How much does a custom campervan cost in the UK?
Real numbers, with a breakdown of where the money goes on a typical mid-spec build that lands around £88,000 plus the base vehicle.
Co-founder of HubDub Campers. Writes most of what you read here. Spends the rest of his time in the Chertsey workshop.
More about HubDubIf you are reading this you are probably comparing builders, and one is quoting £62,000 and another is quoting £104,000 for what looks like the same thing. They are not the same thing. This piece breaks down where the money actually goes on a typical mid-spec HubDub build, line by line.
For the wider context on what custom means, start with our complete guide to commissioning a custom campervan.
The price bands
Custom campervans in the UK in 2026 fall into roughly four price bands, all-in including the base vehicle.
- £40,000 to £60,000. Entry-level conversions on used base vehicles, often with one or two compromises (no inverter, smaller water tank, basic upholstery). Reasonable value if the buyer knows where the corners have been cut.
- £60,000 to £80,000. Mid-tier custom on a used or new base vehicle. Decent electrical systems, reasonable cabinetry, recognisable brand-name appliances.
- £80,000 to £110,000. The HubDub bracket. New base vehicle, high-end cabinetry, full lithium and solar, high-quality soft furnishings, comprehensive snagging.
- £110,000 plus. Long-wheelbase or extra-LWB builds, often four-berth, sometimes with bathroom suites, sometimes with off-grid spec for genuine winter use.
Where the money goes
A representative HubDub build is a VW Crafter MWB conversion in mid-spec, with a 600Ah lithium electrical platform and a fixed transverse bed. It tends to land around £88,000 for the conversion plus roughly £42,000 for a new base vehicle. Here is where the £88,000 typically goes.
- Cabinetry and joinery: £18,500. Quartersawn European oak, hand-finished joints, four coats of hardwax oil. The single biggest line item on the build.
- Electrical systems: £14,200. Six 100Ah lithium banked together, 2000W inverter, 400W roof solar, Victron control, MPPT, full DC and AC distribution.
- Heating, hot water, plumbing: £6,800. Eberspacher diesel heater, 12L hot water cylinder, 90L freshwater, 60L grey, full plumbing.
- Soft furnishings and upholstery: £5,400. British wool throughout, custom cushions, blackout blinds, fixed mattress on a bespoke slat base.
- Insulation and sound deadening: £2,100. 12kg of dynamat, 30mm of recycled cotton insulation, every cavity packed.
- Windows, doors, vents: £4,300. Bonded glass kitchen window, two opening side windows, MaxxFan, gas drop-out vents.
- Hardware and fixtures: £3,200. Brass tap, ceramic sink, induction hob, compressor fridge, brass handles.
- Paint and exterior: £2,900. Forest green respray to a higher standard than factory.
- Snagging, QA, handover: £2,100. Three days of testing, half a day of owner training, an overnight stay in the van before keys are released.
- Workshop labour, design, project management: £28,500. Sixteen weeks of workshop time across three to five staff.
Add 20% VAT to all of the above and you get the headline figure. The largest single line is labour. That is not because we charge an unusual rate. It is because campervans take a lot of hours to build properly.
Why builders quote different prices
Two builders can quote the same brief at very different prices. Some of that is margin. Most of it is hidden specification. The two specifications that move a quote most are cabinetry construction and electrical capacity.
Cabinetry on a £60,000 build is usually plywood faced with oak veneer, screwed together. Cabinetry on a £90,000 build is solid oak, dovetailed and biscuited, with proper soft-close drawers and cushioned brass handles. They look similar in photos. They are not the same thing in five years.
Electrical capacity is the other one. A 200Ah lithium bank is enough for weekend use. A 600Ah bank with 400W of solar is enough to live off-grid for a week. The cost difference is around £6,000 to £8,000 in components alone.
Financing a custom build
Most UK builders, including us, work on a deposit-and-stages model. A typical structure is 25% on order, 50% on workshop start, 20% on cabinetry complete, and 5% on collection. We do not finance builds ourselves, but several specialist motorhome lenders work with us regularly. We can introduce you on request.
What to budget on top of the build
Buyers commissioning their first custom build sometimes forget the running costs. The first-year figures we usually quote are roughly £600 for insurance, £350 for road tax, £100 for the habitation check, and £80 for an MOT once it is due. Servicing on the base vehicle is whatever the engine manual prescribes, usually around £350 a year on a Crafter or Sprinter.
Common questions
Yes, on a used base vehicle and with reasonable compromises on electrical capacity and cabinetry. We do not build at this price, but several reputable UK builders do.
Two main reasons. First, we use solid hardwood cabinetry rather than veneered ply, which roughly doubles the joinery cost. Second, we run 600Ah lithium and 400W solar as a default, where most production conversions ship 200Ah and no solar.
Yes. Specialist motorhome lenders work with stage payments and we can introduce buyers to several. Loan rates in 2026 typically run from 8% to 13% depending on credit and term.
Well-built custom campervans typically depreciate at around 5% to 8% per year for the first five years, slowing thereafter. Mass-produced conversions tend to depreciate faster and bottom out lower.
No. Custom campervans are subject to standard 20% VAT in the UK. Some specialist disabled-access conversions can qualify for VAT relief, but standard custom builds do not.
