Caravanning is the ideal way for the whole family to enjoy a brilliant summer staycation, so we’ve rounded up a great selection of 2021’s larger tourers.
This summer is going to be a staycation season like no other; perhaps as lockdown restrictions begin to lift, your first stop will be to head to your dealer and find a caravan fit for the whole family.
Here is our choice of those vans we’ve liked from the 2021 season, and a few new launches from before then that are still on sale.
Best Caravans for Families
Adria Adora Tiber
- Price £25,995
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 8.24m/TBA
- Width 2.46m
- MiRO TBA
- Payload TBA
- MTPLM TBA
Launched earlier this year, the new Tiber brings the in-line island-bed layout of Adria’s Altea Dart into the firm’s most recently revamped caravan range.
The result is that you benefit from all of the luxurious space of having an end bedroom behind a central washroom, as well as the extras included in the Adoras, such as the front panel wind diffusers and the neat little storage racks running right around the inside of the caravan.
Interested in this van? Check out our reviews of other Adria models.
Bailey Phoenix+ 642
- Price £19,999
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.37/5.84m
- Width 2.21m
- MiRO 1255kg
- Payload 155kg
- MTPLM 1510kg
Bailey has given the Phoenix a revamp, to move it further away from last year’s new budget Discovery. The biggest change is on the outside, where you get silver side panels and alloy wheels, which remove any suggestion that this is a budget van. Family options have been slightly reduced with the deletion of the end-bunks 760 model, but the 642 with an end washroom and fixed single beds that could double up as a second lounge, is still worth considering.
Read our full review of the Phoenix+ 642 to see if this could be the caravan for your family.
Buccaneer Bermuda
- Price £35,549
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 8.16/6.98m
- Width 2.45m
- MiRO 1831kg
- Payload 159kg
- MTPLM 1990kg
If you are after something luxurious, take a look at this new L-shaped front-lounge model from Erwin Hymer UK’s upmarket, 8ft-wide, twin-axle Buccaneer range. Unlike the existing Baracuda, the L-shaped settee in the Bermuda faces towards you as you come in . It’s also the same length as the Baracuda, but because it has a transverse island bed at the rear, instead of an in-line version, there is more space for other facilities, including a well-equipped kitchen.
We’ve got a full review of the Buccaneer Bermuda, too.
Swift Sprite Super Major 4 SB
- Price £21,365
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.54/5.83m
- Width 2.46m
- MiRO 1385kg
- Payload 156kg
- MTPLM 1541kg
This 8ft-wide caravan has lots of space for a family, especially as there are four, rather than six berths, and a single axle, making it over £2000 cheaper than its Sprite Super siblings.
The layout offers a sizeable end washroom, a comfortable rear lounge and a cleverly designed central wardrobe that can be accessed from either side of the concertina partition, so children waking up early in the morning need not disturb their parents as they get dressed.
Read our full review of the Sprite Super Major 4 SB for more details.
Coachman Laser Xcel 575
- Price £31,615
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.43/5.80m
- Width 2.44m
- MiRO 1579kg
- Payload 155kg
- MTPLM 1734kg
An Xcel, but not fully in the Laser Xcel range, because this single-axle caravan doesn’t have exactly the same spec as the twin-axles. It does, however, almost match their payload.
In addition, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about a single-axle proving to be more of a tricky tow, because for reassurance, this van, like all Lasers this season, comes with Al-Ko’s Automatic Adjustment (AAA) premium brake, which is designed to shorten the caravan’s stopping distance.
Find out exactly what this model has to offer in our full review of the Laser XL 575.
Adria Adora Sava
- Price £26,995
- Berths 6
- Shipping/body length 8.24/6.83m
- Width 2.46m
- MiRO 1722kg
- Payload 178kg
- MTPLM 1900kg
We wouldn’t usually include a second model from the same range in a selection, especially because the Save is not, strictly speaking, a new layout. But this season, it has had one useful addition that could make it even more attractive to family buyers. What was previously a five-berth now comes with an extra drop-down bunk hidden away in the lockers above the side dinette. So there should be no problem if your children want to bring along an extra friend.
Find out more about Adria’s family-friendly layouts.
Bailey Alicanto Grande Faro
- Price £30,699
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.86/6.33m
- Width 2.45m
- MiRO 1630kg
- Payload 160kg
- MTPLM 1790kg
This latest addition Bailey’s 8ft-wide luxury range missed out on the limelight, as it was launched just before the first lockdown. But it is a highly innovative van. In particular, the rear transverse-island-bed layout offers a new take on the washroom straddling the centre. Here the shower, toilet and handbasin are on the nearside, but you still get the idea of a washroom sealing off your bedroom, because the offside is left open to create a huge dressing area.
Also in the Alicanto range is the Sintra – read our full review.
Bailey Discover D4-4
- Price £17,899
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.14/5.40m
- Width 2.23m
- MiRO 1059kg
- Payload 147kg
- MTPLM 1256kg
We have had this caravan on long-term test and it has been put through its family paces with great success. As it’s a budget van and only just over 5m long inside, it might feel a little cramped, but it manages to include a fixed rear corner bed for the adults. And don’t forget that as with all Discovery models, you can get Prima Leisure’s Discovery awning, which fits around two sides of the caravan and massively increases living space.
Read our full, in-depth test of the Discovery D4-4.
Swift Challenger 560
- Price £25,145
- Berths 4
- Shipping/body length 7.54/5.83m
- Width 2.23m
- MiRO 1394kg
- Payload 156kg
- MTPLM 1550kg
If you are after a more conventional rear island bed (in-line this time) with a washroom spread across the centre, this four-berth from Swift’s warhorse of a range isn’t a bad choice. The washroom even includes a central handbasin positioned in front of a pillar at the bottom of the bed, a layout that has proved very fashionable in recent years.
There’s enough space for the children in the front, too, although you’ll find that storage options are more geared towards the rear of the caravan.
We’ve done a full review of the Challenger 560, with all the details you’ll need to know to figure out if this is the caravan for your family.
Elddis Avanté 868
- Price £24,599
- Berths 6
- Shipping/body length 8.05/6.39m
- Width 2.45m
- MiRO 1545kg
- Payload 179kg
- MTPLM 1724kg
This six-berth offers maximum flexibility, particularly if you have children of widely differing ages. The adults get their own fixed double bed in the corner, and there’s a pair of bunks just opposite, so you can keep an eye on the little ones. You still get the standard front lounge, with settees that are 6ft long, so older children can sleep here. Alternatively, if the two of you would rather have some space of your own, you can put all the children in the back and have the large double bed, which you make up from the front lounge settees, to yourselves.
Find out if this model fits all your family’s touring needs in our full review of the Avanté 868.
If you’re looking for a family caravan, you might also like to take a look at our round up of the best 6-berth caravans, or for more space try our best caravans for seasonal pitches.
If you still don’t see what you’re after, take a look at our other caravan reviews where you can narrow down your choices according to your priorities.
