So you want to buy a caravan… 10 caravans to get you out on the road this summer

We’ve looked through our Buying Guides to select our picks of the best caravans for sale to suit all budgets and sizes – happy touring!

Best for families…

Elddis Avante/Compass Casita 586

• Price: £21,194
• Berths 6
• MTPLM 1460kg
• Overall length 7.35m
• Width 2.26m

The 586 is a popular choice for families, providing bunks at the back and a dinette in the middle of the caravan, opposite the kitchen. The dinette makes æ…up into a single bed with a bunk above. It’s a very flexible set up, which would suit a family of four, five or six. This year the van is equipped with Whale’s new ‘CompleteHeat’ system that claims to provide you with hot water in just five minutes. The corner washroom is a good size with a shower cubicle and dressing area. Kit includes a dual-fuel hob, a separate oven and grill, a microwave and ATC. Space is tight for six people, but has been used to the best advantage.

Buy if … you’re looking for a flexible family layout

Pros
Good washroom
New heating system
Flexible layout

Cons
Space is a bit tight for six
Exterior locker access is an option rather than standard

Read our full review of the Compass Casita 586

View more options in our guide to Best caravans for families

Best 4 berth caravans…

Sprite Super Quattro EB (2020)

• Price £22,400
• Berths 4
• MiRO 1500kg
• MTPLM 1705kg
• Payload 205kg
• Length 7.98m
• Width 2.46m

This new addition to Sprite’s entry-level range is a great option for families, with a family-friendly layout in an 8ft-wide tourer. We’d recommend adding the Diamond Pack, though, to make sure you’ve got all the stabilising assistance you can get, as it’s fairly hefty.

The extra space gives the opportunity to include a comfortable fixed bed, although you may miss having a second dinette where the kids could hang out.

Design-wise, this caravan has a lot going for it, including a bright and family-friendly lounge, a surprisingly well-equipped kitchen for an entry-level caravan, and a sliding partition door to create separate sleeping spaces.

Read more about the Sprite Super Quattro EB in our full review to find out if it could be your ideal family van.

View more options in our guide to Best 4 berth caravans

Best caravans for couples…

Coachman Acadia 470

• Price £22,340
• Berths 2
• MTPLM  1343kg
• Shipping length 6.33m / 20′ 9 “
• Overall width 2.26m / 7′ 5″

Coachman’s new Acadia range replaces its Vision and Pastiche line-ups with 10 layouts, six of which would make great couple’s vans. Three of those have no fixed beds, indicating that a fixed bed is no longer considered a must-have.

The 470 is one of the smallest in the line-up, with no fixed bed but an L-shaped lounge, which makes up into a 1.86m x 1.3m (6′ 1″ x 4′ 3″) double bed at night by pulling out a platform and rearranging the cushions. On the nearside wall is a wide shelf where a TV might go and, unlike in the Elddis 454s, Coachman retains the window here rather than having a blank wall.

The nearside kitchen has a dual-fuel four burner hob, separate oven and grill, microwave and stainless steel sink, while the 115-litre fridge is fitted beneath the half-height wardrobe next to the offside dinette. That dinette means you can leave the double bed made up if you want.

The spacious end washroom has an Alde radiator to warm your towels, a good-sized shower and deep basin.

Buy if… You’re looking for a well-made, comfortable two-berth with the convenience of a dinette

Pros
Large washroom
Comfortable L-shaped lounge
Exterior mains socket and gas barbecue point

Cons
ATC is an option rather than standard

Read our full review of the Coachman Acadia 470

View more options in our guide to Best caravans for couples

 

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Most innovative caravans…

Knaus Sport & Fun

• Price £20,930
• Berths 4
• Shipping length 6.25m
• Internal length 4.80m
• MTPLM 1300kg

This is a caravan that certainly lives up to its name. The exterior graphics are unlike anything you might see elsewhere.

The “fun” continues inside. The front section, for example, isn’t a lounge, it’s a fixed transverse double bed, set above a large garage (big enough for bikes and kayaks) which you access from the side.

The only seating area is further back, directly opposite the kitchen, and converts into a second double bed which stretches slightly diagonally across the caravan.

All this leaves space for a straight aisle towards the door at the back of the caravan, where you can easily store another bike.
It’s certainly designed for active individuals. The downside is that the washroom is a little small – in standard fitting it doesn’t even include a shower – and the kitchen only seems to have a lot of storage space because there isn’t an oven fitted as standard.

It probably isn’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but we liked it. And although it still seems highly innovative, the Sport & Fun has actually been around in some shape and form for at least 20 years.

Buy if… You like quirky, sporty design

Pros
Loads of storage

Cons
No shower as standard

Read our 2016 Sport & Fun review

View more options in our guide to Most innovative caravans

Best for seasonal pitches…

Buccaneer Barracuda

• Price £35,294
• Berths 4
• MTPLM 1990kg
• Overall length 8.16m (26’9”)
• Width 2.45m (8’)

There’s no doubt that the Buccaneers ooze class – and a touch of bling – with seductive dark cabinetwork and opulent furnishings. That huge corner sofa you have at home is replicated here in L-shaped seating at the front of the van. The offside wall has a dedicated entertainment centre that includes a 32” TV with accompanying aerial, mains and USB sockets. Overhead are a large sunroof and a stargazer rooflight that extends from the lounge to the kitchen.

The L-shaped kitchen has lots of worktop space, a vast stainless steel sink, dual-fuel hob, separate oven and grill and a tall fridge freezer with a microwave above. A domestic style door separates it from the spacious central washroom with a heated towel rail courtesy of the Alde central heating, a bowl sink and a large shower cubicle.

A sliding door separates it from the In-line island bed (6’3” x 4’5”) flanked by wardrobes above a shelf and drawers.

Storage generally is very good with plenty of space under the bed, although the onboard water tank is located here.

The van rides an Al-Ko chassis, with stabilizer, trailer control system and wheel lock and the corner steadies are operated by a self levelling system, whose controls are on the sofa base just inside the door.

This really is a couple’s van, but if you are putting someone up for the night, that L-shaped sofa at the front makes up into a 6’5” x 4’7” double bed.

Buy if… you are looking for a van that shouts luxury

Pros
Great lounge with built-in entertainment centre
Self-levelling system
Large washroom
Large wardrobes

Cons
No external access to the large space under the bed.

For a look around the Buccaneer Barracuda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOeSALT5KxQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Pc0N32Qlw

View more options in our guide to Best caravans for seasonal pitches

 

Best 2 berth caravans…

Bailey Unicorn Merida

For 2019, Bailey introduced the Merida to its popular Unicorn range, with a suitably upmarket spec list and a reintroduced rear washroom layout. For the 2020 season, the Unicorn models all received a Black Edition makeover. This includes new graphics, updated design features such as a circular stainless steel sink and curved dual-finish locker doors, an optional upholstery upgrade and more.

The lounge is spacious and, come night-time, can either be used as two singles (comfortable for all but the tallest) or can be transformed into a generous double using pull-out slats.

It’s the spec list that really makes this 2 berth caravan attractive; starting with the impressive allocation of 230v and USB sockets, a roof-mounted 100W solar panel, programmable Alde central heating and a Bluetooth compatible sound system.

Distinctive Bailey touches such as the drop-down hob cover that gives extra worktop space are also appealing. Read our review of the 2019 version to find out more.

View more options in our guide to Best 2 berth caravans

 

Best 6 berth caravans…

Swift Sprite Major 6 2018

STAR RATING – 4.5 out of 5

• Price £17,430 
• Berth 6
• MTPLM 1468kg
• Shipping length 7.31m
• Width 2.25m

Our Tourer of the Year in 2018, the Sprite Major 6 has much to recommend it. The  curved profile that makes Swifts van so recognisable provides a sophisticated edge to a front panel that now has three separate windows – not something you would expect in an entry-level caravan. Our test model had been fitted with the £365 optional sunroof, as well as the £495 Diamond Pack that gets you alloy wheels.

Swift revamped its Escape entry-level coachbuilt motorhome range in 2017. Much of the design thinking in that seems to have flowed over into the new Sprite.

The side dinette on the offside is right next to the kitchen, and the dinette itself and the clip-on table that goes with it are probably only large enough for four small children or two adults. The kitchen takes elements from the new Escape motorhome, in the form of an elegant curved panel by the sockets under the microwave. There’s a hob and beneath that a Thetford oven with a separate grill.

The shower cubicle is huge. You could probably fit two kids in there at a time. In terms of sleeping arrangements, with this layout adults still have to make up their bed but it’s easily done. That front make-up double bed is 2.02 x 1.7m, or use the sofas as 1.8 x 0.83m single beds. The fixed bunks at the back measure 1.83 x 0.57m, so are long enough for teenagers, but are a touch on the narrow side.

BUY IF… you’re after a reasonably priced van with a well-designed base

PROs:
Great family washroom
Plenty of storage

CONs:
Need Diamond Pack to lift spec

Read more about the Swift Sprite Major 6 in our full review

View more options in our guide to Best 6 berth caravans

 

Best caravans over £30K…

Coachman Laser Xcel 850 2019

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £35,400
• Berth 4
• MTPLM 1927kg
• Shipping length 7.9m
• Width 2.44m

In 2019 this took the Best Luxury Tourer title in our annual awards and with its spacious bedroom and excellent washroom it’s easy to see why. Towing is made easier with the inclusion of Al-Ko’s ATC and an AKS 3004 stabiliser as standard and all Coachman Xcel models come with an E&P self-levelling system fitted as standard. A barbecue outlet is conveniently located on the front nearside corner.

There are parallel settees in the 850, with lots of daylight coming through the windows, the rooflight and the sunroof that still runs right across the width of the caravan, even in this 8ft-wide model. The two settees are not the longest you will come across, they would accommodate four people quite easily, but not many more.

The narrowness is probably a result of the layout, which needs to pack a lot into its 6.27m length. But the entrance doesn’t feel too spacious either, partly because Coachman has included an L-shaped kitchen unit, which rather protrudes into the floorspace.

The extra width provides a huge door to the central washroom. The shower on the nearside is circular and retains the useful clothes hook that Coachman introduced last year. It doesn’t have a roof vent, but it does include a large LED light and two sensibly placed shelves.

Not having wardrobes either side of the transverse bed adds to the sense of space in the rear bedroom. The bed can be rolled back for extra space. The front settees only work as single beds for those under 5ft tall, but they make a great double (using slats), thanks to the sprung upholstery.

BUY IF…  you’re looking for luxury and a spacious bedroom

PROs:
Spacious bedroom
Well-planned washroom

CONs:

Front lounge is a little cramped

Read more in our Coachman Laser Xcel 850 caravan review

View more options in our guide to Best caravans over £30K

 

Best caravans from £25-£30K…

Bailey Unicorn Black Edition Vigo 2020

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £24,999
• Berth 4
• MTPLM 1499kg
• Shipping length 7.36m
• Width 2.28m
•
This luxury 4 berth caravan has a popular transverse island bed and rear-washroom layout. There are new decals down the side and back, and you get 14-inch alloys in graphite, for a sportier look. Shock absorbers, an AKS 3004 stabiliser and the ATC trailer control system are all fitted as standard.

In the kitchen, the now standard wooden hob cover adds to the generous workspace with an extension, with two mains sockets near at hand, and a round stainless-steel sink. There are three large drawers under the larger ‘L’ part of the kitchen unit, one including a cutlery tray. On the other side of the Thetford Caprice Mk III oven and grill is a shelved cupboard with a wine rack.

A huge lit mirror across the back of the washroom makes it feel much wider than it is. The shower on the nearside is reasonably large.

The end of the transverse island bed is comfortable and the double bed at the front is made up with slats, not platforms. Alternatively – and as long as you are no more than about 5ft 7in – you can just use the front settees as singles.

BUY IF…  you’re a couple or larger group looking for luxury in sporty styling

PROs:

Good layout
Smart styling

CONs:

Kitchen locker catch

Read more in our Bailey Unicorn Black Edition Vigo caravan review

View more options in our guide to Best caravans from £25-£30K

 

Best caravans under £20K…

Bailey Phoenix 640 2019

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £18,499
• Berth 4
• MTPLM 1382kg
• Shipping length 7.37m
• Width 2.21m

Over the past decade,  Bailey has made several attempts to increase its foothold in the entry-level market, and the island-bed four-berth Phoenix 640 might just be the one to succeed.

The 640 rides on a galvanised steel Al-Ko chassis, and the stand-out feature of the front lounge is the vertical skylight which  lets plenty of light in.

The offside kitchen packs a decent specification, with four gas burners atop a separate oven and grill. Opposite this, you’ll find a 103-litre dual-fuel fridge with separate freezer compartment. In the washroom a fully lined shower compartment is accessed via a bi-fold door. A water-efficient Ecocamel showerhead is on standby for spray duty.

The island bed is 6ft 2in by 4ft 6in (1.88 x 1.4m), so should suit the needs of most touring couples. The foam mattress uses high-density Ozio filling, designed to offer comfort at low weights. Up front, the lounge offers a choice of 5ft 11in by 2ft 1in singles, or a make-up double measuring 6ft 2in by 4ft 7in.

BUY IF… you’re looking for a spacious four berth with a good size bed

PROs:
Excellent storage

CONs:
Limited space in lounge

Read more in our Bailey Phoenix 640 caravan review

• Prices correct at time of original reviews are subject to change

View more options in our guide to Best caravans under £20K

 

If you’re new to caravanning and want to learn more about this fantastic past-time – check out our Caravanning for Newbies Guide