Campervan Insurance

Campervans are taking a growing share of the UK's leisure vehicle market. Research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), commissioned by the Caravan and Motorhome Club, forecast that campervans will make up 24.5% of all leisure vehicles by the end of the decade, up from 16.7% in 2022, and found that 8% of UK adults said they were likely to buy one in the next five years. Whether your campervan was professionally converted, self-built or is still a work in progress, this page covers what's specific to insuring one: how DVLA treats conversions, what to tell your insurer, licence and weight rules, and what to have ready when you compare quotes.

What is campervan insurance?

Campervan insurance is specialist cover for a van-based leisure vehicle that you both drive and sleep in. It combines the road risks of a motor policy with cover for the habitation side of the vehicle: the bed, kitchen, fixed equipment and, on many policies, your belongings and awning. Campervans are generally insured under the same type of policy as larger motorhomes, and the motorhome insurance page explains the legal requirement and general policy features in more detail.

What sets campervans apart is how they're built and used. Most start life as a panel van, so the conversion itself can matter to an insurer: who did the work, how complete it is, and whether DVLA records the vehicle as a motor caravan. Campervans are also smaller than most motorhomes, and some owners use them as an everyday vehicle rather than only for trips away, which changes how a policy needs to be set up.

Levels of cover for campervans

Third party only

Third party only is the minimum cover required by law. It covers injury to other people and damage to their vehicles or property, but nothing for your campervan, its conversion or its contents.

Third party, fire and theft

This adds cover if your campervan is stolen or damaged by fire. It doesn't include accidental damage, so a scrape against a campsite barrier, or a pop-top roof clipped on a low height barrier, would normally be your own cost.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive cover adds accidental damage to your own campervan, and often extends to fixed habitation equipment, personal belongings and awnings, though limits vary. Make sure the value you declare reflects the conversion as well as the base vehicle. A good fit-out can add considerably to a van's value, and if that isn't declared you could be underinsured.

Does DVLA need to record your campervan as a motor caravan?

A converted van doesn't automatically become a "motor caravan" in DVLA's records. The body type on your V5C logbook is based on how the vehicle looks, and DVLA publishes guidance on converting a vehicle into a motor caravan that sets out what it looks for.

What DVLA looks for

Inside, a motor caravan must have living accommodation with at least:

• seats and a table
• sleeping accommodation, which can be converted from the seats
• cooking facilities
• storage facilities

This equipment must be rigidly fixed to the living area, although the table can be easily removable.

Outside, DVLA lists the features commonly seen on motor caravans:

• two or more windows on at least one side of the main body, not counting the driver and passenger door windows
• a separate door giving access to the living accommodation
• motor caravan-style graphics on both sides
• an awning bar on either side
• a high-top roof

That last point matters for pop-top campervans. DVLA's guidance states that a pop-top elevating roof doesn't count as a high-top roof.

Do you have to change the body type?

GOV.UK's guidance pulls in two directions here. The page on changing vehicle details on a V5C lists converting a van to a campervan or motor caravan among the body type changes you must update on your V5C, with DVLA giving a body type description based on the vehicle's external appearance. DVLA's conversion guidance, meanwhile, says that even if the body type isn't changed to motor caravan, the vehicle can still be used for that purpose.

Read together, the two pages suggest that DVLA expects to be told about a conversion but decides for itself what body type to record. A van without the external features DVLA looks for may keep its original description and still be used as a campervan.

To apply, DVLA asks for a conversion checklist, your V5C, interior photos with the bed and table in use, exterior photos from every side with the number plates visible, and a photo of the vehicle identification number (VIN). DVLA may inspect the vehicle at its own cost, though not the cost of getting your van there.

Does the body type affect your insurance?

Not directly. DVLA's guidance states that the body type "does not affect the insurance category of the vehicle", and that it doesn't affect speed limits or other legal requirements either. What an insurer needs to know is what the vehicle actually is and how you use it. Some specialist insurers will cover a converted van as a campervan even if the V5C still shows its original body type, usually asking for photos or receipts as evidence of the conversion. Acceptance criteria vary between insurers, so be accurate about your van's status when you compare quotes.

Insuring a self-build or part-finished campervan

Self-builds need extra care, particularly while work is in progress.

While the conversion is under way

Tell your insurer before you start. A standard van insurance policy is based on the vehicle as it was when you took the policy out, and modifying it without telling your insurer could put your cover at risk.

Some specialist insurers offer conversion cover for vans partway through a build. Depending on the policy, this can include the base vehicle, the partly finished work, and materials and tools kept inside. If the van will be off the road during the build, laid-up cover can protect it against risks such as fire and theft, but it won't cover you to drive it.

Keep receipts for materials and equipment, and take dated photos at each stage. These can help support the value of your conversion if you ever need to claim.

Once the build is finished

Once the conversion is complete, you can look at moving to a campervan policy. Be ready to describe the fit-out, its value and who did the work. Electrical additions such as solar panels and leisure batteries can affect premiums with some insurers, so include them.

Buying a converted campervan second-hand

If you buy a campervan that someone else converted, you'll need to tell your insurer about the modifications you know of, even though you didn't make them. Ask the seller for receipts, photos and any paperwork for the conversion, and check whether the V5C shows the body type as motor caravan or as the original van.

Modifications to tell your insurer about

Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, you have a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation when you answer an insurer's questions. For a campervan, that means describing the conversion accurately. Changes worth declaring include:

• the conversion itself (bed, kitchen, seating and storage) and who carried it out
• roof changes, whether a pop-top or a fixed high-top
• added windows, side doors or awning rails
• engine, brake, suspension, transmission or performance changes
• non-standard wheels or tyres
• solar panels, leisure batteries, inverters and other electrical additions
• extra seats or seatbelts
• security upgrades such as trackers or alarms, which are worth listing as they may work in your favour

If you're unsure whether something counts, declare it. Inaccurate answers could lead to a claim being reduced or refused, or a policy being cancelled.

Using your campervan as an everyday vehicle

Smaller conversions can be practical enough to double as a family car or commuter vehicle, and that affects how they need to be insured.

Usage and commuting

Many leisure vehicle policies are written for social, domestic and pleasure use. If you drive to work, you'll usually need commuting cover on the policy, and any business use needs declaring too.

Mileage

Some specialist policies are built around low annual mileage, which suits a campervan used for a few trips a year but not one driven daily. Declare a realistic mileage. Under-declaring could affect a claim.

No-claims discount

If your campervan is your main or only vehicle, ask whether the policy earns a no-claims discount and whether that discount could be used on a car policy later. Practice varies between insurers.

Business use and goods vehicle rules

GOV.UK states that a motor caravan is classed as a goods vehicle if it's used to carry goods for exhibition or sale, as a workshop or for storage, and goods vehicle speed limits then apply. If you use your campervan for trading at events or as a mobile workspace, check that your policy covers that use.

Classic and older campervans

Classic campervans, such as early split-screen and bay-window models, can be worth more to their owners than a standard market valuation suggests. Some specialist insurers offer agreed value cover, where you and the insurer agree the vehicle's value at the start of the policy, so a total loss is settled at that figure rather than a market value worked out after the event. Limited mileage options can suit a campervan that only comes out for a few trips a year, and some insurers take membership of an owners' club into account. The classic car insurance page explains agreed value cover in more detail.

Age changes some of the rules too. According to GOV.UK, vehicles built before 1 January 1986 currently qualify for the historic vehicle tax exemption, though you must apply for it, and vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago don't need an MOT as long as they haven't been substantially changed. Either way, the vehicle must still be kept roadworthy and insured.

Weight, licences and speed limits

Campervans range from compact day vans to large panel van conversions, and two different weights matter. Maximum authorised mass (MAM) is the most the vehicle can weigh when fully loaded, and it decides which licence you need. Unladen weight is what the vehicle weighs without a load, and it decides which speed limits apply.

Can you drive a campervan on a car licence?

If you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997, GOV.UK's guidance on driving licence categories says your category B entitlement covers vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM for petrol and diesel (including hybrids), or 4,250kg for zero-emission electric or hydrogen vehicles. Campervans between 3,500kg and 7,500kg MAM need category C1.

If you passed before 1 January 1997, DVLA's INF30 guidance confirms that your licence will already show C1 entitlement, which lasts until your licence expires at 70. To keep C1 after that, you'll need to renew by post rather than online, and provide a D4 medical examination report. DVLA's INF4D guidance says a D4 is then needed every three years.

Check the MAM on your campervan's plate or V5C before you buy or drive it. Insurance policies generally only cover drivers who hold the correct licence for the vehicle, so driving outside your entitlement could leave you uninsured as well as breaking the law.

Speed limits for campervans

GOV.UK sets national speed limits for motorhomes and motor caravans based on maximum unladen weight. Lower limits apply where signs show them.

Road type	Up to 3.05 tonnes unladen	Over 3.05 tonnes unladen
Built-up areas	30mph (20mph in Wales)	30mph (20mph in Wales)
Single carriageways	60mph	50mph
Dual carriageways	70mph	60mph
Motorways	70mph	70mph

Taking your campervan abroad

According to GOV.UK's guidance on insurance when driving abroad, you don't need to carry a green card to drive in the EU, including Ireland, but you still need valid insurance. You may need a green card for other countries, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine.

Policies differ in which countries they cover, for how long and at what level, so check the territorial limits before you travel. European breakdown cover may be included, offered as an add-on or need arranging separately.

How much does campervan insurance cost?

According to the Quotezone Index, based on data from over 46,000 motorhome policies, the median annual premium for van conversions, which includes most campervans, is £395.

Source: Quotezone Index, motorhome data August 2025–present. Figures reflect position-1 quotes from the Quotezone panel.

This is a median figure, and your own premium will depend on your circumstances and your vehicle. Alongside general factors such as where you keep it, its security, your mileage and your driving history, some factors are specific to campervans:

• Who converted it. A professional conversion and a self-build may be rated differently, and some insurers ask for evidence of the work.
• The value of the conversion. The more the fit-out adds to the vehicle's value, the more there is to insure.
• Modifications. Mechanical, performance and electrical changes can all affect what you pay.
• How you use it. Commuting, business use and higher mileage can all increase the risk an insurer is taking on.

Comparing quotes could help you find a more competitive price for cover that suits how you use your campervan.

How to get a more competitive campervan insurance quote

Alongside general steps such as paying annually and choosing a sensible voluntary excess, a few points apply particularly to campervans:

• Compare specialist insurers. Acceptance of conversions, self-builds and pop-tops varies between insurers, so comparing quotes through this site could help you find cover that suits your van.
• Value the conversion accurately. Declaring too little to keep the premium down could leave you short after a claim. For an older or one-off build, agreed value cover could give more certainty.
• Match the policy to how you use it. A limited-mileage policy could cost less for a campervan that only comes out for trips, but it won't suit one driven every day.
• Declare all your security. Trackers, alarms, immobilisers and steering locks are generally viewed favourably, and an insurer can only take account of security it knows about.
• Think about where it's kept. A driveway, garage or secure storage site may be viewed more favourably than parking on the street.
• Ask about owners' clubs. Some insurers offer discounts to members of recognised campervan and motorhome clubs.

What you'll need to get a quote

Having these details to hand could make comparing quotes through this site quicker.

About your campervan

• registration number, make, model and year
• its current value, including the conversion
• who converted it and when, and whether the conversion is finished
• whether the V5C shows the body type as motor caravan
• any modifications, mechanical, electrical or cosmetic
• where it's kept overnight, and any security fitted

About you and other drivers

• licence details for everyone who'll drive it, including licence categories
• claims and motoring convictions in recent years
• your no-claims discount, if you have one

About the cover you want

• level of cover
• how you'll use the campervan, including any commuting or business use
• estimated annual mileage

Frequently asked questions

Is a pop-top campervan classed as a motor caravan?

It can be harder to qualify, because DVLA's guidance doesn't count a pop-top elevating roof as a high-top roof. Even if the body type isn't changed, DVLA says the vehicle can still be used as a campervan, and some specialist insurers will cover it on that basis.

Can I rent out my campervan?

Campervan policies are usually written for private use, and hiring the vehicle out is commonly excluded. If you plan to rent your campervan to others, including through a peer-to-peer platform, you'll need cover that specifically allows it.