In our annual Motorhome of the Year Awards, in association with ACSI, we pick out the best new and substantially revised models from the 2020 line-ups that we’ve seen during the recent launch season.

We’ve looked at everything that’s going to be on sale in the UK next year, and picked out the best of the best to help your decision making process. 

With the big reveal of our Motorhome of the Year Awards just around the corner, here are the shortlisted contenders in each category.

Best raising-roof camper

Danbury Surf Special Edition

Price £55,995 Base vehicle VW T6 Length 4.89m MTPLM 3000kg Web www.danburymotorcaravans.com

Danbury’s latest take on its VW-based Surf model is fully geared up for new technology, with plentiful USB sockets and a wireless charging pad at the back. It’s comfy, too, and nicely lit, even in the roof bed. And it looks very stylish on the outside, with alloy wheels and chrome runners. 

WildAx Triton

Price £55,995 Base vehicle Ford Transit Custom Length 5.34m MTPLM 3100kg Web www.wildaxmotorhomes.com 

The Elland-based manufacturer’s first conversion of a Ford Transit Custom has some nifty ideas, including a sit-down shower at the back and a side settee you can slide out and leave behind at home if you prefer to have easy access to both sliding doors. 

Auto-Trail Adventure 65

Price £56,995 ex works Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.34m MTPLM 3100kg Web www.auto-trail.co.uk 

A raising-roof, yes, but on a Fiat Ducato. So you get more room inside and, as the roof bed is only accessible through a small hatch cut in the roof, there is more of a feeling of upstairs and downstairs, too. 

Best high-top van conversion

Elddis/Compass CV60

Price £38,599 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.elddis.co.uk 

This innovative design sees a French bed at the rear that can be pushed back to become a comfortable sofa, with plenty of space for watching a TV positioned on the sideboard on the other side. All this at a cracking price well short of £40,000, and under 6m in length.

Knaus Boxstar 500 Lifetime XL

Price £58,530 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.knaus.com/en-uk 

This could almost fit into our raising-roof category, because it does include a roof bed – only here, that comfy bed is completely enclosed in a hard shell.  It may not look the most attractive on the outside, but this ‘van is comfortable and cosy, with plenty of goodies. 

Adria Twin Supreme 600 SPB

Price £49,495 ex works Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.adria.co.uk 

Making its first UK appearance at the NEC last February, the SPB features a ‘Vario’ washroom (with a swinging partition that turns it into a shower). As it is only available in Supreme spec, you also get that impressive rooflight, which almost feels like a glass roof. 

Best compact motorhome

Adria Matrix Axess 520ST

Price £54,995 ex works Base vehicle Citroën Relay Length 5.96m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.adria.co.uk 

Appearing only in the entry-level Axess version of Adria’s ‘crossover’ van, the Citroën-based 520ST manages to squeeze a spacious front lounge, four berths – including a drop-down bed – a large L-shaped end-kitchen and a decent washroom into just 5.96m. 

Chausson 520

Price £47,330 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.chausson-motorhomes.com 

Chausson’s Maxi Lounge layout, with a huge end-washroom, has proved very popular in recent years. With the 520, it is now available in under six metres – and although you don’t get a full garage at the back, there is still room for a useful storage area. 

Sunlight V 66

Price TBC Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.65m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.sunlight.de

Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, Sunlight is the latest manufacturer to launch a range of narrower low-profile ‘vans designed for easier city and country driving. The V 66 still manages to include fixed single beds at the back, and it doesn’t feel poky inside. 

Best budget motorhome

Chausson 708

Price £49,250 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 7.09m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.chausson-motorhomes.com

Fancy an island-bed, but can’t spend more than £50,000? No problem. As long as you don’t go for the Titanium special edition, the Chausson 708 will provide you with that layout whether you choose to base it on a Ford or a Fiat. And you have 7m to move around in. 

Swift Edge 412 

Price £46,625 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.swiftgroup.co.uk 

Immediately recognisable with their orange decals, Edge is Swift’s range of modern-looking motorhomes that aims to appeal to budget-conscious motorcaravanners who are also looking for a comfortable and high-spec ride. Well on the right side of £50,000, the 412 is great value. 

Benimar Primero 283

Price £45,995 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 5.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.marquisleisure.co.uk 

The latest range from Benimar to be introduced to the UK is all under £50,000. You would never guess so from the look and finish of this cosy little three-berth, which is short enough for you to dart around the country in and has a cosy rear lounge. 

Best model with a rear lounge 

Bürstner Lyseo TD Harmony Line 744

Price £66,995 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 7.49m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.buersnter.com

Bürstner’s ‘three rooms in one van’ layout in the UK-friendly Harmony Line edition now comes with a much more modern-looking interior. It really does look like a designer flat on wheels, with a rear lounge you can sprawl in below an ultra-comfy drop-down bed. 

Dreamer Living Van

Price TBC Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.36m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.dreamer-van.co.uk 

Providing a rear lounge that gives you ample views outside, the Living Van is sure to appeal to UK customers. And with a drop-down bed over the cab, it should please those who don’t fancy making up the bed every night, too. 

Swift Kon-tiki Sport 562

Price £63,960 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.36m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.swiftgroup.co.uk 

Thought Kon-Tiki’s were only for über-wealthy families? Think again. Swift’s new Kon-tiki Sport range makes them more affordable, while losing little of the sense of luxury. The 562 is a cosy two-berth with wonderful wraparound seating in the rear, so you can really get together on-site. 

Best motorhome for couples

Hobby On Tour Edition V65 GQ

Price TBC Base vehicle Peugeot Boxer Length 7.57m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.hobbymotorhomes.com

Island-bed layouts are a bit of a rarity in compact ‘van ranges. With this latest addition to the On Tour Edition range, which Hobby only launched at the CMT show in Stuttgart in February, the two of you should be able to travel in real comfort. 

Bailey Advance 76-2T

Price £47,999 Base vehicle Peugeot Boxer Length 7.57m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.baileyofbristol.co.uk 

While it’s technically a four-berth, this comfortable end-washroom model has fixed single beds and still enough room for two large parallel sofas up front, where you can relax to your heart’s content when it’s just the two of you on tour. There’s a spacious side kitchen, too. 

Le Voyageur LV6.8LF

Price TBC Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.8m MTPLM 5500kg Web www.levoyageur-motorhome.uk

This compact end-kitchen A-class isn’t a totally new model this season, but it does now come with a drop-down bed that is, in effect, 2m wide and long – so you can sleep in either direction. You could keep the bed down all day, too, because it doesn’t intrude into the lounge at all. 

Best family motorhome

Swift Edge 486

Price £50,125 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length TBC MTPLM 3500kg Web www.swiftgroup.co.uk 

One of two six-berths in Swift’s new Edge range, the 486 includes a large bed in the overcab that even sulky teenagers shouldn’t complain about, along with a family-friendly rear lounge. The central kitchen and washroom are sizeable, too. 

Auto-Trail Tribute F72 

Price £46,995 ex works Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 7.34m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.auto-trail.co.uk 

The largest of Auto-Trail’s new Tribute coachbuilts is a family ‘van where nobody should feel partitioned off – because its different sections flow so well together – or obstructed, because even with the drop-down bed in use, you can still move in and out freely. 

Roller Team T-Line 473

Price £55,540 ex works Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 7.47m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.rollerteammotorhomes.co.uk 

Along with a huge garage under an unusual transverse island bed, this motorhome still manages to include a central washroom that can be completely partitioned off, and a flexible front lounge with a most adaptable table. And you get that chest freezer in the kitchen, too. 

Best luxury motorhome 3500kg and under

Mobilvetta Kea P67

Price £64,995 Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.99m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.marquisleisure.co.uk 

If you fancy all the luxury of Mobilvetta’s K Yacht range, but at a lower price and as a more economical low-profile, the Kea P line is the one for you; particularly the four-berth P67, which, thanks to its rear transverse bed, manages to come in at under 7m.

WildAx Elara 

Price £68,995 Base vehicle Mercedes Sprinter Length 6.97m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.wildaxmotorhomes.com 

Island-beds in van conversions are practically unheard of. This ‘van is based on a Mercedes Sprinter, too – and it includes a sociable front lounge and a spacious washroom. There’s still space for storage, as well, in the cleverly designed cupboards positioned around the bed. 

Hymer Exsis T-580

Price TBC Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Length 6.94m MTPLM 3500kg Web www.hymer.com/en

Producing this ‘van on an original Fiat chassis brings Hymer luxury more within the range of people who might not have a C1 license. It has also led to more detailed improvements, such as having less of a step to get in. 

Best luxury motorhome over 3500kg

Niesmann+Bischoff Flair 920 LW

Price TBC Base vehicle Iveco Daily Length 9.27m MTPLM 5300kg Web www.motorhomes.co.uk 

Could you honestly have a motorhome with a washroom as good as you would get at home – if not better? You can in this mammoth A-class with a huge handbasin in its ample central dressing-cum-washroom. This season, you can also have the option of long-life lithium batteries, too. 

Frankia Platin I 8400 Plus

Price TBC Base vehicle Mercedes Sprinter Length 8.58m MTPLM 5300kg Web www.smcmotorhomes.co.uk 

Frankia’s popular Plus layout – with single beds that come down over the cab in front of a washroom straddled across the ‘van and a huge rear lounge – gets the Platin treatment. That means it’s great for off-grid touring, too, because you get inverters and a host of solar panels included. 

Carthago e-Line 64QB XL (on Mercedes)

Price TBC Base vehicle Mercedes Sprinter Length TBC MTPLM TBC Web www.carthago.com

For 2020, you can have any of the four models available in Carthago’s luxury range on a Mercedes Sprinter, instead of a Fiat. The 64 QB XL is also one of two to feature a 5.5-tonne chassis – Carthago is the first manufacturer to offer this option. 

Best for innovation 

Chest freezer in the Roller Team T-Line 743

Even when they work, motorhome freezers often seem quite poor; not the best solution for really hot days when you want to keep the ice creams ready for when the kids come rushing in, totally exhausted from playing out. The 743, however, comes with a chest freezer in addition to the freezer in the fridge. And it’s nicely tucked away under the kitchen work surface. 

Three forward-facing travel seats in the Chausson C717GA

Rear-facing travel seats are rarely a popular option for those in the back. You usually don’t get much of a view, and some people even start feeling sick. You won’t find them at all on Chausson’s new overcab, however, because all five people who get to travel in this five-berth will have a seat that faces forwards. Chausson claims it is the only manufacturer to offer three forward-facing seats in the rear like this. 

Table leg radiators in certain Rapidos

If you tour in the winter months, the area under the table in a front lounge can be a notorious cold spot, because cold air tends to stay there. Many rapido models this year, including the 8096dF, i66, i96 and M, get around this problem by featuring a radiator in the table leg. So all toes positioned there should be kept nice and warm. 

We’ll reveal the winners in our next issue, which goes on sale next week! Make sure you’re subscribed to get it delivered to your door. If you subscribe today, you can even take advantage of our Autumn sale with 5 issues for £5.