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Motorhome Running Costs UK (2026): What It Costs Per Year

Last updated: 27 October 2026 · Kervana team

Short answer

Before you drive a single mile, owning a motorhome in the UK costs roughly £800–3,500 a year in 2026, or about £70–290 a month. A middle estimate is around £2,100 a year (£180 a month): insurance, road tax, MOT, a habitation check, a base vehicle service, breakdown cover and storage.

The biggest cost is usually one you never see on a bill: depreciation. A new motorhome loses around 20% of its value in the first year.

Fuel, campsites and food come on top and depend on how much you travel.

The yearly bill at a glance

CostLowMiddleHigh
Insurance£250£600£1,000
Road tax (VED)£177£375£375
MOT£55£55£55
Habitation check£200£260£320
Base vehicle service£100£300£600
Breakdown cover£50£100£150
Storage£0 (at home)£450£1,000
Total£832£2,140£3,500
Per month£69£178£292

"Low" is an older van conversion parked on the drive; "high" is a large coachbuilt in secure storage with dealer servicing. The middle column is our estimate from the ranges below, not an average from a survey.

Insurance

Comparison-site quote data puts the average comprehensive motorhome policy at about £600 a year, with most quotes between £233 and £977. Van conversions and coachbuilts come out cheaper than large A-class motorhomes; age, where you keep the vehicle and your mileage all move the price. Third-party cover on an older vehicle can be well under £250.

Check whether the policy covers the contents, European travel and long trips: full-timers need a policy that allows living in the vehicle.

Road tax (VED)

Motorhomes are taxed on their revenue (maximum) weight:

Motorhome12-month rate
Up to 3,500 kg, engine up to 1,549 cc£230
Up to 3,500 kg, engine over 1,549 cc£375
Over 3,500 kg (private heavy goods)£177

Most motorhomes up to 3,500 kg have engines over 1,549 cc and pay £375. Some motorhomes registered between 1 April 2017 and 11 March 2020 in the M1SP category are taxed like cars instead: £200 a year, plus £440 a year for five years if the list price was over £40,000. Your V5C and the GOV.UK rate tables tell you which applies.

MOT

A motorhome needs an MOT once it is three years old. Motor caravans are class 4, and the maximum fee is £54.85; many garages charge less.

Habitation check

The base vehicle's MOT doesn't cover the "living" part: gas, water, electrics, damp and appliances. A yearly habitation check costs about £200–320 from mobile engineers and dealers in 2026; independent workshops can be cheaper. It's not a legal requirement, but many habitation warranties require it, and a damp problem caught early is far cheaper than one found when you sell.

Base vehicle service

The van underneath needs servicing like any other: independent garages advertise full services on a Fiat Ducato from about £99, while dealer services reported by owners range from about £200 to £600. Many base vehicles have a two-year or 30,000-mile interval; check your handbook. Budget for tyres too: on a motorhome they often age out before they wear out, so check the date code as well as the tread.

Breakdown cover

Motorhome breakdown cover typically costs around £50–150 a year, either as a standalone policy or as an add-on to your insurance. Check the weight and length limits: standard recovery often stops at 3,500 kg, and heavier vehicles may need specialist cover.

Storage

If you can't keep the motorhome at home, secure storage costs roughly £400–1,000 a year. Club and farm sites start at about £1.14 a day; a CaSSOA-accredited site in the Midlands lists £665 a year for a standard plot in 2026. Covered or indoor storage costs more.

Depreciation: the hidden cost

A common rule of thumb for new motorhomes is about 20% in the first year, around 30% after three years and around 50% after five. Larger A-class models tend to lose value a little faster than van conversions; condition, mileage and the market move the figures a lot.

For a £60,000 motorhome that is roughly £12,000 in the first year, or about £6,000 a year averaged over the first five. Buying two or three years old lets the first owner absorb the steepest drop.

And then the travelling

The costs above are what you pay to own the vehicle. On top come:

Work out your own figure

  1. Add up your fixed costs from the table above, using your own quotes.
  2. Put your next trip into the trip cost calculator for fuel, campsites and food.
  3. Track what you actually spend, by category and by trip. Kervana shows the cost of each trip per day and per mile, warns you before a category goes over its monthly limit and keeps receipts with each entry.

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Sources

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