With Harewood’s VW Festival back this summer, we take a look at how far the camper van has come, from beloved classics to the latest models.
Now in its 21st year, the VW Festival at Harewood House (7th to 9th August) features the country’s biggest gathering of VW show cars, club displays, and three days of family entertainment. It’s also as good a moment as any to look at today’s thriving camper van scene.
The ‘van life’ trend, once a fairly niche pursuit, has gone well and truly mainstream. Living part-time, or even full-time, in a converted van has strong appeal beyond the Instagram aesthetic – lower running costs than a static holiday home, the flexibility to work and travel, and a deliberately slower pace of life. It’s also created a burgeoning conversion industry, turning ordinary vans into fully kitted-out homes on wheels. For those wanting to embrace van life, here are some current options worth knowing about.
Volkswagen California
This remains the benchmark. The standard-size California offers a proper kitchen, pull-out bed, and swivel chairs as standard. Step up to the Grand California and you get a genuinely spacious motorhome-style layout, with a full wet room, double bed, and a kitchen with a 70-litre fridge. At the smaller end, the Caddy California proves a full conversion doesn’t need a large van, fitting a double bed and mini kitchen into something closer in size to a family hatchback.
Mercedes V-Class Marco Polo
The California’s most credible rival, with a slicker drive and a genuinely clever interior. The kitchenette comes with a two-burner hob, fridge, and sink, while the rear bench folds flat into a double bed and an optional roof bed sleeps two more on top, for four in total. Air suspension with a dedicated camper setting keeps the van level on uneven pitches, and the electrical set-up, from lighting to the fridge, can be run from a smartphone app.
Ford Transit Custom Nugget
Built in partnership with German conversion specialist Westfalia, this is a good value model with five full seats and four berths. The latest version has a roomier kitchen featuring a two-burner hob, sink, and 33-litre drawer fridge, plus a rear-mounted shower fed by an integrated boiler. The heated rear bench folds into a dining or sleeping area, and there’s now a bigger touchscreen with sat-nav and smartphone mirroring.
Auto-Trail Expedition 68 XL
A newer name on the scene, built on the Fiat Ducato rather than a car-derived van, and priced below most rivals here. The standard layout has a long single bed at the rear, with an optional pop-top roof adding a second double above, reached by a fold-away ladder. The kitchen runs to a two-burner hob, sink, and combined oven and grill, and a 200 W solar panel comes as standard. The washroom is basic, with a pull-out shower from the basin tap rather than a separate cubicle, but storage is generous for the size of van.
Volkswagen California eHybrid 4MOTION
A plug-in hybrid version of the classic camper, capable of up to 53 miles on electric power for short journeys, with the petrol engine taking over for longer trips, plus four-wheel drive and a substantial towing capacity. It’s the closest thing to an electrified VW Camper on sale.
