How Much Is My Campervan Worth? A Valuation Guide

"Worth" is a slippery word. A van can be worth a lot to its owner and very little to the market, and the only figure that matters is what a buyer will actually pay. This guide shows you how to arrive at a realistic valuation for your campervan in the UK.

Start with the market, not your memories

Your starting point is what similar vans are selling for, not what you paid or what you've spent. Search campervans for sale and browse by make, model and age to build a shortlist of comparables: same base vehicle (Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, VW Transporter and so on), similar year and similar mileage. Aim for five or six vans that are genuinely like yours.

Adjust for what matters

Once you have comparables, adjust for the differences buyers care about:

• Mileage — every extra 10,000 miles chips a little more off the price, especially over 80,000.
• Age and condition — a clean, original van with service history beats one that's been tinkered with.
• Habitation check — a recent damp report and habitation service add real confidence.
• Faults — damp, a dodgy gearbox or a leaking roof can cut hundreds or thousands from the value.
• Extras — solar, an awning or new tyres add value, but rarely pound for pound.

Remember the gap between asking and sold

Advertised prices are asking prices, and many sit for months. A van that's actually sold has usually gone for a few thousand below the sticker. Price your van somewhere between the average asking price and the realistic sale price, and you'll get more interest.

Get a professional view if it's unusual

If your van is a rare conversion, a classic or has something unusual about it, a local dealer or a professional valuer can give you a second opinion. Expect to pay a fee for a written valuation, but it's worthwhile on higher-value vans. You can also ask a dealer what they'd pay as a straight purchase — their offer is a floor, not a ceiling.

What a dealer would pay

A dealer buys at trade prices because they need to make a margin after reconditioning. Their offer might be 15-25% below what you could achieve privately. That's not a valuation of your van, it's a business decision. See the dealer vs private comparison before you accept anything.

Your van is worth what a real buyer will pay for it this month. Everything else is just opinion.

Once you've settled on a price, list your van and let the market do the rest. The right price attracts the right buyers — and often more than one.