Over the years, I’ve tested almost every size of motorhome, from tiny Berlingo-based campervans to 7.5-tonne RVs and A-class models. I’ve squeezed small campervans along narrow Cornish lanes and wafted along in 9m-long A-class vehicles on the vast German autobahns.
This has informed my thinking about the size of vehicle that works best for me. But the key phrase is ‘for me’.
What works best for you is going to be different. Many factors come into play when you are selecting the size of motorhome and a vehicle to suit your lifestyle, whether you’re buying a new or used motorhome, so it’s helpful to run through them here.
Motorhome sizes: what you need to know
What are you licensed for?
Insurance and budget
Storage
Camping cars
Small van-based campers
Medium van-based campervans
Large van-based panel van conversions
Coachbuilts and A-Class models
Larger vehicle considerations
What size of motorhome are you licensed for?
First things first – make sure you have the appropriate driving licence for a motorhome.
Before you spend any money, dig out your driving licence and head online to the Government websites to check the driving licence categories and driving licence codes to see which vehicles you are entitled to drive. Do not use any other websites for this – it’s all on gov.uk and all free.
If you have the B category on your licence, you can drive everything up to medium-sized coachbuilts, which are generally up to 3500kg Maximum Authorised Mass.
Most motorhomes are under 3500kg, to enable as many buyers as possible to be eligible to drive them, but this can make the payload tight.
Moves are afoot to try to raise this B category weight limit to 4250kg in Europe, which should be adopted by the UK at some point. It hasn’t happened yet, but fingers crossed.
For now, to drive a heavier vehicle such as the Le Voyageur 7.6 GJF Heritage, you’ll need the C1 entitlement, and this usually allows you to drive something from 3.5 tonnes up to 7.5 tonnes, depending on when you passed your test and the restriction codes. If you’re over 70, you’ll have to renew your C1 entitlement every three years with a postal D2 application form and a doctor’s D4 medical exam.
Many over-70s choose not to do this (or have medical issues that prevent straightforward renewal – the DVLA can set the terms), instead opting for a lighter motorhome.
Take a look at my guide to motorhome weights for more about the relevant terms and
Insurance and budget
Once you know what class of vehicle you’re entitled to drive, it’s time to consider insurance and budget.
These are linked and the considerable cost of insurance has to be a big factor in choosing the vehicle – especially if you are under 30.
If your budget is very stretched, you might be tempted to look at a self-built campervan, but I’d be cautious about these. So many firms popped up in recent years, knocking out cheap ’vans, that the market is awash with lesser-quality, high-mileage vehicles.
These self-builds are far more costly to insure than a regular manufacturer conversion and of such variable quality that we’d give them a wide berth.
Many are not correctly classified as ‘motor caravan’ on the V5C logbook, meaning they are classed as ‘Van with Windows’, which not all insurers are keen about and which may be subject to lower speed limits if they’re over 3050kg in unladen weight.
You’ll pay more for a vehicle at a motorhome dealer, but we’d always recommend that over private sale purchases. Although eBay is getting better at policing scams (and does take action when notified), some other sites are far more lax about this.
Storing the motorhome
Once you’ve negotiated your licence, insurance and budget, it’s time to think about the motorhome size.
It’s easier to have something that fits on your driveway or property if you can, but this isn’t always possible, so you might need to factor in the cost and availability of storing a motorhome at a local storage facility.
Equally, if you live in a Low Emission Zone or are subject to a congestion charge, the location of your house or vehicle storage area can be critical to keeping the costs down.
Many petrol-engine campervans are not subject to these charges and are worth considering, but this might rule out older diesel models. Perhaps you could save money by simply hiring a vehicle when needed.
If you live on a new housing estate, check if any covenants are in place preventing you from parking a large motorhome directly outside your house – many builders specifically exclude leisure vehicles, boats and trailers from driveways.
Which of the best vans for converting to a camper you choose can make a difference too. A VW Transporter-sized campervan is usually fine, but a Ducato-sized van conversion or coachbuilt may not be.
You need to be considerate, too: if your vehicle blocks light to a window in a neighbour’s house, they won’t be happy and are sure to complain.
Camping cars
Camping cars are essentially one rung up from sticking an inflatable mattress in the back of your car or bolting a roof tent onto the roof rails.
They’re ideal for people who want to have just one vehicle as both a daily driver and a weekend camper.
Generally, these tend to be based on smaller MPVs, such as the Doblo and the Berlingo, fitted with some form of basic camping pod in the rear or a clever fold-out pop-top roof.
They tend to be compact to park and offer a car-like drive, but they are something of a compromise in terms of their camping prowess. They can be fine for the odd night away for solo campers, and useful for anglers as they’re compact enough to be driven close to a riverbank and light enough not to get stuck in soft ground.
Some electric cars make half-decent campers – such as Teslas, which have a factory option mattress on the Model 3 and the Model Y – as you can use the battery bank and the heating system to keep the car warm.
Small van-based campers
Proper van-based campers (that is, ones that don’t have a car-like bonnet) prioritise the interior space over the car-like drive.
Back in the day, we tested Bedford Rascals, Suzuki Super Carrys and Daihatsu Hijets with various forms of camper conversion. Generally, these had a tiny pop-top and limited space inside. If you’re over 6ft, forget it.
The Bambi coachbuilt conversion (as seen on Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out) was another option, but these are rather alarming when passing trucks, or in any crosswind stronger than an asthmatic mouse exhaling. Susan’s model had been fitted with extra-wide wheels to try to add some stability.
The new, modern equivalent of these would be something like a DFSK EC35. These are cheap, but not as well made as European vehicles, and they don’t seem to stand up that well to corrosion, making thorough rustproofing vital. Nor do they provide a great deal of habitation room.
If you’re working to a tight budget and must have a compact van, then a better-built, pre-owned Japanese vehicle, such as a Nissan Elgrand, Toyota Vellfire or Nissan Serena, could be a more suitable choice.
They have decent interior space, drive better and tend to come with smooth automatic gearboxes and lots of equipment fitted as standard.
Medium van-based campers
A European medium-sized van, such as a Ford Transit Custom or the VW Transporter, offers slightly more width than you get in a Japanese campervan.
They can sleep up to four adults with ease when fitted with a pop-top roof conversion, such as the Panama P57, and work well for families.
Few models come equipped with anything other than a chemical toilet, though, so privacy can be a challenge. A handful of models feature a cassette toilet and a basic shower, but in my opinion you sacrifice a lot of practicality to get these in – even in LWB models.
Typically, an SWB medium van is around 5m in length, but we’d always recommend going for an LWB model if it’s available. While only about 40cm longer, they’re no harder to park or store, but vastly increase the available habitation space.
Some buyers will be looking for the best campervan for everyday use and some of the latest medium vans, such as the Vauxhall Vivaro and the new Ford Transit Custom, are great drives (especially in auto form). They can easily replace a family car, so long as you bear in mind that few will be able to slip under 2m height barriers.
If you’re less concerned with use of the vehicle day-to-day and you don’t mind sacrificing a little economy to have extra storage space and better insulation, a high-top roof is worth considering. They’re warmer all year round and easier to live with onsite.
There are lots of variations in layout, but the floorplan that is most popular is the tried-and-tested side kitchen and rear bed/travel seat arrangement.
For maximum flexibility, look for models with sliding rear seat systems that allow you to vary the seat position to gain either lounge or luggage space (bear in mind that they can be heavier, so check payloads).
Large van-based panel van conversions
To many buyers, these are the sweet spot of motorhome conversions – large enough to house a proper washroom, yet compact enough to slot into a supermarket car park without having to take up two spaces.
A typical MWB Ducato van is around 6m in length (as seen with the Benimar Benivan 161), or 6.4m in the case of an LWB model. Some Transits, Sprinters and Ivecos are longer than this, but the extra width offered by the Ducato/Relay/Boxer conversions make them the most popular choice.
Most van conversions also have a washroom with a shower and this can be a big plus for many – it saves having to dash to the campsite facilities block in the pouring rain! The slightly wider cab of a large van makes it easy to access the habitation area and they’re also simple to set up once you arrive at the site.
For hobbies with bulky or expensive equipment – such as watersports kit or posh bikes – a large van can be the best campervan to opt for, offering far more storage and a model with a fixed rear bed over a storage area will work well.
They tend to be a lot easier to live with on holiday, too, thanks to their fixed or drop-down beds, making them quicker and easier to set up for night-time than smaller campers.
As is often the case, they’re not quite as car-like to drive as something like a Ford Transit Custom, although the new VW Crafter is one of the best large vans to drive. All large vans benefit from an automatic gearbox (usually a cost option) – such as the excellent Ducato nine-speed auto.
With any vehicle not used as a daily driver, you do need to make sure that when they are driven, they’re allowed to get fully warm and are treated to full revs at some point. Modern diesels hate short, sub-10-mile journeys.
Coachbuilts and A-Class models
What about if you’ve decided the campervan or motorhome debate by settling for a coachbuilt or A-class? Well, vehicles under 3500kg dominate the motorhome world and you’ll have the pick of a wide range of coachbuilt and A-class models in this sector.
Coachbuilts, such as the Pilote P720U Expression or the Benimar Tessoro 840, offer the most bang for your buck. Flaring the body out behind the cab on a coachbuilt gains a massive amount of internal space.
A-class motorhomes are wide along their entire width and this will provide an even greater feeling of spaciousness inside, and aid insulation.
If you like visiting Scandinavian countries (or Scotland!), it’s also worth looking out for models that come fitted with heated double floors and Alde’s wet heating system.
A-class vehicles are excellent for entertaining, because the extra cab width means that the swivel seats integrate far better with the lounge seating, especially if the whole of the floorspace is flat.
Many also provide the luxury of a drop-down bed over the cab and together with a rear fixed bed and a roomy central washroom, this makes them ideal for four adults.
Typically, A-class models have larger water tanks and battery banks, making them well suited to off-grid touring or longer trips, too.
The downside to coachbuilts is that the steel-bodied cab is going to be less well insulated than the habitation bodywork, and will shed more heat during the winter months.
Powerful modern heating can get around this, though, or you can simply fit a curtain to shield off the cab.
They are also more prone to water ingress than van conversions, making annual habitation checks vital.
A-class vehicles tend to be flagship models and therefore better as far as water ingress issues are concerned, but again, an annual habitation check is essential for peace of mind.
The only other point to make about A-class models is that the windscreen is further away from you, the vehicle is wider and it’s harder to judge where the front end is (and expensive to replace on insurance – so check the excess). Generally speaking, the larger the vehicle, the more truck-like the drive is going to be.
Larger vehicle considerations
If you’re looking at the larger 7.5-tonne A-classes and RVs, you’ll need to plan routes to avoid low bridges, bridges with weight limits and narrow access roads. In this case, it’s wise to invest in one of the best motorhome sat navs that allow you to enter the vehicle’s dimensions while plotting a suitable route.
Reversing cameras are mandatory on large vehicles – take a wrong turn and you often simply won’t be able to perform a U-turn and may have to back up. This happened to me in Germany when trying to access a small village with an arched entrance in a 7.5-tonne Morelo A-class – reversing out caused traffic chaos and wasn’t much fun!
Driving a 7.5-tonne vehicle over 9m in length also requires concentration and good mirrors. Cyclists are harder to spot, and being high up – most are built on a truck or coach ladder chassis – takes a bit of getting used to. Many also have air seats, which also take a bit of getting used to.
Most will be automatic, with power steering, so they are not complicated or heavy to drive, but they do feel very remote and their sheer size and bulk can be intimidating. We would always recommend some training first.
You’ll also have to be mindful of the vehicle’s weight – you can’t park on grass because it will simply sink into the ground. Generally speaking, up to around 7m-long vehicles are no problem for ‘regular’ pitches, but some of the 9m-plus A-class models are less easy to find pitches for.
The other consideration is the toilet waste, especially on RVs. While A-class models tend to be fitted with Dometic/Thetford-style cassette toilets, many large RVs have a separate black waste tank linked to the toilet.
Not all campsites are equipped with piping to allow you to extract this waste. Some people are now fitting macerator pumps to their RV’s black waste tank, to allow them to pipe their waste to a regular Elsan empty point.
Single-figure fuel economy is also common on truck-based RVs, while things such as a flat motorhome tyre are not possible to change yourself, making truck breakdown membership essential.
But if you want to enjoy the ultimate in luxury living and a real five-star luxury camping experience, with a proper power shower, top-end A-classes and RVs take some beating.
They’re absolutely great for long holidays in the sun without the hassle of having to lug cases around and suffer the misery of airport queues.
My final thoughts on choosing the right size of motorhome
Bigger isn’t always going to be better, and the real trick to buying the right motorhome for you is to pick one that is only as large as you need it to be.
Larger vehicles can be harder to live with, don’t drive as well and require pre-planned routes. Some people like this, some find it tiresome and bemoan the lack of spontaneity it creates.
Equally, go too small and you’re forever moving your stuff around to use the vehicle. Which model will be your ‘Goldilocks’ motorhome depends on how you like to holiday and can be something of a moving target.
Take a look at what I had to say about towing a car with a motorhome too – it can provide an effective method of getting around once you’re pitched up at your site.
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