Caravan Price Guide
What actually decides a used caravan’s value, explained the way we explain it on the driveway — make and model, age, layout, condition, damp and paperwork.
There is no single published price for a used caravan. Two vans of the same make, model and year can be thousands apart, and it is almost always condition, damp and paperwork that separate them rather than mileage-style figures. This page explains each factor so you can judge roughly where yours sits before anyone comes out to see it. We do not publish fixed prices, because a figure given without seeing the floor and taking damp readings is a figure that gets reduced later — and we do not work that way.
The nine things that move the figure
Make and model
The well-known British makes — Bailey, Swift, Coachman, Lunar, Elddis, Sterling, Sprite — hold their value best because buyers know the parts, the layouts and the running gear. European makes such as Adria, Caravelair, Knaus and Hobby sell well too, particularly the lightweight models, but demand is narrower.
Year and generation
Age matters less than the generation it belongs to. A van from the first year of a bodyshell tends to sit behind the facelift version. Anything with an alloy-and-composite floor rather than a timber one holds up better against damp, and buyers know it.
Layout and berths
Fixed-bed models with an end washroom are the easiest to sell in the UK, especially two-berth fixed singles and four-berth island beds. Bunk models sell in spring and early summer to families. Front dinette four-berths with no fixed bed are the slowest to shift, which shows in the figure.
Weight and towing
A MiRO that sits comfortably under a typical family car's towing limit widens the buyer pool considerably. Heavy twin-axles are sought after by the right buyer but there are far fewer of them.
Condition inside
Upholstery, blinds, the state of the washroom and whether it smells dry and aired. Worn but clean is fine. Water staining on ceiling boards, lifting edges on furniture and soft floor near the door all move the figure down.
Damp readings
The single biggest factor on older vans. Isolated low readings around a window seal are normal and cheap to deal with. High readings in the floor, in a corner or across a wall panel mean structural work, and that is reflected honestly rather than sprung on you later.
Tyres, brakes and running gear
Tyres over five years old need replacing regardless of tread. Seized brakes, a worn hitch stabiliser and corroded jacking points are normal on a stored van and are factored in as work, not used as an excuse.
Appliances and electrics
A working heater, fridge, water heater and hob matter more than the age of them. A three-way fridge that no longer runs on gas, a damp-tripped consumer unit or a dead water pump are all common and all fixable.
Paperwork and history
CRiS registration in your name, a habitation service record, damp reports, the handbooks and both keys all add real value because they remove doubt for the next owner. Missing paperwork does not stop a sale — it just narrows the figure.
Two worked examples
These are typical of the vans we see rather than specific sales, and they show how the same factors pull in different directions.
Four-berth family van, around ten years old, fixed bunks
Popular British make, bunks in the rear, end washroom, one owner from new, serviced most years with a gap in the middle. Damp meter shows a low reading under the offside window, nothing in the floor. Tyres are original and need replacing. Upholstery is tired but complete, and all appliances light and run. Strong layout and clean history put it at the upper end of what that model achieves, with a deduction for tyres and the damp reading, and a small allowance for the service gap.
Two-berth, around eighteen years old, stored three winters
Timber-floored, no habitation service since 2019, CRiS paperwork mislaid, no damp reports. Meter shows readings in the nearside rear corner and the floor is soft by the door. Brakes are seized from standing and the water heater does not fire. Structural damp and the missing paperwork set the ceiling here, so the figure reflects a van that needs work — but it is still a clean, straightforward sale with free collection rather than a scrap price.
How to get an accurate figure for your caravan
Have the make, model, year, berths and layout to hand, plus whatever paperwork you hold. Take a few daylight photos of the outside, the inside, the washroom and any area you are worried about. Then book a free valuation visit and we come to the caravan, take the readings with you there and explain the figure in front of you. Nothing to pay, and no obligation.