lockers, while we found the area under the side settees easy to access – however, the offside area is primarily taken up with electrics and a protruding wheel arch.

Overall, we’re fans of the ‘van that made it onto our best motorhome round-up and was also the winner of the best motorhome under 7m category at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2022.

Read our full review: Auto-Sleeper Broadway EL

Our pick of the other best motorhomes under £80,000 from recent years

Bürstner Lyseo 2020

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £72,125
Layout: Rear single beds
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 2
MTLPM: 3880kg
Length: 6.99m

If you favour rear-wheel drive and are looking for something upmarket, this could be the ’van for you. The 690 G has a fixed-single-beds layout. The ‘G’ stands for garage and the one here has access doors either side and is a good 1.14m high, so has plenty of room for bicycles.

The seats on the forward-facing bench don’t come with three-point seatbelts, even as an option, but there is plenty of room for at least four.

Workspace is tight in the kitchen but it’s well lit, both by a large window and by LEDs under the roomy overhead lockers.

A combined oven and grill under the hob doesn’t take up too much room alongside a useful combination of drawers and lockers, and there’s a 142-litre slimline fridge between the kitchen and the rear bed.

At 1.93m in length, the single beds aren’t hugely long, although they are 80cm wide and comfy. The bathroom has a sophisticated feel, with a large basin and well-lit mirror.

PROs
Elegant and comfortable
Good washroom for this layout

CONs
Storage limited if travelling with more than two people

Hymer B-Class MC T 600 2020

STAR RATING 4.5 OUT OF 5

Price: £67,740
Layout: Rear single beds
Sleeps: 2
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.19m

The 600 focuses closely on the UK market, with fixed single beds at the back, set over a large garage with a 350kg load capacity and a great mix of lashing points, storage slots and lighting. The build quality is superb. And then there’s the Mercedes aspect. It’s easily the best Sprinter yet.

Up front, nobody would call the lounge large, but it’s a typical Continental formula – settee, inward-facing single seat and both cab seats swivel.

The kitchen squeezes in a full Spinflo cooker (an option), but still offers lots of storage, with lower-level drawers, and hooks.

The single beds have superior cold-foam mattresses on loose membranes, for support and ventilation.

The washroom is clever. The bench toilet makes perfect sense: they’re a lot easier to clean around. Facing it, the shower cubicle might seem an odd shape, but it’s merely making the most of the space – the duckboards are an essential extra.

PROs
Mercedes Sprinter base vehicle
Bench toilet in washroom

CONs
Lack of seated headroom in bed
Limited space in lounge

Read more in our Hymer B-Class MC T 600 review

Mobilvetta Kea P65 2020

STAR RATING 4.5 OUT OF 5

Price: £69,996
Layout: Rear single beds
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.38m

Continental good looks combine with a UK-friendly habitation door to make this a welcome return to the market. Despite its 7.38m length, you won’t necessarily have a struggle driving this, as Marquis has had all the Mobilvettas it sells fitted with the more powerful 160bhp Fiat Ducato engine.

The kitchen looks sophisticated, with an induction hob and two gas burners. You also get an extractor fan, a large sink and a trap-door that lifts to reveal a bin. But that means the worktop itself isn’t particularly big.

The bedroom is partitioned off by a folding door, and the nearside part of the washroom by a tambour door. The fixed single beds are high, but easy to get into. They are comfortable, with well-padded headboards, but headroom isn’t great.

The shower cubicle on the offside comes with a clothes drying rail, roof vent and plenty of LED lighting. The nearside washroom includes a circular basin, with a towel rail in front of a swing-out cupboard.

PROs
Plenty of storage space
UK-friendly

CONs
Not much payload to play with

Read more in our Mobilvetta Kea P65 review

Swift Kon-tiki Sport 560 2020

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £63,150
Layout: Rear corner bed
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.09m

The announcement of the Sport line-up was a major boost for Swift’s 2020 season Kon-tiki offerings. The 560, one of seven Kon-tiki Sports – might have few surprises with its floorplan – four berths, rear French bed with washroom adjacent – but there’s more than enough innovation inside.

Fiat’s market-dominating Ducato provides all of the underpinnings, and the 560 Sport starts off with the 150bhp.The sub-400kg payload might seem tight, but only if the ‘van is used as a full four-berth. There’s every reason to suspect that couples will want to keep the Sport 560 to themselves.

The headline-grabbing feature of a star-studded kitchen is the 133-litre Dometic fridge, with its clever door operation that means it opens either way. Across the corridor, the main unit is a space-efficient L-shape, with a dual-fuel Thetford cooker plus microwave, and a stainless-steel inset sink with add-on drainer.

At the back, few will have qualms about the comfort and support of the Duvalay Apollo Luxe mattress. The washroom adjacent has the usual fixed basin/swivel-bowl toilet/shower cubicle trio, accompanied by an Ecocamel Orbit showerhead on a riser bar.

PROs
Excellent kitchen
High level of specification

CONs
Lack of USB outlets in the lounge

Read more in our Swift Kon-tiki Sport 560 review

Auto-Sleepers Corinium FB 2020

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £68,205
Layout: Rear washroom
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 2
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.75m

For the ultimate in coachbuilt luxury, you can’t go far wrong with the Corinium range from Auto-Sleepers. The FB variant reviewed here has a French bed and, across the back, a full washroom.

The base vehicle is Peugeot’s Boxer with high-level Al-Ko chassis extension. If you want auto, Auto-Sleepers can switch to Fiat’s Ducato.

The FB has twin sofas aft of the cab, which, combined with the swivelled cab seats and the freestanding table (from its own locker), makes for the roomy daytime space many motorhomes can only dream about. The kitchen is mid-‘van, with the main unit along the offside housing a Thetford cooker (three gas rings, plus hotplate, separate oven and grill) to the right and the stainless steel sink far left.

Open the door beyond the kitchen and – noting the flat floor throughout – there’s the fullest of bedrooms and a washroom extending right across the back. A door from the bedroom provides access to the washroom. It’s decidedly roomy, despite some intrusion by the setting of the basin.

PROs
Extensive specification
Lots of living space
Large bedroom

CONs
Limited payload

Read more in our Auto-Sleepers Corinium FB review

Dethleffs Pulse T7051 DBM GT 2019

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £62,900
Layout: Rear island bed
Sleeps: 3
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.41m

If you’re in the market for a high-quality, stylish, three-berth coachbuilt motorhome, this might be the one to set your heart racing.

The low-profile bodywork gives off ‘premium’ signals – flush-fitting habitation windows, and opening sunroof in the overcab. It’s a wider-than-average entrance (with window), ditto the electric step. Facing the entrance is the lounge. Continental in styling, with L-shaped sofa and small inward-facing side seats.

The kitchen’s angled worktop means extra space is offered, with the circular sink inset and a triangular three-ring hob to its left, all protected by splash panelling. Under the hob, there’s a generous cutlery drawer, beneath which is a Thetford Duplex oven/grill combination.

The bed is manually height adjustable, and – thanks to the shaped wardrobes – wider than most. Beyond the kitchen, you step up to the tambour-doored shower cubicle on your right and toilet room to the left. The former is plastic-lined and has a wooden duckboard.

PROs
Attractive ceiling panelling
Opening sunroof in the overcab

CONs
Wheel arch intrusion in the shower

Read more in our Dethleffs Pulse T7051 DBM GT review

Rapido 880F 2019

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £65,600
Layout: Rear island bed
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 7.04m

Big lounge, big beds – that’s the theme for Rapido A-classes in 2019 and the 880F has been stretched by some 10cm. By Rapido standards, the floorplan is quite routine – rear island bed, pull-down double over the cab area, large front lounge, and central kitchen and washroom. All squeezed into a body that’s only just over 7m long.

Inside, this 880F has the Castello furniture finish and Denver soft furnishings. Up front, you’ll find the usual Continental-style lounge.

The main kitchen unit, on the nearside, houses a three-in-a-line gas hob, with the oven set low, below a cutlery drawer. The pull-down double bed is manually operated. Like the island bed, it has a Bultex mattress on a slatted base. The island bed at the rear of the 880F is flanked by wardrobes and ledges, with lockers overhead and neat paddle lights.

The step-in shower cubicle has folding doors, and the panelling supports a handy wire basket and the riser bar.On the off-side, the toilet room has a stylish handbasin. Not the deepest, perhaps, but it has a proper metal swan-neck tap.

PROs
Smart looking exterior
Stylish washroom

Fleurette Discover 65LMC 2019

STAR RATING 4 OUT OF 5

Price: £70,589
Layout: Rear island bed
Sleeps: 4
Travel seats: 4
MTLPM: 3500kg
Length: 6.59m

At ‘just’ 6.59m long, this is the baby of the seven-strong range – an overall length that will appeal to those who don’t want too big a vehicle. Also of interest is the floorpan, which gives you a rear island-bed as well as the usual pull-down double (with easy action) over the cab. Take another look at the rear bed and you’ll see it’s slightly offset, meaning a more spacious toilet room adjacent while still allowing the three-sides access you’d associate with any island bed.

It’s a typical lounge – swivel cab seat plus forward-facing double travel unit adapting to an L-shaped sofa, with a handy fold-up stool across the doorway.

The main kitchen unit is nearside mid-‘van. It’s deep, with an ergonomically friendly curve that isn’t just easier for the chef, it also helps enhance the capacities of the three large, soft-close drawers.

Washroom facilities are less intrusive than a separate shower and toilet. Here, the double-doored, part-circular cubicle is on the offside, aft of the fridge-freezer. The swivel-bowl toilet, over which there’s a fold-down basin, is in a separate room.

This ‘van’s got the looks, the specification and the luxury, while the offset island-bed offers an appealing little twist

PROs
Flat floor from cab to bedroom
Small rear garage

CONs
Upright rear travel seat

Read more in our Fleurette Discover 65LMC review

You can find more motorhome reviews in our Motorhome Buying Guides – check out Best motorhomes under £60,000 and Best motorhomes over £80,000

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