The cost of maintaining a converted vehicle

Introduction

You bought your motorhome, van, or camper van, and you’re wondering how much maintenance will cost you each year? Good question, because the purchase price, frankly, is just the tip of the iceberg… the rest comes later, quietly, month after month. Between mechanics, tires, technical inspections, insurance, and all the little daily maintenance tasks, the maintenance cost of a converted vehicle can quickly add up if you don’t keep an eye on it.

After several years of full-time motorhome living, we have a pretty clear view of what it actually costs. In this article, we give you all the prices, item by item, so you can anticipate your motorhome maintenance budget without any nasty surprises. We also share our struggles (and there have been many) and our tips to reduce the bill by 20 to 30%.

Our video on motorhome maintenance

Before diving into the numbers, we’ve prepared a video that summarizes the main expense categories and our practical advice. If you prefer the video format, it’s right here:

Overview of motorhome maintenance costs

To give you a quick overview, here is our interactive summary table with all the expense categories. You can use it as a checklist to plan your annual budget:

We now detail each item one by one, with updated prices and our feedback.

What are the technical maintenance costs of a motorhome?

Technical maintenance is by far the biggest expense: between £1,500 and £3,000 per year depending on the age and condition of your vehicle. It’s a house on wheels, you see, so yes, you will have to reach into your wallet, but that’s the price to keep it reliable, the one that always brings you back, the one you sleep in at night.

Mechanical maintenance

Let’s start with the heart of the beast: the engine and its little mechanical friends. You should budget between £200 and £600 per year for an annual service. It’s like your car, but in XXL version. And don’t forget the famous timing belt! It’s every 120,000 km or 5 years, and it will cost you around £400 to £600. The same goes for the clutch, by the way.

Here’s the list of parts you need to pay particular attention to during servicing:

• The filters (oil, air, fuel): to be changed regularly to preserve your engine
• The brake pads: crucial for your safety, especially with the weight of your motorhome
• The shock absorbers: they take a hit with all your adventures!
• The starter battery: not to be confused with the auxiliary batteries which are the batteries in your motorhome.
• The belt (not just the timing belt): they drive a lot of things in your engine
• The fluid levels: oil, coolant, brake fluid… they are all important
• The clutch

And if you’re not a mechanical whiz, don’t hesitate to hand your vehicle over to a pro. It might cost you a bit more, but it will save you a lot of trouble on the road.

Price of a motorhome oil change

The oil change is the most frequent maintenance task you’ll perform on your motorhome. The price varies greatly depending on the engine type and the type of oil used:

If you’re handy, you can do your oil change yourself and save on labor (around £60 to £90 per hour in a garage). The cost of parts alone is around £50 to £80 for the oil and filter.

Tire maintenance

Another important item, especially on a house on wheels, as you might have guessed, is the tires. You need specific tires for motorhomes, the famous “Camper” (or CP), especially if you drive year-round. Budget between £120 and £220 per tire, totaling £480 to £880 for all four. And this needs to be changed every 50,000 km on average.

Remember: good tires guarantee good contact with the road. And with the weight of your motorhome, believe me, you don’t want to skimp on this!

The MOT test

Ah, the MOT! That yearly appointment that always makes you cringe a little. In the UK your motorhome needs an MOT every year once it turns 3, no way around it. Most motorhomes up to 3,000 kg unladen take a Class 4 test (capped at £54.85), while those between 3,000 and 3,500 kg take a Class 7 (capped at £58.60). Go over 3,500 kg and you’re into the DVSA heavy-vehicle regime, which is another story. Book it through GOV.UK, and don’t leave it to the last week of the month, the good testing stations fill up fast.

Maintenance of electrical installations

Electricity in a motorhome is a bit of the nerve of the war. Your batteries are sacred! Here are the two main options:

And what about solar panels? Well, once installed, they require very little maintenance. A little wipe down now and then to remove dust, and you’re good to go!

Gas, heating and the habitation service

If your motorhome runs on gas, there’s no joking around, safety is at stake. In the UK no law forces a private owner to hold a periodic gas certificate, but every workshop and manufacturer will tell you the same thing: get the gas system checked once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. In practice that check is folded into the annual habitation service (through an Approved Workshop Scheme centre), which also covers the damp check, the 12V and 230V electrics, the ventilation and the appliances. Budget £150 to £250 per year for the full habitation service, or £30 to £80 for a standalone gas check.

The Truma heater (or equivalent) is central to your comfort, especially if you travel off-season, and cleaning the burner, the combustion chamber and the flue is all part of that habitation service. And if you’d rather skip the whole gas question altogether, remember it’s entirely possible to run a gas-free converted vehicle.

The day our brakes failed in the middle of a road trip

This misadventure highlights the importance of having a precautionary savings fund for unexpected events. We recommend keeping at least £2,000 to £3,000 set aside for urgent repairs. If you want to know how to react in situations like this, read our article on what to do in case of a breakdown on a road trip.

Maintenance and servicing of Fiat Ducato

The Fiat Ducato is by far the most common mechanical base for motorhomes in Europe. If your vehicle is built on this platform (Hymer, Bürstner, Pilote, Challenger, Chausson…), here’s what you need to know specifically.

Fiat Ducato maintenance schedule

Annual service price

The annual service of a Fiat Ducato in motorhome version costs between £250 and £500. The price difference is explained by the type of garage:

Timing belt and clutch

These are the two most expensive items on a Ducato. The timing belt (with replacement of the tensioner and water pump, while we’re at it) costs between £400 and £600. The clutch, depending on your driving style and the weight of your vehicle, can last between 100,000 and 200,000 km. Its replacement costs between £600 and £1,000.

What are the other maintenance costs to consider?

Did you think you were done with expenses? Not so fast! It’s not just the technical side that you’ll need to check annually, but also the maintenance of your living “cell.” Individually, it’s not much, but in total, it represents between £200 and £350 per year (excluding insurance).

Cleaning and maintenance of water tanks

Let’s start with the water tanks. It’s a bit like the circulatory system of your motorhome, so you might as well take care of it! You will need to clean them regularly to avoid bad odors and bacteria. Budget around £30 to £50 per year for specific products. (And believe me, you don’t want to skimp on this, unless you dream of turning your motorhome into a mobile cheese factory!)

For a thorough cleaning of the system, white vinegar is unbeatable: a good dose in the clean water tank, let it sit, run the pump to circulate it through all the pipes, and rinse. It descalers, disinfects, and saves you from buying the umpteenth “miracle product” at £15 a bottle. To combat the algae that turn the tank green, likewise, a splash of vinegar or a cleaning tablet will do the trick.

Maintenance of chemical toilets

Now let’s talk about a topic that can be unpleasant: chemical toilets. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary! You will need to invest in special products to maintain them properly. Budget around £50 per year for that. And don’t forget to empty them regularly, okay? Nobody wants a mutiny on board due to questionable odors!

Specific maintenance products

Your motorhome will require a whole range of specific maintenance products. Between the roof cleaner, the joint cleaner, the floor product… You’ll become a pro in the “motorhome maintenance” aisle! Budget £70 to £100 per year for these products.

A little friendly advice: opt for biodegradable products when possible. Nature will thank you, and so will your camper karma!

Waterproofing inspection

This is a bit of a nightmare for motorhome owners, but it’s super important. A leak, even minor, can cause considerable damage in the long run. This inspection will cost you between £120 and £150 per year.

Motorhome insurance: how much does it cost?

Insurance is an important item that we sometimes forget to include in the overall maintenance budget. Rates vary greatly depending on the profile and the vehicle:

Whatever cover you pick, read the small print on the number of European travel days allowed, it’s the detail that catches full-timers out.

Working out your yearly budget on the road

We're Caroline and Xavier

We got most of it wrong before we got it right. We share what actually holds up day to day in a van, and what we wouldn't do again.

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Winterising your motorhome: the cost of putting it away

Honestly, we don’t winterise: when the cold comes, we head south, down to Portugal, and we carry on living in the van right through winter. But if you put yours into storage from November to March, winterising the motorhome becomes a real maintenance job, and one worth doing properly, because a water circuit that freezes will crack, and then it’s not £50 but £500.

In practice, winterising is about beating two enemies: frost and damp. You fully drain the fresh and grey tanks, the water heater and the whole plumbing circuit (the smallest pocket of trapped water bursts a fitting when it freezes), you put the leisure battery on a trickle charger so it doesn’t sulphate, and you keep the living area ventilated to fight condensation and mould on the seals.

Cost-wise, there are two schools. Doing it yourself, budget £50 to £100 a year (plumbing antifreeze, a dehumidifier). Handing it to a professional or putting it into covered storage is more like £150 to £300 for the season, full winterisation included. It comes down to whether you’ve got a dry space to hand, or not.

Van and campervan conversions: the specifics

If you drive a van or panel-van conversion (Renault Master, Citroën Relay, Mercedes Sprinter, VW Crafter…), the maintenance costs differ a little from a coachbuilt motorhome with a separate body.

Differences from a motorhome

The main advantage of a van or panel van is its monocoque structure. Unlike a coachbuilt with a bonded body, there’s no joint between the living area and the base vehicle, which greatly reduces the risk of water ingress. As a result, the damp side is often less of a worry (and cheaper).

The mechanical side, though, is identical. A panel-van conversion is heavy (often close to 3.5 tonnes loaded), so brake, tyre and clutch wear is comparable to a motorhome.

Van/conversion maintenance budget

Total estimated budget for a van/conversion: between £1,400 and £2,800 per year, roughly 10 to 15% less than a coachbuilt motorhome, mainly thanks to savings on sealing and sometimes tyres.

How can you cut motorhome maintenance costs?

Right, I can already see your face. “More expenses?” you’re thinking. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a few tricks to lighten the bill a bit. Because we’re not all millionaires, are we? With a little organisation, you can cut your maintenance bill by 20 to 30%.

Tips to reduce the bill

• Do it yourself: some jobs are well within reach. Changing filters, checking levels, cleaning tanks… all of that you can do yourself. (Just be honest, if you’re not handy, leave the tricky stuff to the pros!)
• Buy smart: compare the price of parts and products online. Sites like Euro Car Parts or GSF Car Parts are often 30 to 50% cheaper than a garage counter.
• Share the load: got mates with motorhomes? Buy certain products or tools together. It saves money and it’s a good excuse to meet up and tinker.
• Bundle the jobs: if you’re having the timing belt done, get the water pump and tensioner done at the same time. The labour is billed once.

Hourly labour rate: how to compare

The hourly labour rate is the single factor that swings your bill the most:

The gap looks small over one hour, but on a 4 to 6 hour job (like a clutch) it easily adds £60 to £180 in labour alone.

Why preventive maintenance pays

It’s a bit like going to the dentist regularly rather than waiting for raging toothache. It hurts less… on the wallet!

A pound spent on preventive maintenance can save you ten in future repairs.

So what does that mean in practice? Inspect your motorhome regularly. Check the seals, the levels, the state of the tyres. Don’t wait for something to snap before you replace a wear part. And above all, follow the manufacturer’s service schedule.

Keep a service book up to date. It helps you track what’s been done and when, and it’s a real plus if you ever decide to sell or hire out your motorhome to offset the costs.

Our extra tip

How does it compare to a car and a flat?

That’s the big question. Is your motorhome your main home, or your little holiday nest? Because believe me, it changes everything!

Scenario 1: You live in your motorhome year-round

If you’ve decided to make your motorhome your full-time home, congratulations, you might just have cracked the code of the century.

It’s as if you’d merged all your living costs into one mobile package. Not bad, is it?

The result: living year-round in a motorhome, you can save around 50% compared with a settled life, especially if you travel through countries where the cost of living is lower (Portugal, Spain, Greece…).

Scenario 2: Leisure vehicle

More the type to keep a base and use your motorhome for holidays? That’s great too, but on the wallet it’s a different story. You stack the fixed costs of the motorhome on top of your main home.

In that case the extra cost is around 20 to 40% compared with conventional holidays. But you gain in freedom and flexibility.

FAQ: common questions about maintenance costs

PS: our brakes went once, our clutch twice.. and we’re still rolling. A well looked-after vehicle forgives a lot.