Everyone loves a bargain, and no more so than when buying a caravan, and it is possible to find a caravan under £15,000, but at the budget end of the market you need to have realistic expectations and know exactly what your priorities are.
Buyer’s Guide – best caravans under £15,000
Xplore 304 SE 2019
STAR RATING – 4 out of 5
- Price £14,763
- Berth 4
- MTPLM 1043kg
- Shipping length 5.54m
- Width 2.18m
This compact four-berth tourer has been a popular in the entry-level sector. The 2019 revamp, which is on an Al-Ko chassis with SE pack alloys, spare wheel, wheel lock receiver and AKS hitch, is easy to tow and pitch up.
The L-shaped lounge has a relaxed and spacious feel and a panoramic window at the front of the van allows in plenty of light.
It’s a well-equipped kitchen for a small tourer, with its own side window and overhead storage. There’s no microwave, but you do get a neat oven and a three-burner gas hob. The black enamel sink has a clip-on drainer. The compact washroom looks a little cramped, but it’s practical and large enough to shower in.
Seating in the L-shaped lounge can be made up into a double bed or used as a single. To make the double is easy enough, using an extending frame and the settee cushions. If you need the other berths, the offside dinette makes up a single bed and there is also a fold-up bunk.
BUY IF… you plan to use it mainly as a two berth but with the occasional break with the grandchildren
PROs:
Easy to tow
Great lounge seating
CONs:
Small side window in single dinette
Read more in our Xplore 304 SE caravan review
Xplore 422 2018
STAR RATING – 4 out of 5
- Price £14,249
- Berth 2
- MTPLM 1099kg
- Shipping length 5.88m
- Width 2.18m
Launched in 2018, this couples tourer comes with an L-shaped end-kitchen layout. On an Al-Ko chassis, the Xplore has an AKS hitch and its bodyshell uses SoLiD ‘glued not screwed’ construction, with a GRP protective skin on the floor.
The 422 has a large front lounge, which is bright and airy, and although no sunroof is fitted or offered as an option, the large windows and Midi Heki allow in a good amount of natural light.
The L-shaped end kitchen has brilliant storage and plenty of worksurface, too. The sink has a clip-on drainer and a glass top, while next to it is the three-burner gas hob. It comes with a combined oven/grill.
The washroom is in the offside rear corner and has a good size fully lined shower.
Two seats can be used as single beds if you are not too tall, but most users will probably prefer to make up the 6ft 6in x 5ft 1in double.
BUY IF… you want a lightweight caravan with an upmarket layout
PROs:
Both the kitchen and washroom are great
Storage is excellent
CONs:
No microwave as standard
Read more in our Xplore 422 caravan review
Moto-Trek Trek-Away 2019
STAR RATING – 3.5 out of 5
- Price £9600
- Berth 2
- MTPLM 750kg
- Shipping length 4.1m
- Width 1.9m
This South Yorkshire firm made its name manufacturing horse trailers, then branched out into motorhomes. Now it’s launching a compact caravan.
The Trek-Away should appeal to those who might tour on their own, because it is super-lightweight, at just 750kg. And, at just 4.10m long, you could stow it away quite easily on even an average-size driveway.
The sofa straddles the front of the van and although neither the front nor the side windows are generous, but you do get two spotlights and an LED placed centrally in the ceiling. The kitchen stretches across the rear of the van, opposite the sofa. For a small caravan, it has a surprisingly large amount of workspace, thanks to it being L-shaped. You get a two-burner gas hob combined with a sizeable sink, while a Vitrifigo fridge is included in the Excel pack.
Much of what you can see here in the corner washroom is only included in the Excel version (the electric flushing toilet) or as an optional extra (the handbasin and vanity unit). Without these, this would in effect be just a large storage cupboard or changing room. But with these, the washroom isn’t too bad at all.
Our test model featured two bunk beds, which you make out of the sofa and the cushion over the front locker. An alternative is to have a double bed that slides out on a platform from under the base cushion.
BUY IF… you want an easily manoeuvrable lightweight caravan
PROs:
Good interior
Excellent storage
CONs:
Bunk design is a bit weak
Read more in our Moto-Trek Trek-Away caravan review
Adria Altea 362LH Forth 2017
STAR RATING – 3.5 out of 5
- Price £13,750
- Berth 4
- MTPLM 1200
- Shipping length 5.69m
- Width 2.3m
This compact starter model was given a makeover with this model in 2017 but still retained its style, layout and low weight.
A good starter van for those who are just joining our ranks, towing this little family caravan is easy, especially with the aid of the AKS stabiliser and shock absorbers.
And the simple layout makes for a great social space: while someone is cooking in the rear, they can still get involved in any conversation in the lounge. The compact kitchen at the rear of the Altea 362LH Forth has everything you could need: a three-burner gas hob, a combined oven and grill, a 90-litre fridge and a microwave. The washroom’s compact design makes great use of the tiny space available, with a fold-down sink, although this detail could become tiresome.
The lounge becomes a giant sleeping space when you slide out the bases from each side and slot the cushions in place. The main bed sleeps two or three, and a fourth can sleep on a fold-out bunk on the nearside which is secured with good, solid bolts when not in use.
BUY IF… you’re looking to buy a touring caravan for the first time
PROs:
Lightweight and compact
Flexible layout
CONs:
Limited storage
Read more in our Adria Altea 362LH Forth caravan review
Bailey Pursuit 400-2 2017
STAR RATING – 4 out of 5
- Price £14,599
- Berth 2
- MTPLM 1090kg
- Shipping length 5.45m
- Width 2.24m
In 2017, Bailey dispensed almost entirely with option packs, aiming for one clear cost, with many items that were previously considered optional extras fitted as standard. As you might expect, that added to the price of the range, but the the two-berth 400-2 remained excellent value and had a generous standard spec levels.
The extras fitted as standard don’t fall short in the kitchen. Along with a three-burner hob, 103-litre Dometic fridge and Thetford Triplex oven and grill as before, 2017 Bailey Pursuits now come with an 800kW microwave.
The large end washroom in this Bailey Pursuit 400-2 could just about fit two people at once and features a nearside separate shower cubicle that is a good size.
The Ozio fibre mattresses make for two flat and comfy singles, and an even better double, which is easy to assemble thanks to slats that pull out from a central locker in the front.
BUY IF… you’re looking for a good spec at a good price
PROs:
Excellent level of specification
Modern, bright and comfortable furnishings
CONs:
Storage is limited
Read more in our Bailey Pursuit 400-2 caravan review
Caravelair Antarès 335 2017
STAR RATING – 4 out of 5
- Price £11,995
- Berth 2
- MTPLM 1000
- Shipping length 5m
- Width 2.1m
The two-berth Caravelair Antarès 335 has a MiRO of just 726kg, which should appeal to first-time buyers as there will be no need for them to upgrade their tow car.
It’s an entry-level van, which even with only three metres of internal length to play with has a settee on the side where the door is to extend beyond the clip-on table, allowing you enough room to stretch your legs.
There’s a Thetford Duplex combination oven and grill in the kitchen, and a stainless-steel unit housing a three-burner gas hob and a sink, both with glass covers
Washroom facilities are basic, the basin tap doubles as a shower but the bench-style toilet takes up a fair amount of space.
You can easily make a double bed that is 120cm wide by folding down the table and swapping around the seat cushions. Or, the caravan comes with a couple of boards you can place between these two seats to make a longer bed that varies in width from 172cm to 204cm.
BUY IF… you’re a couple that want to get away in your own modest car
PROs:
It’s light
We like the stable door
CONs:
Basic finish
Habitation door on the UK offside
Read more in our Caravelair Antarès 335 caravan review
• Prices correct at time of original reviews are subject to change
Not found what you want or would like to see some more options – take a look at Best caravans under £20,000 and Best caravans under £30,000 and more
Or what about a motorhome? Check out some of these options Best motorhomes under £60,000, Best motorhomes under £80,000, Best motorhomes over £80,000 and more
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