What a Motorhome Really Costs to Run: Benchmarks From a UK Guide
Life on the road is great, but the bills are real. MotorhomeFun's 2026 guide to running costs, last updated in July 2026, avoids a single magic number and gives two benchmarks instead. A modestly used van kept at home, with no loan and about 5,000 miles a year on cheap pitches, comes to roughly 3,000 to 4,000 pounds a year. A heavily used, financed van stored off-site and taken on big European trips can reach 14,000 to 18,000.
The fixed costs for a mid-range UK motorhome are listed one by one: insurance of 400 to 900 pounds, road tax of 177 for vans over 3,500kg, an MOT at about 55, a habitation service of 150 to 350, breakdown cover of 80 to 200, and storage of 500 to 1,500 if you can't keep it at home. Fuel typically means 18 to 30 MPG, with a compact coachbuilt on a Fiat Ducato at 26 to 30 and large A-classes at 18 to 22.
On the road, the spread is huge. Full-hook-up commercial sites in high season run about 35 to 100 pounds or more a night, Certificated Locations roughly 10 to 20, and wild camping and many aires are free. Gas adds about 1 to 3 pounds a night.
The costs people forget are worth noting: setting aside 1 to 2 percent of the van's value yearly for repairs, a return Dover to Calais ferry at 150 to 350 pounds, and French tolls adding 60 to 120 pounds a week. The author suggests focusing on cost per night away, which I think is a much more honest way to compare the lifestyle with ordinary holidays.
Source: MotorhomeFun
The fixed costs for a mid-range UK motorhome are listed one by one: insurance of 400 to 900 pounds, road tax of 177 for vans over 3,500kg, an MOT at about 55, a habitation service of 150 to 350, breakdown cover of 80 to 200, and storage of 500 to 1,500 if you can't keep it at home. Fuel typically means 18 to 30 MPG, with a compact coachbuilt on a Fiat Ducato at 26 to 30 and large A-classes at 18 to 22.
On the road, the spread is huge. Full-hook-up commercial sites in high season run about 35 to 100 pounds or more a night, Certificated Locations roughly 10 to 20, and wild camping and many aires are free. Gas adds about 1 to 3 pounds a night.
The costs people forget are worth noting: setting aside 1 to 2 percent of the van's value yearly for repairs, a return Dover to Calais ferry at 150 to 350 pounds, and French tolls adding 60 to 120 pounds a week. The author suggests focusing on cost per night away, which I think is a much more honest way to compare the lifestyle with ordinary holidays.
Source: MotorhomeFun
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