Mixed feelings as I dropped off ‘Voyager’, our trusty VW campervan, a few weekends ago, in part-ex for the new motorhome. On the train home, I got to pondering. We’d had the van a touch under 3 years, say 35 months, and the difference between what we paid and what we got in part-ex was £4,000. Does that make the depreciation cost about £115 a month? Not bad, I thought, well worth it! For the freedom of Friday night escapes to the countryside, so many long weekends around England and Scotland, 2 amazing trips to Europe, not to mention using the van as a regular runabout.
Of course, that figure doesn’t include diesel, or insurance, or this and that… Turns out the total cost averaged out over the months is quite a lot! Well it sounds a lot, but you have to compare this figure to the cost of running a ‘normal’ car, regular weekends away (caravan/B&B?) and 5 weeks holiday around Europe. Still well worth it! And the feeling of escaping the 9-5, the freedom to follow the sunny weather or to take on new gigs and festivals up and down the country – that is absolutely priceless.
Priceless in one sense, but certainly measurable in other senses – and the inner analyst/geek’s curiosity was piqued. So, here’s the facts and figures of our campervan costs. It may be useful for someone considering taking the plunge but don’t be put off until you’ve made that full and fair comparison. And bear in mind you could probably do it cheaper for example, we had agreed value insurance, breakdown cover, worldwide multi-trip travel insurance and so on.
Average Monthly Campervan Costs
Average monthly cost over 3 years of owning a VW campervan: £410
- 82 trips (day trips, camping, touring, gigs and festivals) plus regular short journeys/commuting.
- Total miles 19,379: 17,887 on trips and 1,492 miles commuting.
- 2,454 litres of diesel, averaging 36 mpg (min 33 mpg, max 42 mpg).
- 9 countries: UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Spain
- Longest journey: 3,228 miles through France and Northern Spain.
- Most visited: Kielder Forest, Alwinton (Clennell Hall), Workington, Druridge Bay, Tynemouth
Breaking it down:
Average monthly van costs: £234
Including depreciation, insurance (up to 6,000 miles per year), road tax, servicing and repairs, diesel for occasional commuting.
Additional average monthly costs for our camping/holidays: £176
Including diesel, site fees, camping accessories, new leisure battery, gas tanks, camping club memberships, travel insurance, extra cost for insurance up to 10,000 miles in 2018, tolls and vignettes, 2 pet passports, 1 insurance claim excess.
Let’s see how much the newer, bigger motorhome ends up costing…