When you’re looking to buy the best campervan, it’s worth finding out about the different van conversion companies out there. After all, a new ‘van is an expensive buy, and you’ll want to ensure you’re getting the option that is right for you. To help, we’re taking a look at the best campervan converters in the UK.
The good news for people hoping to buy a ‘van is there’s plenty of choice. And, while buying direct from the manufacturer is an excellent option, it’s not the only one; a brand-new VW camper is no doubt something to aspire to, but for reasons of price and layout you might find that buying from one of the UK’s campervan conversion companies will suit you better.
Volkswagen ‘vans are understandably popular, but remember Ford, Fiat, Citroën and Mercedes all have their plus points, too.
Many of the campervan converters in this guide should have their models on display at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show, held in Birmingham at the NEC. This can be a great way of seeing the various models on offer from the different companies, all in one place. The recent February show ran from 21st-26th February, while there is also the larger October show, which will be held 17th-22nd October in 2023.
As well as this, there are the Owner Satisfaction Awards, which we run in conjunction with The Camping and Caravanning Club. Here, our readers vote to tell us how they got on when buying their vehicles, giving us a great insight into the different van conversion companies out there and highlighting the brands that are offering the best campervan converter experience.
So whether you’re looking for the best VW camper conversion companies or just want to know more about camper van converters in general, read on, as we round-up the best campervan converters working in the UK today. You can also use our list below to quickly navigate to a specific brand.
The best camper van conversion companies in the UK:
Auto Campers
Autohaus
Bilbo’s
CMC Reimo
Danbury
Devon Conversions
Hillside Leisure
IH Motorhomes
Jerba
Jöbl
Murvi
Vantage Motorhomes
Wellhouse Leisure
WildAx
The best campervan converters:
Auto Campers
Roy Wood Transits, 429 Reading Road, Winnersh, Berkshire, RG41 5HU, 01189 790 202
www.auto-campers.co.uk
Reading-based Auto Campers specialises mainly in Ford Transit Custom conversions, as it is a spin-off from a Ford garage. The company makes three ranges – a highly modular Day Van, a more conventional Leisure Van and a highly versatile MRV range – as low tops, high tops, and with a rising roof.
The company also makes custom built van conversion for people with disabilities, and does conversions on used vehicles too.
Autohaus
Unit 12a, Vennlands Business Centre, Mart Road, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5BJ, 01643 703 283
autohaus.co.uk
Autohaus, based at Minehead in Somerset, is a campervan converter known for making very sporty van conversions – many with a strong hint of the biker about them – based on the Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit Custom, and both the VW Transporter and Crafter. It is a stalwart of NEC shows.
Bilbo’s
Eastbourne Road, South Godstone, Surrey RH9 8JQ. 01342 892499
www.bilbos.com
Named after the Lord of the Rings character, Bilbo’s has been producing VW Transporter camper van conversions, most of which come with raising roofs, since 1977.
One such example is the Bilbo Nexa HL, an impressive four seater ‘van that made it onto our best small campervan guide. Based on the T6.1 Transporter, it even comes with a flushing toilet.
The campervan converter enjoyed a successful Owner Satisfaction Awards 2023 too, winning an impressive five gold awards. In our best van converter – new manufacturer category, Bilbo’s secured a score of 90.5%, while a total of 85.6% was achieved in the best van converter – used manufacturer category.
As well as this, the campervan converter won the dealership (direct used van sales) and dealership (direct new van sales) categories, with totals of 97.2% and 96.7% respectively.
To cap off the brand’s dominating performance, Bilbo’s went on to be crowned best overall van converter (new and used direct sales), thanks to a total score of 92.8%.
CMC Reimo
Unit 1, Pennypot Industrial Estate, Kent CT21 6PE. 01303 261062
www.conceptmulti-car.co.uk
CMC, or Concept Multi-Car, produces a range of van conversions that come with German-built Reimo roofs. More recently it has also launched its own Hembil brand.
This includes the HemBil Drift, which we reviewed in 2019. We were particularly impressed by how it managed to offer some great innovative touches while still providing a traditional design.
Danbury
Unit R2, 33 Wylds Road, Bridgwater, TA6 4BH. 01278 497707
www.danburycampervans.co.uk
Founded in Essex, but now based near Bridgewater and owned by Vanworx, Danbury produces its own VW-based conversions. The company offers the ever-popular Surf and Trail models, as well as the Heritage range, which is based on the Surf.
Devon Conversions
Mainsforth Road, Ferryhill, County Durham DL17 9DE. 01740 655700
www.devonconversions.com
Despite the name, Devon Conversions has been producing a wide range of Ford-, Peugeot-, Citroën-, Fiat- and Mercedes-based van conversions from its County Durham factory for several decades now.
Devon achieved two gold awards at the Owner Satisfaction Awards 2023, thanks to scores of 90.5% and 85.65% in the best van converter – new manufacturer and best van converter – used manufacturer categories respectively.
Hillside Leisure
Chequers House, Chequers Lane, Derby DE21 6AW. 01332 207976
www.hillsideleisure.co.uk
Well known for its VW-based conversions, Derby-based Hillside also converts other base vehicles and was the first to produce an all-electric camper van based on a Nissan.
IH Motorhomes
Great North Road. Knottingley, West Yorkshire WF11 0BS. 01977 677118
www.ihmotorhomes.com
IH, named after its founder Ian Hartley, did briefly flirt with low profiles, but is now focused on producing seriously bling Volkswagen and Fiat Ducato van conversions with great spec levels.
Jerba
Unit B, Halfland Barns, North Berwick, East Lothian, EH39 5PW, 01620 890374
www.jerbacampervans.co.uk
Founded in 2005, Jerba Campervans was among the first converters to qualify with Volkswagan’s Motorhome Qualification Scheme.
This award doesn’t just recognise the quality of the work, although successful applicants have to be NCC-approved, have European type approval for their vehicles and be registered on the Body Builder Database: inspectors look at the way the company is run too. So you have to have been trading for at least three years, be able to provide £5m in liability insurance, and offer a warranty on the conversion that is as good as the warranty on the base vehicle.
The Scottish company also makes its own rising roofs, complete with midge-resistant mesh windows. Since the start of 2018 it has been 100% employee-owned.
Jöbl
Rossmore Road East, Ellesmere Port, Wirral, CH65 3DD, 0151 350 6878
www.jobldesign.co.uk
The north-west based camper converter was established in 2013 and is NCC approved. Jöbl only uses VW Transporters as a base for conversions, as seen in the Jöbl Kampa LE, a ‘van we rated highly enough when we reviewed it to shortlist it for two categories at the Practical Motorhome Awards 2023.
Jöbl campervans are only sold through E S Hartley at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.
Murvi
4 East Way, Lee Mill Ind Estate, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 9GE. 01752 892200
www.murvi.co.uk
Murvi’s van conversions are perhaps above average in price, but they show exceptional attention to detail. The range includes many end washroom layouts – unusual in van conversions.
One such ‘van is the Murvi Pimento. Our resident expert, Gentleman Jack, recently took a look at and thought it was a highly manoeuvrable vehicle that came with a layout that was judged to be “easy-to-live in”.
A total of 93.5% saw Murvi win a gold award in the best van converter – new manufacturer category at the Owner Satisfaction Awards 2023, while 96.3% saw another won for the dealership (direct new van sales) category.
Vantage Motorhomes
Unit 1, Pym Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 1PG. 0113 244 4131
www.vantagemotorhomes.co.uk
Leeds-based Vantage produces a wide range of Fiat-based high top van conversions. For 2020 it produced its first models with four travelling seats, including the Sky with a drop-down bed.
Wellhouse Leisure
Unit 1 Skelmanthorpe Tech Park, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield, W Yorkshire HD8 9GA. 01484 861100
www.wellhouseleisure.com
Barely a week seems to go by before Wellhouse Leisure is bringing out yet another new van conversion. One model that impressed our expert, Gentleman Jack, recently was Wellhouse Leisure’s conversions of the Ford Transit Custom – below, you can see the Lux XL, which was built on the long-wheelbase Custom and comes in a number of different layouts
Just about any base vehicle seems to be a possibility – new or used. As a result, the brand’s success at the Owner Satisfaction Awards isn’t surprising, where Wellhouse Leisure won both the best van converter – new manufacturer and the best van converter – used manufacturer categories, with respective scores of 93.5% and 88.8%.
A gold award was also awarded in the dealership (direct new van sales) category, thanks to a total of 95.3%.
WildAx
Unit G9, Lock View, Lowfields Business Park, Elland. West Yorkshire HX5 9HD. 01422 372111
www.wildaxmotorhomes.com
Now owned by Rapido, WildAX has ambitious expansion plans. One such example is the WildAx Europa, a ‘van that we thought was cleverly designed when we saw it in 2021, and we thought the sleeping options were impressive.
A silver award was awarded in the best van converter – new manufacturer category, with a total of 84.7%.
Written with contributions from Peter Baber.
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