New campervans under £60,000 for 2027: what the NEC shows and what the price leaves out

Sixty thousand pounds buys a new campervan in 2027, and more than one. It does not buy the same thing from every maker, and the number on the brochure is not always the number you pay.

The vans, priced as their makers price them

We checked these figures on 10 October 2026, ahead of the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC in Birmingham, 13 to 18 October 2026. Prices move, and show offers come and go, so treat them as a starting point for a conversation on the stand, not a final quote.

Carado CV540 and CV601 PRO

Carado lists the CV540 at "from £49,990", a figure that includes on-the-road delivery from Germany and excludes what the page calls "Possible import duties". Carado's page gives the CV540 a Peugeot Boxer 140 BHP engine with an 8-speed automatic, four seats, berths listed as "2 - 3 OPT", a length of 541 cm, an MTPLM of 3,500 kg and a MIRO of 2,650 kg. That makes the payload 850 kg (3,500 minus 2,650), the largest in this group where a maker gives both figures. The CV601 PRO is £59,990 on a Fiat Ducato with a 6-speed manual, four seats, berths listed as "4 - 6 OPT", a length of 599 cm and a MIRO of "2892 (2747 to 3037)". That bracket around the running-order weight reflects the plus or minus 5 per cent tolerance that EU type-approval rules allow on a motor caravan's declared mass. Carado's page plates the CV601 PRO at 3,500 kg, which leaves 608 kg on the declared running-order figure and 463 kg at the top of the bracket. Carado does not appear on the show's exhibitor list, so do not count on seeing it at the NEC.

Auto-Trail Expedition 54, 67 Flex and 68

Auto-Trail's 2027 price list puts the Expedition 54 at £54,324.00, the 67 Flex at £57,643.00 and the 68 at £59,518.00, each ex-works including VAT, plus £455 OTR charges. Add the £455 and we make the three on-the-road figures £54,779, £58,098 and £59,973. The range page says "Price from £54,959.00" for the 54 and "Price from £60,153.00" for the 68, which puts the 68 just over £60,000 on Auto-Trail's own figure. Each is £180 more than our sum of the list price plus £455, so ask for a written on-the-road total rather than relying on either figure. Auto-Trail's 2027 Expedition spec sheet gives the 54 as 5,413 mm long with two seatbelts, sleeping two, at a mass in running order of 2,685 kg; the 67 Flex as 5,998 mm with four seatbelts, sleeping four, at 2,890 kg; and the 68 as 6,363 mm with four seatbelts at 2,950 kg, all on a Fiat Ducato 140 manual as standard with an 8-speed automatic as an option. The same spec sheet gives all three a maximum authorised weight of 3,500 kg, which leaves payloads of 815 kg for the 54, 610 kg for the 67 Flex and 550 kg for the 68. Auto-Trail is in Hall 8 on stand 8.30, Elddis in Hall 20 on stand 20.19, CamperKing in Hall 11 on stands 11.160 and 11.165 and Rolling Homes in Hall 11 on stand 11.140. A brand's stand does not tell you which models are on it, so ask whether the one you want is there.

Elddis Whirlwind GTV 554 and 560

Elddis prices the Whirlwind GTV 554 at £56,527.00 and the GTV 560 at £55,527.00, and its website footnotes those prices as "based on German retail prices". Elddis's 2027 price list labels the same two figures "RRP INC VAT + OTR", and its range page footnote says they include delivery from Germany, registration and PDI but not "Possible import duties", the same wording Carado uses. Ask what the German-retail basis means for the figure you will sign. The 554 sits on a Peugeot Boxer BlueHDi 140 with an automatic, is listed as "RHD (UK)", has four seats, berths of "2 / 5" with the optional pop-top, measures 541 cm and has a MIRO of "2791 (2651 - 2931)"; the 560 is a manual at 599 cm. Elddis's 2027 price list gives payloads of 659 kg for the 554 and 623 kg for the 560. Note that the longer 560 is £1,000 less than the shorter 554; the gearbox is the obvious difference between the two listings, and the stand is the place to ask what else separates them.

Joa by Pilote 54G

Joa by Pilote lists the 54G at "From £58,900": 5.41 m long, four seats, two berths, a payload of 610 kg and a Fiat with a 2.2 140 hp automatic, though the page carries no model year. Practical Motorhome reports that all 2027 Joa models come with automatic transmission as standard. "Joa Camp" appears on the NEC's exhibitor list for the show. Joa's French site prices the same van "à partir de 58 900 €", the same number in euros, so ask whether the 54G is on the stand, what its UK on-the-road price is in pounds and which model year that covers.

Roller Team Livingstone 2

Dealer Spinney lists a 2027 Roller Team Livingstone 2 at £59,490 OTR: a 140 BHP manual with two berths, four seatbelts, 5.99 m long and plated at 3,500 kg. One UK dealer gives the base as a Fiat Ducato while a German report says Citroën Jumper, so confirm the donor van on the vehicle you are offered. The two vans are close relations, but servicing, parts and badge matter to some owners, and the V5C will settle it. We have not seen a running-order weight for the Livingstone 2, so ask for one to work out payload.

CamperKing T7 Go! and Rolling Homes Shackleton

Two VW Transporter conversions sit just under the line. CamperKing says "Prices start from £59,500 new" for the T7 Go!, a VW T7 with five seats, sleeping four, with a high-lift elevating roof. Rolling Homes lists the Shackleton at £59,995 on a VW Transporter T7 110 manual, with four berths, four seats and an SCA elevating roof. These are a different kind of van from the Fiat and Peugeot group, with the elevating roof providing extra beds. We have not seen weights or payload figures for either, so ask on the stand.

Why the prices are not the same kind of number

Line the figures up and the Carado CV540 at £49,990 looks a long way below the Rolling Homes at £59,995. The gap is real, but the two numbers measure different things, and so do the others in this group. There are at least four kinds of price here.

• Ex-works plus a stated charge. Auto-Trail quotes ex-works including VAT, then adds £455 OTR. The sum is simple, but as noted above the range page's "from" figure does not match our arithmetic, so get the total in writing.
• Delivered from Germany, duties possible. Carado's figure includes delivery from Germany but excludes "Possible import duties". Under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement the preferential duty rate on a new EU-built motor caravan is 0 per cent where the vehicle is of EU origin and comes with an origin declaration from the maker; the 10 per cent third-country rate applies only if it does not qualify as EU-origin. Import VAT at 20 per cent is charged on the vehicle price plus delivery plus any duty. A footnote that says "possible" means exactly that, so ask the seller to confirm in writing whether any duty or import VAT sits on top of £49,990.
• Based on German retail prices. Elddis's footnote says its figures are based on German retail prices. German list prices include 19 per cent VAT, UK prices include 20 per cent, and any gap between the two markets is specification and exchange rate rather than tax. Its 2027 price list already labels these figures "RRP INC VAT + OTR", and its website carries the same "Possible import duties" footnote as Carado's, so ask the same duty question here.
• Quoted OTR by a dealer or converter. Spinney's Roller Team figure and the two VW conversions are given as on-the-road or starting prices. Even then, ask what the OTR figure includes, because the list of items varies from seller to seller and we have not seen a breakdown for any of them.

The practical rule is to compare on-the-road totals written on headed paper, not brochure figures. On a £55,000 van, a £455 charge is under 1 per cent, but an unexpected import cost or a specification gap can be much more.

Seats, berths and the pop-top

Many in this group have four belted travel seats and two fixed berths; the Carado CV601 PRO, Auto-Trail 67 Flex and the two VW conversions sleep four, the Auto-Trail 54 has two belts, and the CamperKing T7 Go! has five seats. Makers' pictograms show belted seats, berths and dining places as three separate numbers, so read the right icon. Where a listing shows a slash or an "OPT", the second figure usually depends on an option, which is why Elddis gives "2 / 5" with the optional pop-top and Carado gives "2 - 3 OPT" and "4 - 6 OPT". A pop-top is a cost on top of the base price and adds weight, so if you need the extra beds, ask for the optioned price and the optioned payload rather than the brochure figures. Children under three must use a child seat, and children aged three to twelve or under 135 cm must use one where available, so count belted seats against the people you will carry rather than against the berth count.

Payload: small vans carry well

Everything here with a published plate sits at 3,500 kg, which keeps it on a category B licence for a driver who passed the car test on or after 1 January 1997. Payload is MAM minus mass in running order, and because these are short vans with modest fit-outs, the room left over is healthy. Carado's CV540 works out at 850 kg. Elddis quotes 659 kg and 623 kg, Joa 610 kg. Auto-Trail's plated and running-order weights give 815 kg for the Expedition 54, 610 kg for the 67 Flex and 550 kg for the 68, and Carado's give 608 kg for the CV601 PRO. For the Roller Team, Spinney gives the 3,500 kg plate but no running-order weight, so ask for it. Remember what running order already includes, typically a 75 kg driver and fuel at 90 per cent plus whatever water and gas the maker counts, and do not double count those. Also remember the 5 per cent tolerance the type-approval rules allow on a declared running-order figure: the Carado and Elddis brackets show it in practice, and a van at the top of its bracket has less payload than the headline suggests. A weighbridge ticket on your own loaded van is the only number that settles it.

Length, parking and gearboxes

Two lengths dominate: around 5.41 m (Carado CV540, Auto-Trail 54, Elddis 554, Joa 54G) and around 5.99 m (Carado CV601 PRO, Auto-Trail 67 Flex, Elddis 560, Roller Team Livingstone 2). The Auto-Trail 68 is longer again at 6,363 mm, which is 950 mm more than the 54. The 585 mm between a 5,413 mm van and a 5,998 mm one is roughly the depth of a kitchen worktop, and a 5.41 m van overhangs a typical parking bay less than a 6 m one, which makes town car parks easier. If you will use the van for supermarket runs and town car parks as well as touring, the 5.41 m vans are the easier daily companions; the 6 m vans buy you a longer living area and, in the Carado and Auto-Trail 67 Flex, more berths.

Gearboxes split the group too. The Carado CV540, Elddis 554 and Joa 54G come with automatics as listed; the Carado CV601 PRO, Elddis 560, Roller Team and Rolling Homes Shackleton are manuals; Auto-Trail fits a manual as standard with the automatic as an option. If an automatic matters to you, price it in before comparing, because it can move a van from one side of the £60,000 line to the other.

What the price leaves out

Beyond the price-type differences above, a few recurring costs sit outside every brochure figure.

• Vehicle tax. At or under 3,500 kg, a motor caravan is taxed as Private or Light Goods, TC11: £375 a year with an engine over 1,549 cc. Check GOV.UK's motorhome rates page before you rely on the figure.
• MOT. Motor caravans are tested in class 4 whatever their weight, from three years old, so a new van has no test for its first three years.
• Speed limits. The dividing line is 3.05 tonnes unladen, never the plated weight, and unladen excludes fuel and water. Check the unladen figure on the V5C or certificate of conformity; a van at or under 3.05 t unladen keeps car limits.
• Clean-air zones. At or under 3,500 kg, London's ULEZ applies rather than the Low Emission Zone, and a new Euro 6 diesel meets it. England's charging Clean Air Zones are Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside, and Scotland has Low Emission Zones in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh; put the registration into the official checkers rather than assuming.
• Options. Pop-tops, automatics, awnings and solar all sit above the base figure and all add weight. Ask for the optioned price and the optioned payload together.
• Insurance. It appears in none of these prices and varies with where you live. Delivery is included in some figures (Carado's price includes delivery from Germany; OTR prices usually cover it) but not necessarily in ex-works ones, so ask.

Just over the line, for context

Two vans sit a little above £60,000 and are worth knowing about so you can judge what a few thousand pounds more buys. Swift's Merlin 112 is "From £64,685 OTR", 5.41 m long, with an estimated payload of 815 kg, and the Benimar Benivan 144 is £63,995 OTR with a 665 kg payload in manual form. Neither is in our under-£60,000 group, but both are quoted on the road, which makes them a useful cross-check against the figures above once you have turned those into OTR totals.

How to use the show

The NEC is the one place you can walk from one of these vans to the next in an afternoon, and that is its real value. Go with a short list and ask the same questions on each stand.

1. Is this model on the stand, and is it a 2027 vehicle?
2. What is the on-the-road total, in writing, and what does it include?
3. What is the MTPLM on the plate and the running-order weight, and what is the maker's definition of running order?
4. Which base vehicle and gearbox is this, and what does the automatic add?
5. Which of the berths and seats shown are standard, and what do the optional ones cost and weigh?

Under £60,000 buys a well-equipped, short, 3,500 kg campervan on a Fiat, Peugeot or VW base in 2027, typically with two fixed berths, four belts and a usable payload. The vans are closer in kind than their brochure prices suggest; the prices are further apart in kind than they look. Compare on-the-road totals and optioned payloads, and the right one for you will stand out on its own.