The complete guide to commissioning a custom campervan in the UK
Custom builds cost more, take longer, and last longer. Here is what the process actually involves, what it really costs, and what to ask any builder before you sign anything.
Co-founder of HubDub Campers. Writes most of what you read here. Spends the rest of his time in the Chertsey workshop.
More about HubDubThere are four ways to end up owning a campervan in the UK. You can buy a factory-built one off a forecourt. You can buy a used conversion. You can convert a van yourself. Or you can commission a custom build. This guide is about the last one, and about whether it is the right choice for you.
We build twelve campers a year in a workshop in Chertsey, Surrey. Some of what follows is opinion, and where it is, we will say so. The rest is practical detail buyers need before they speak to anyone, including us.
What custom actually means
Custom does not mean every screw and switch is invented from scratch. A serious custom builder has a system: tested layouts, tested electrical platforms, tested cabinet construction. What you customise sits on top of that system: the layout for how you actually use the van, the materials, the spec, the finishes, and the choices that have to be made about a hundred small things between week one and week sixteen.
The opposite is a mass-produced conversion, where the layout, the cabinetry, the electrics and the soft furnishings are fixed. You choose colour and not much else. There is nothing wrong with that path. It is faster, cheaper, and perfectly fine for many buyers. The argument for custom is that you live in your van for fifteen years, not fifteen months, and the small decisions add up.
The cost ladder
Cost is the first question every buyer asks and the last one we want to answer in a single number. Custom campervans in the UK in 2026 sit roughly between £55,000 and £130,000 all-in, including the base vehicle. The factors that move you up and down that ladder are the base vehicle, the layout complexity, the electrical specification, the cabinetry materials, and the soft furnishings.
Most HubDub builds land between £75,000 and £105,000 with a new mid-wheelbase base vehicle. Used base vehicles knock £8,000 to £20,000 off depending on age. We have written a separate piece on cost in detail.
Base vehicle decisions
There are four serious base vehicles for a custom build in the UK: VW Transporter T6.1, VW Crafter, Mercedes Sprinter, and Ford Transit Custom or full-size Transit. Each has a different reason to exist.
- VW Transporter (T6.1). Compact, easy to drive, fits a domestic driveway and most ferry decks. Best for couples who want a single weekend van that does not feel like a lorry. Limits: tight on standing height, tighter on storage.
- VW Crafter. The middle ground. Long enough for a fixed bed and a kitchen and a washroom, narrow enough to handle most country lanes. The most popular HubDub base by some distance.
- Mercedes Sprinter. The most refined drivetrain in this class, the easiest engine to service in continental Europe, and the widest aftermarket. The choice for owners planning long winter trips and serious mileage.
- Ford Transit. Quick, cheap to service, and underrated. Best when budget is tight and the build is simpler.
We have a longer comparison piece on Crafter versus Sprinter that goes into the detail buyers actually care about: drivetrain, parts availability, cab ergonomics, and what each looks like five years in.
Layout decisions
Layout is the single decision that affects daily life most. It is also the decision buyers find hardest to make on paper, because what looks elegant in a sketch can feel cramped to actually live in.
We have a detailed piece on layouts that walks through fixed beds, rock-and-roll beds, side kitchens, rear kitchens, and washroom decisions. Read it before your first design meeting.
Electrical decisions
Modern lithium electrics changed campervans more than any single thing in the last decade. A 600Ah lithium bank with 400W of solar will run a fridge, lighting, water pump, and a kettle on demand for three to five days off-grid in shoulder season, and longer in summer. That is the difference between a vehicle you take to a campsite and a vehicle you can park anywhere and live in.
The decisions that matter are the size of the lithium bank, whether you want an inverter and how big, whether you have solar and how much, and whether you want shore power. We have a separate technical piece on electrical systems.
Lead times
A custom HubDub build takes sixteen weeks from spec sign-off to handover. The first three weeks are spec and design. The next eleven are workshop time. The last two are quality assurance, snagging, and owner training.
We typically have six to nine months of forward bookings. So if you decide today that you want a HubDub camper, you can expect to be driving one in roughly twelve months. Other reputable UK builders run similar timelines. Anyone offering you a built-and-delivered custom camper in less than four months is, in our experience, either lying or not really building custom.
Warranty and aftercare
Two-year warranties are standard among reputable UK builders. Three-year warranties exist but tend to come with caveats. The harder question is what the warranty actually covers and how the builder handles a claim three winters in.
Ask any builder how many warranty claims they have had in the last twelve months and how those claims were resolved. A builder who cannot answer that question with specifics is not the one you want.
What to ask any builder
- How many builds do you complete in a year, and how many staff are involved?
- Do you outsource any of the joinery, electrics, upholstery, or paintwork?
- Can I visit the workshop mid-build to see how my van is progressing?
- Show me three builds you completed in the last two years that I can speak to the owners of.
- What does your warranty cover, and how many claims have you handled this year?
- What does the snagging process look like and how long do you keep the van after assembly is complete?
- What do I do if something goes wrong with the build six months after handover, twelve months after, three years after?
- What is excluded from the price you have just quoted?
Should you commission custom
Custom is the right choice when you know roughly how you want to use the van, when you intend to keep it for ten years or more, and when you care about the way the materials wear in. It is the wrong choice when you want something quickly, when you have not used a campervan before, or when you are not yet sure how you will use it.
If you are unsure, hire a campervan for a week first. Hire one of ours, hire one of someone else's, hire several. The cheapest way to learn what layout you actually want is to spend seven days inside one.
Common questions
Custom campervans in the UK in 2026 sit between £55,000 and £130,000 all-in, including the base vehicle. Most HubDub builds land between £75,000 and £105,000 on a new mid-wheelbase base vehicle.
A reputable UK custom builder will quote sixteen to twenty weeks from spec sign-off to handover. Add six to nine months of waiting list. Total time from initial enquiry to driving the van is usually around twelve months.
Custom campervans hold their value better than mass-produced conversions, particularly when the build quality is high and the owner can document the spec. They are not an investment in the financial sense, but they depreciate slowly compared to almost any other vehicle category.
In UK campervan parlance the words are used interchangeably. Both mean a build where the layout, materials, and specification are designed for one specific buyer rather than mass-produced.
Most builders, including HubDub, will accept owner-supplied base vehicles. We will inspect it before agreeing, and we charge an inspection fee that is refunded against the build cost if we proceed.
Most custom campervans in the UK come in below 3,500kg gross weight, which is covered by a standard category B driving licence. Larger four-berth builds on long-wheelbase Sprinters can exceed this, in which case you will need C1 entitlement.
