The best van for a camper conversion will ensure you have a comfortable base vehicle for making many happy memories. You may be thinking of buying one from a converter or a manufacturer, or even be planning to convert your own ‘van. However, you’ll need to know what each make offers to ensure you pick the appropriate one.
When you go looking for the best campervans, particularly if you start your search online, you’ll soon notice how much attention is given to the vehicle itself. This includes what engine size it has, what extras it comes with like an auto gearbox or cruise control, and above all what make it is.
This isn’t altogether surprising. When we’re thinking of buying a ‘van, we’re all likely to envisage relaxing at one the best campervan sites in the UK or get excited about how the beds are made up or how much storage space they’ve managed to squeeze into the kitchen at the back. However, the thing that a camper conversion really lives and dies on is the base vehicle it runs on – otherwise, you might as well just restrict yourself to caravans.
There are some big names out there, including Ford, Volkswagen, and Mercedes. Here, we’re talking you through the various options on the market, so you can choose the best van for camper van conversion that will suit you and your needs.
The best vans for camper van conversion:
Fiat Ducato
Peugeot Boxer
Citroën Relay
VW Transporter
VW Crafter
Ford Transit Custom
Ford Transit
Mercedes Sprinter
Renault Trafic
MAN TGE
The best van for a camper conversion:
Fiat Ducato
- Length: 5.41/5.99/6.36m
- MTPLM: 3500/4250kg
- Engine sizes: 2.2-litre, 140/180bhp
The Fiat Ducato is the most widely used of the three base vehicles that also bear the “Sevel” moniker, named after the factory in which they are produced. The other two are the Peugeot Boxer and the Citroen Relay, from manufacturers who are now all part of the wider Stellantis Group).
While the Ducato is some way off being the market leader in light commercial vehicles overall, it has been the leader for many years in the motorhome conversion market, at least for low-profile and A-class vehicles. It’s less popular in the rising roof campervan market, although even there it has been making inroads, with EHG UK and Auto-Trail among the brands who have introduced Fiat-based campervans in the past decade.
One that we reviewed recently, the Benimar Benivan 144, particularly impressed too, as we thought it was competitively priced and a comfortable option for couples to consider.
However, the leading position of the Ducato looks likely to be held even after the current supply chain problems Fiat has been having. These have caused many converters, including some like Swift who previously only used Fiat, to look elsewhere.
Some in the industry think that, if and when the situation improves, converters will start returning to the Ducato, because over the years it has proved itself to be the easiest base vehicle to convert. Its square shape makes it easier to work inside, while its relatively clear fuselage (in comparison with other vehicles) makes drilling holes to put in things like water tanks that much easier.
In terms of a driving experience, the Ducato has been improving. Older Fiat Ducatos, produced before 2014, had a very upright driving position which made steering feel like you were stirring a witch’s cauldron. You might still come across some of these in the used market.
Even after that, those who preferred automatic transmission were not always taken with Fiat’s robotised 7-speed Comfort-matic gearbox. It was felt this wasn’t quite the real thing.
But that could well have been sorted by the launch in 2019 of the Ducato’s 9-speed fully automatic gearbox. This provides much smoother running, even on windy hilly roads, as you would expect from one of the best vans for converting to a camper.
Peugeot Boxer
- Length: 5.41/5.99/6.36m
- MTPLM: 3300/3500/4005kg
- Engine sizes: 2.2 litre, 120/140/165bhp
The Boxer is probably the second most popular base vehicle among the Sevel group for UK van converters. It forms the base vehicle for most Auto-Sleeper models, most Elddis models except for campervans, and Bailey’s Autograph range. On the Continent, it is less popular, although it has been the model, along with the Ford Transit, that many have been turning to during Fiat’s hiatus.
The main difference over the Fiat is that with the Peugeot an automatic gearbox is not really an option. Auto transmission still really has to catch on in Peugeot’s home market of France, so it isn’t offered. As a result, if you choose a motorhome which is usually based on a Peugeot but want it automatic, you may well find you have to pay extra for a souped up Fiat engine instead.
Citroën Relay
- Length: 5.41/5.99/6.36m
- MTPLM: 3300/3500/4005kg
- Engine sizes: 2.2-litre, 100/120bhp, and 3.0-litre 160bhp
Known as the Citroën Jumper in Europe, the Relay isn’t as popular an option as a base vehicle in this country, even though motorhomes based on it frequently come out cheaper. Pilote, for example, used the Citroën as a base vehicle to help bring the price down for its new budget Joa Camp range, such as the Joa Camp 60G. Hobby also uses the Citroen as a base vehicle for its cheapest On Tour and On Tour Edition ranges.
British converters aren’t completely unknown either: WildAx has included Citroën-based models in its line-up for many years.
But this year the interest in Citroën is much more likely to be around the new Citroen Holidays campervan, putting the French manufacturer in the same league as VW with its California models, Ford with the Nugget and Mercedes Benz with the Marco Polo. Based on Citroën’s own Spacetourer, the model, built by Slovenian based Bravia Mobil, should be arriving at Citroën dealers this summer.
VW Transporter
- Length: 4.90/5.30m
- MTPLM: 2800/3200kg
- Engine sizes: 2.0 litre, 110/150PS
If your idea of a campervan is something that hippies drove around in the 1960s with a big VW badge on the front, then you are thinking of the VW Transporter – at least in one of its earlier manifestations. The vehicle, first dreamed up by VW’s Dutch agent just after the Second World War, has obviously been significantly updated since then – although if you can find an old version with a split screen they hold their value exceptionally well.
The latest version, the 6.1, introduced new safety and digital features, but these are likely to be superceded when the next generation of the vehicle, the Transporter 7, comes online later this year.
From what VW has revealed so far we know the new vehicle is likely to have a much more extensive “digital cockpit”. It will also be slightly longer, with all variants over 5m, and 12.8cm wider. That may seem insignificant, but it can make a lot of difference for anyone using the vehicle as a campervan because of pitch and parking space sizes. Payload is, however, also likely to be bigger, which could mean future conversions have more spec.
The new vehicle, and in particular the e-Transporter, is also likely to see more evidence of VW working together with Ford, after the two companies reached an agreement in 2019 to jointly develop electric vehicles for the European market. The alliance is not entirely surprising: since its introduction in 2013, the Ford Transit Custom has grown to become the main rival to the Transporter, not least because conversions based on it often work out cheaper.
The Transporter, of course, is also the base vehicle for VW’s very successful California models.
VW Crafter
- Length: TBC
- MTPLM: TBC
- Engine: TBC
Like the Transporter, the Crafter is being updated this year, with a new “digital cockpit” promised, plus many more features fitted as standard, including an electronic brake, a 10.3-inch infotainment display, autonomous emergency braking (including for pedestrians and cyclists), lane assist, dynamic road sign display, a speed limiter and acoustic park distance control
As such, it will be the second generation Crafter to be built by Volkswagen itself. Although the vehicle was launched in 2006, for its first ten years it was effectively a rebadged Mercedes Sprinter. Then in 2017 Volkswagen redesigned the vehicle and brought production of it in-house.
The Crafter has particularly come on strong since supply issues with Fiat became paramount, as many converters clearly see it as an alternative to the Ducato, although it is longer.
Volkswagen itself uses the Crafter for its own Grand California campervan model.
Ford Transit Custom
- Length: 4.97/5.34m
- MTPLM: 3400kg
- Engine: 2.0-litre, 130/150PS
The smaller version of the 2T Ford Transit, the Ford Transit Custom has really been giving the VW Transporter a run for its money since its launch in Europe in 2013, with plenty of converters using it.
Converters still like it because its slightly more boxy style means you potentially have more room for things like lockers near the ceiling – especially in a high top. Most people love the Custom’s cab, with its very car-like setting which is quite a difference, particularly from older Fiat Ducatos.
But Ford’s more sponge-like gearing could take some getting used to, if all you have driven before is a Fiat or a VW. It is also slightly higher than a VW Transporter, so you are less likely to make it into a multi-storey car park, or under a car park barrier. And it doesn’t have a wonderful reputation for security.
As for the vehicle’s future, much is tied up in the development of electric versions of the van. For 2024 the Transit Custom itself already comes with a new PHEV option, using the same 2.5-litre petrol and 65kWh engine you fill find in a Ford Kuga SUV. A fully electric version is promised later this year. Ford has a target to achieve zero emissions across all vehicle sales in Europe by 2035.
As with Volkswagen, Ford produces its own campervan based on a Transit Custom. The Nugget, built for Ford by Westfalia, was upgraded last year, and now comes with a PHEV option as well.
Ford Transit
- Length: 5.53m or 5.98m
- MTPLM: 3500kg
- Engine: 2.0-litre, 105/130/170PS
It’s an indication of just how much the standard Ford Transit has encroached on the Fiat Ducato’s one-time total dominance in the vehicle conversion market (at least for coachbuilt motorhomes) that Swift launched its new Ford-based Voyager range last year, and has done very well with it. Previously the company was strictly Fiat only.
The supply problems at the Italian manufacturer means that, like many other converters, it has had to look elsewhere. Since the launch of the Voyager range the company has also launched a Ford-based van conversion, the Trekker. Like Bailey’s new Endeavour B62 – also based on the Transit – it has been developed in close collaboration with Ford.
As with its more compact Transit Custom, it’s not difficult to see why the Transit has been such a go to vehicle. First and foremost it (usually) works out cheaper than the Ducato. It has a more car-like driving position too, although opinions on the snout-like front profile and more spongy gears are more divided.
This year, the Transit has been enhanced with a 12-inch touchscreen in the cab, 5G connectivity and the option of a new eight-speed automatic gearbox.
As with many other manufacturers, Ford has been developing electric versions of the Transit in recent years. Unlike many others, this will include experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells as well as more standard batteries.
Mercedes Sprinter
- Length: 5.27/5.93/6.97/7.37m
- MTPLM: 3000/3500/3880/3000kg
- Engine sizes: 2.14/2.99-litre, 150/170/190bhp
Buying a van with the 3-star badge on front will, on average, set you back £7,000 more than a similar van based on a Fiat Ducato.
But that doesn’t seem to put people off, judging by the number of converters who include a Sprinter-based vehicle in their line-up.
Those who have recently launched such a model include the Auto-Sleeper M Star van conversion, our pick for the best luxury campervan at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2024. Coachman has also extended its motorhome offer by launching the Travelmaster Imperial, its first A-class, also based on a Mercedes.
Mercedes’ success is possibly part down to the fact that motorhomes are an expensive purchase, and are often bought by new retirees. They might feel that if they are going to fork out for one they could go that extra mile and have a Mercedes they can head off into the sunset with.
But the Sprinter also has an enviable reputation for reliability. And, like Fiat and Ford, Mercedes is known for working directly with motorhome manufacturers to make a chassis that suits their needs. Hymer’s SLC chassis, which currently graces its B-Class Modern Comfort (BMC) range, was the result of a two-year collaboration between the two companies.
That said, some feel that the taller than average body shape of the Sprinter makes for a less satisfactory driving experience. The minimalist cab seems to be a hit though.
Renault Trafic
- Length: 5.08/5.48m
- MTPLM: 3010/3070kg
- Engine: 2.0-litre, 150bhp
The Trafic is a bit of an “also ran” when it comes to conversions, but it’s still a popular choice with some. Its fans include Adria, which finally launched its Active Duo campervan based on a Trafic last year. The model had been on sale in Europe for a couple of years, but needed to be redesigned for right hand drive as it would only be possible with two opening doors.
However, since launching over here, it impressed enough to be named the best small campervan at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2024, with our judging panel impressed by the rising roof ‘van.
MAN TGE
- Length: 5.99/6.84/7.39m
- MTPLM: 3000/3500/5000/5500kg
- Engine sizes: 2.0, 75/103/120/130kW
MAN is mainly known for building trucks and lorries, which explains why the MAN TGE is actually a rebadged Mercedes Sprinter with different spec. The vehicle has started to be used more frequently by some larger manufacturers looking to find alternatives to the Fiat – particularly those whose customers are more likely to be looking for a higher gross weight and possibly four-wheel drive.
Some campervan converters have also launched models based on the vehicle. These include WildAx, with its Altair model, and more recently Hillside Leisure, which has produced a version of its Hopton model on MAN TGE.
How we choose the best vans for camper van conversion
The best vans for camper conversion will offer a safe and reliable setting for touring adventures, as well as impacting features such as the engine size and extras such as the gearbox it comes with. We’re able to pick out the standout options on the market in a couple of ways.
Firstly, we run the Owner Satisfaction Awards, where our readers vote to let us know how they’ve got on with their ‘vans, including the base vehicle and their experience with the converter or the manufacturer. Our 2024 results saw 5,013 readers vote, giving us an in-depth insight into the state of the market and allowing us to pick out the best van conversion companies and the standout vans for converting.
We also run the Practical Motorhome Awards, where our expert judging panel use our combined decades of industry experience to pick out the outstanding options on the market for the upcoming season.
Combine this with the hundreds of real-world reviews of ‘vans that we’ve carried out over the years, and we’re in an authoritative position to compile our best van for camper conversion guide, vehicles that will offer a reliable experience.
What is the most reliable van for camper conversion?
The results of our Owner Satisfaction Awards 2024 saw our readers pick out Volkswagen as the most reliable new van for camper conversion, achieving an impressive score of 91.3% to take the top spot in the Best New Base Vehicle category. This was closely followed by Ford, which scored a highly respectable 90.2% to finish in second place. Mercedes took third place thanks to a total of 89.5%.
However, for those looking for a used van for camper conversion, Mercedes came out on top in the Best Pre-owned Base Vehicle category, achieving a score of 87.1%. Volkswagen took second spot, with a total of 85.8%, while Ford rounded up the top three, scoring 85%.
You can see the full results of the 2024 Owner Satisfaction Awards to see how other base vehicles got on.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this review, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Motorhome magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things motorhome related.
