Sunlight Ibex review: is this really the best-value 4x4 campervan?

There's a particular kind of campervan that almost nobody builds and quite a lot of people quietly dream about: a genuine, go-anywhere 4x4, big enough to live in, drivable enough to use every day, and capable of taking you down the track that the normal vans turn back from. The trouble is that this kind of van is almost always astronomically expensive. The established 4x4 campers cost well north of £100,000, which puts them firmly in the territory of the comfortably wealthy or the seriously committed.

So when a value brand like Sunlight turns up with the Ibex, a real 4x4 campervan on the VW Crafter, and UK dealers start listing it from around £90,000, the obvious question writes itself. Is this the bargain it looks like? Is the Ibex actually the best-value 4x4 campervan you can buy? That's the question this review sets out to answer, as honestly as we can.

A word on what this review is, and isn't, because honesty is the whole point of this site. We haven't driven the Ibex. Nobody has driven a customer one, because it doesn't reach customers until 2027. Sunlight's final prices and full specification aren't even published yet; they're due from around July 2026. So this is not a road test, and we won't pretend otherwise. What it is, is a clear-eyed assessment of the proposition: the value case, the specification that's confirmed so far, the rivals, and the honest caveats, weighed up by someone whose job is helping people spend large sums of money wisely. When we can drive it, we'll road-test it properly. For now, the value question is one we can actually answer on the facts, and it's the question most people are asking.

What "best-value 4x4" actually has to mean

Before we can crown anything the best value, we need to be honest about what we're measuring, because "value" is the most abused word in vehicle marketing. Cheap isn't the same as good value. Value is what you get for what you pay, judged against the genuine alternatives, for the job you actually need doing. So the test isn't "is the Ibex the cheapest van?", it plainly isn't, a standard camper costs far less. The test is "among vehicles that do this specific job, a real 4x4 camper you can live in, does the Ibex give you the most for your money?"

That means we're comparing it against a small, expensive field. The genuine rivals, the vans that actually do the same job, are things like the Bürstner Habiton X (a Mercedes Sprinter 4x4, also from the Erwin Hymer Group), the Hymer Grand Canyon S 4x4, the larger VW Grand California 4Motion, and a handful of specialist expedition builds. It does not mean comparing the Ibex to a £60,000 two-wheel-drive van, because that van can't do what the Ibex is for. If you don't genuinely need all-wheel drive, the most honest value advice in the world is to buy the cheaper van, and we'll say so again later. But if you do need it, this is the field, and these are the prices.

The criteria that decide value in this class, in roughly the order that matters to most buyers, are: the price you actually pay; the licence you need to drive it; how capable it genuinely is off the road; how well-equipped it is for living off-grid; the quality and ownership reassurance behind it; and how well it suits you specifically. Let's take the Ibex through each.

What a 4x4 campervan is actually for

It's worth being concrete about what all-wheel drive actually does for you, because the honest value of the Ibex depends entirely on whether you'll use what you're paying for. A 4x4 campervan isn't about crawling over boulders like a stripped-out off-roader on a course; very few owners ever do anything that extreme, and a six-metre van full of furniture isn't the tool for it anyway. What all-wheel drive genuinely buys you is confidence and reach in the conditions a touring camper actually meets.

Think of the wet grass field that doubles as event parking, the kind that swallows two-wheel-drive vans up to their axles after a weekend of rain. Think of the unsurfaced track to a remote bothy, a Scandinavian lakeside, a Welsh hill farm or a wild Atlantic beach, the places that are the whole point of owning a van like this, and that a normal camper turns back from. Think of a steep, loose gravel campsite, a snow-dusted Alpine pass in the shoulder season, a slipway, a forest road. In all of those, the difference between all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive is the difference between going and not going, or between getting stuck and getting home. That's the value, and for the right person it's enormous: it's the freedom to point the van at the interesting places rather than only the convenient ones.

But, and this is the part a value review has to be honest about, most people who buy campervans never go to those places. They tour Cornwall and the Lakes on tarmac, they book hardstanding pitches, and the wildest surface they meet is a slightly soft field that a normal van handles fine nine times out of ten. For them, all-wheel drive is insurance they'll rarely cash in, and paying a premium of roughly £30,000 for it over a standard Sunlight is poor value however good the van. So the first question isn't "is the Ibex the best 4x4?", it's "am I genuinely going to use a 4x4?". Be ruthlessly honest about where you actually travel, not where you imagine you might. If the answer is the wild stuff, read on, the Ibex is built for you. If it's mostly tarmac, the kindest value advice we can give is to buy a cheaper two-wheel-drive van and spend the difference on trips.

The case for the Ibex as the value pick

Price: it undercuts the field

Start with the headline, because it's the strongest part of the argument. UK dealers are listing the Ibex from approximately £90,000 as a right-hand-drive pre-order, rising to around £100,000 for an example with the full off-road package fitted. We go through that pricing in detail, with the sources, in our Ibex price and spec guide, and the short version is that it's an indicative pre-order figure rather than a locked list price, with Sunlight's official numbers due around July 2026.

Now set that against the field. The Bürstner Habiton X, the most directly comparable rival, lists in the UK at roughly £102,000 to £107,000. The Hymer Grand Canyon S 4x4 sits around £119,950. So even at the loaded end, around £100,000, the Ibex matches or undercuts the Habiton X, and it's some £20,000 below the Hymer. At the £90,000 base end, the gap to the Habiton X is more like £12,000 to £17,000. That's not a rounding error; it's a meaningful saving on a vehicle that does the same job. On raw price against genuine rivals, the Ibex is clearly the value option, and that's exactly what you'd expect from the Erwin Hymer Group's value brand even at the top of its range.

Licence: a B-licence 4x4 is rarer than it sounds

Here's the part of the value case that buyers often miss, and it might be the most important. The Ibex is plated at 3,500 kilograms, which keeps it on an ordinary category B car licence. Its nearest rival, the Habiton X, is plated at 4,100 kilograms in 4x4 form, which pushes it into C1 territory, an additional licence entitlement that a great many drivers, especially anyone who passed their test after 1997, simply don't hold.

This matters enormously to the value question, because a vehicle you can't legally drive is worth nothing to you, however good it is. Getting a C1 licence means an additional test and a medical, which is a real barrier of time, cost and, for some, eligibility. The Ibex sidesteps all of that. For a huge slice of potential buyers, the practical choice isn't "Ibex versus Habiton X on equal terms", it's "an Ibex I can drive today versus a Habiton X I'd need to pass another test to drive at all". On that basis, the Ibex's value lead widens considerably. The one honest caveat, and we'll return to it, is that staying on a 3,500-kilogram plate while carrying heavy 4x4 hardware puts pressure on payload, so the licence win comes with homework attached.

Capability: the hardware is real, not cosmetic

A value 4x4 would be poor value if the "4x4" turned out to be styling. It isn't. The Ibex has factory all-wheel drive on the Crafter, and a UK dealer listing specifies a locking differential as part of the off-road package, which is a genuine traction feature, the sort fitted to serious off-roaders, not to vans that only look the part. Add the 18-inch all-terrain tyres, the air-intake snorkel, the front bull bar, the electric off-road step, the rear ladder with a full-size spare, and the roof light bar, and you have a comprehensively equipped go-anywhere van. Sunlight tested the prototypes in Iceland, the Faroes and Morocco, which is the right sort of homework for a vehicle making these claims.

For the kind of off-roading most owners actually do, forest tracks, beach approaches, rutted field gateways, snowed-in passes, that package is more than enough. The one genuine question mark is suspension: the concept was shown raised, but the most authoritative report on the production van says there's no factory lift, while another source lists chassis elevation among the production kit. For all but the most extreme users it won't change much, the all-wheel drive, the diff lock and the tyres are what get you through, but if hardcore technical off-roading is your aim, confirm the ground clearance. As a value proposition, though, you're getting real capability, not a costume.

The base, and the clever touches

The VW Crafter is a strong, well-supported base with a good safety record and a wide service network, and choosing it makes the Ibex one of very few six-metre 4x4 campers on the Volkswagen rather than the usual Mercedes Sprinter. That's a point of difference, and for VW loyalists, a positive one. The 2.0-litre 163 bhp diesel and eight-speed automatic are a smooth, capable combination on and off the tarmac.

Then there are the details that suggest the van was designed by people who actually camp off-grid. The pull-out drawer fridge can be reached from inside and from outside the van, which is genuinely useful when you're parked somewhere wild with the door shut against the weather. The awning is recessed into the moulded roof rather than bolted on. There's a Skyview roof window over the bed. And the packaging itself is an achievement: a proper wet washroom, a full kitchen and a permanent transverse double bed, all inside under six metres. None of these are headline features, but together they're the difference between a van that looks the part and one that works, and they add real value to the everyday experience.

The standard kit

A UK dealer listing confirms that the UK specification includes a solar system and a diesel-and-electric heating setup for all-season use. That's the right kit for an adventure van: solar to keep the power topped up away from hook-ups, diesel heating that draws from the fuel tank so there's no gas bottle to run dry mid-trip, and an electric element for cheap warmth when you are plugged in. Getting that as part of the package, rather than as a stack of pricey options, supports the value story.

Where the value case wobbles

A fair review names the weaknesses as clearly as the strengths, and the Ibex's value argument has some real soft spots. None is fatal, but each one is a reason to keep your enthusiasm in check until the full picture lands.

The price isn't final, and the kit may be extra

The biggest caveat is simply that the £90,000 figure is indicative, not official. Sunlight's confirmed pricing arrives around July 2026, and it could move. More than that, the spread between the roughly £90,000 base listing and the roughly £100,000 loaded one strongly suggests the serious off-road hardware is at least partly a paid package rather than all standard. If the kit that makes the Ibex an Ibex turns out to be a £10,000 option, then the fair comparison with rivals is at the £100,000 end, not the £90,000 one, and the value lead narrows. It doesn't disappear, the Habiton X is still dearer, but it's smaller than the headline implies. Until the option structure is published, treat the value case as "very promising" rather than "proven".

The payload is an unknown, and on a 4x4 that's the worry

We keep coming back to this because it's the figure that could most change the verdict. A 3,500-kilogram plate is generous on a normal van but tight once you've added all-wheel drive, steel wheels, all-terrain tyres, a bull bar, a ladder, a spare and a snorkel. Sunlight hasn't published the mass in running order, so the real usable payload, the weight you have left for water, kit and people, is genuinely unknown. If it's healthy, the Ibex is brilliant value. If it's tight, the value is conditional on you travelling light and weighing the van loaded at a weighbridge. Good off-grid travellers pack light anyway, but you deserve to know the number before you commit, and right now nobody outside Sunlight does.

It's a two-berth, and that limits who it's for

The Ibex sleeps two. The number of belted travel seats hasn't been confirmed, so we won't guess, but as a sleeping proposition it's a couple's or solo adventurer's van, full stop. For a family, that's not a value question, it's a deal-breaker: no amount of saving makes a two-berth work for four people. So the "best value" claim only applies to the people the van actually suits. For them it's a strong case; for a family needing four berths and four belts, the Ibex isn't in the running at any price, and a different layout, or a different kind of vehicle entirely, is the answer.

It's unproven, and it's a 2027 wait

Value isn't only about the spec sheet; it's about the ownership years that follow. The Ibex is a brand-new model from a brand that's never built anything quite like it. We can't yet speak to its real-world reliability, its long-term durability off the road, its dealer and warranty experience as a flagship, or its resale values, because there's no track record. Rarity might hold values up; an unproven newcomer might not. And you won't take delivery until 2027, so the money is committed long before the experience begins. None of this is a mark against the van as such, it's the normal risk of buying first, but it's a real part of the value equation, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.

If you don't truly need 4x4, none of this is your best value

The most important value caveat is the one the whole class has to face. All-wheel drive is expensive, and most campervan buyers never need it. If your touring is tarmac, hardstanding pitches and the occasional grassy field, a standard two-wheel-drive camper will do everything you ask for tens of thousands of pounds less. The Sunlight Vanlife does the ordinary job from around £61,690. So before you weigh the Ibex against other 4x4s, weigh whether you need a 4x4 at all. If the honest answer is no, your best value lies elsewhere, and the most useful thing a review can do is say so. The Ibex is the value pick among genuine 4x4 campers, not the value pick among all campers, and the distinction matters.

On the road: what to expect

We haven't driven it, so treat this as informed expectation rather than a verdict, but the ingredients are known and they're good. The Crafter is a comfortable, stable, quiet van to drive by class standards, and the 2.0-litre 163 bhp diesel has ample pull for a vehicle of this size and weight. The eight-speed automatic is the part we're most confident will please: smooth and unobtrusive on the motorway, and genuinely useful off it, where slow, precise control on a loose descent or a tricky gateway is exactly what an automatic does best. Long hauls to wherever the adventure starts should be relaxed rather than wearing.

The thing you'll feel most is the height. At around 2.85 metres, taller still with the roof kit, the Ibex is a big presence in crosswinds on exposed motorways, and it rules out the lower car-park height barriers, so you plan your parking and ease off in a strong side wind. That's true of any tall van and isn't a criticism, just a characteristic to live with. The all-terrain tyres will add a little road noise and take the edge off ultimate ride comfort compared with road rubber, the trade for their grip off the tarmac. And the all-wheel-drive system and rugged shape will cost some fuel economy against a sleek two-wheel-drive camper, so budget for thirstier motorway miles. None of this is unusual for the type, and the Crafter base means the fundamentals, the seat, the visibility, the assistance systems, the refinement, are a strong starting point. When we can drive a production van, this is the section we'll replace with a proper road-test verdict.

Off-grid: what the spec promises, and what it doesn't

An adventure van lives or dies by how long it can stay away from facilities, so this is where the value case will ultimately be won or lost, and where the confirmed picture is frustratingly incomplete. What we know is encouraging: the UK specification includes a solar system and a diesel-and-electric heating setup. Solar is the right call for a van meant to sit in wild places, quietly topping up the battery through the day. Diesel heating is the right call too, drawing from the vehicle's own fuel tank so there's no gas bottle to run dry on a cold night miles from a refill, with an electric element for cheap warmth on a hook-up. The dual-access pull-out fridge keeps food properly cold off 12 volts, and the wet washroom means a real indoor loo and a hot shower wherever you stop. That's a sound off-grid foundation.

What we don't yet know is the detail that turns a foundation into a number of days. The fresh and waste water capacities aren't published, and they set how long you can wash, cook and flush before you need a tap and a drain. The leisure battery type and capacity aren't published, and they, with the solar wattage, decide how long the lights, fridge and pump keep running between charges. For a van whose entire identity is independence, these are the figures that matter most, and their absence is the single biggest gap in the value assessment today. If they come in generous, a lithium battery, a decent solar array, big tanks, the Ibex becomes a genuinely capable off-grid base and the value story is complete. If they're modest, you'll be upgrading, and the real cost creeps up. We'd ask for every one of these numbers before signing, and we'd treat any off-grid claims that aren't backed by them with caution.

Living with the layout

Beyond the spec and the price, a review should picture the day-to-day, so here's what living in an Ibex would actually be like for the couple it's built for. The rear transverse double is a permanent, always-made-up bed, which is the convenient kind: roll in late after a long drive to a remote spot and you fall straight into it, no shuffling cushions. At around 200 centimetres long it takes a taller adult comfortably, and the Skyview window above turns it into a spot to lie and watch the weather or the stars. The trade-off of a fixed rear bed, as ever, is that it occupies the back of the van all day, so your living space is the area forward of it, around the cab and kitchen. In a two-person van that's a fair deal; you're not fighting for lounge space the way a family would.

The middle of the van does the work. Kitchen and wet washroom face each other, with a sliding partition that closes the rear off, so one person can wash while the other cooks without the whole van feeling like a corridor. The wet room is the right answer at this size: the cubicle is the shower, which keeps the footprint tight while still giving you a proper indoor loo and hot water wherever you've stopped, which is exactly the point of an off-grid van. The galley's dual-access fridge comes into its own in real use, a cold drink handed out to someone sitting by the fire without anyone traipsing back inside, or a quick raid from outside with muddy boots on rather than tracking through the living space.

It is, unmistakably, a van for two who travel light and like their own company in wild places. There's no pretending it's flexible for a family or a crowd; the whole layout is optimised around a couple living comfortably and self-sufficiently in a compact, capable van. For that buyer, the daily rhythm, wake under the Skyview, breakfast from the inside-outside fridge, a hot shower before driving on to the next track, is close to the off-grid ideal. For anyone needing more beds or more travelling seats, no amount of cleverness in this layout changes the fact that it's built for two.

How it stacks up against the rivals

Value only means something next to the alternatives, so here's the Ibex against the field it actually competes with. We go deeper on the closest rival in our dedicated Ibex versus Bürstner Habiton X comparison, but here's the value-lens summary.

Against the Habiton X, the Ibex's case is price plus licence: cheaper, and drivable on a B licence where the Habiton X needs C1. The Habiton X answers with its genuinely clever patented sliding bathroom, an award-winning bit of design, and the cachet and engineering of the Mercedes Sprinter. So it's value-and-accessibility versus design-and-badge, and which wins depends on what you weigh most, though on pure value the Ibex has the clearer hand.

Against the Hymer Grand Canyon S, the honest answer is that they're not really in the same fight. The Hymer is a tier up in price and luxury, with permanent all-wheel drive and a premium fit-out to match its near-£120,000 price. Saying the Ibex "beats" it on value is comparing different segments; the fairer line is that the Ibex offers most of the go-anywhere capability for a lot less money, which is the value brand doing precisely what it's meant to.

The Westfalia Sven Hedin is well regarded but doesn't offer a true 4x4, so it isn't a direct rival for this job. And the VW Grand California 4Motion is the most intriguing comparison, VW-on-VW, but it's a larger vehicle and its current pricing isn't clear, so we'll reserve judgement.

What about smaller, cheaper 4x4 campers?

It's fair to ask whether a smaller, cheaper all-wheel-drive camper would be better value still, and for some buyers it might. Volkswagen offers all-wheel drive (4Motion) on the compact California camper based on its smaller bus, and there are Ford-based and aftermarket 4x4 conversions of compact campers too. These can cost meaningfully less than the Ibex, and if your priority is squeezing a bit of go-anywhere ability into a van you can also use as a daily car, they're well worth a look.

But they're a different proposition, not a direct rival, and the value comparison has to be honest about that. A compact 4x4 camper trades away exactly what the Ibex is built to provide: the standing height, the fixed transverse double, the full wet washroom and the serious expedition hardware. You can't stand up and shower in most of the small ones, and you certainly don't get a snorkel, a diff lock and an integrated awning. So if what you want is a true, livable, go-anywhere van for a couple, with a real bathroom and a permanent bed, the small alternatives don't actually do that job, and comparing them to the Ibex on price alone misses the point. If a compact 4x4 with a pop-top and a basic kitchen genuinely suits how you travel, it'll be better value for you. If you want the full off-grid van, the Ibex is the cheaper way into that specific, larger thing, which is the value claim that matters here.

Why the Ibex can undercut the field

It's worth understanding why the Ibex can come in cheaper than its rivals, because it tells you what kind of value you're getting. Sunlight is the value-and-design brand within the Erwin Hymer Group, the same group that owns the premium Hymer and Bürstner badges. The group's approach with Sunlight has always been to share the serious engineering, the chassis expertise, the build quality, the systems, and then build down to a sharper price by being smart about specification and trim rather than by cutting the things that matter. We explain the whole family in our guide to who makes Sunlight campervans, and it's the key to the Ibex's pricing.

What that means in practice is that the Ibex's lower price probably isn't a sign of a worse vehicle, it's a sign of the value brand doing its job. The Crafter base, the factory all-wheel drive, the diff lock and the off-road hardware are real and backed by the group's know-how; the saving comes from Sunlight's positioning, not from corner-cutting on the parts that keep you safe and dry. That's the most reassuring kind of value: much the same fundamental capability as a dearer rival, priced to undercut it on purpose. The risk, as with any value play, is that the savings show up in the softer touches, the trim, the fit and finish, the options you end up adding, so it's worth seeing a finished van in person before deciding the value is as good as the price suggests. But the underlying proposition, group engineering at a value-brand price, is a genuinely strong basis for a value verdict.

The verdict: is it the best-value 4x4?

On the evidence available today, the Sunlight Ibex is shaping up to be the value leader in the genuine-4x4 campervan class, and the licence point is what clinches it. A real, factory all-wheel-drive camper, with a locking differential and a serious off-road package, on a strong VW base, from around £90,000, and drivable on an ordinary car licence, has no exact equal right now. Its closest rival is dearer and needs a licence many buyers don't have; the next one up is a tier above on price. If you want a go-anywhere camper and you want the most capability for the least money, the Ibex is the one to beat.

But the verdict has to be provisional, and we'd be doing you a disservice to dress it up as final. The official price could move, the off-road kit may be a paid extra that narrows the gap, the payload is unknown on a van where it matters most, the off-grid figures aren't published, it sleeps only two, and it's an unproven model you won't receive until 2027. So the honest verdict is this: on confirmed facts, the Ibex looks like the best-value real 4x4 campervan you can buy, by a clear margin, and especially so for anyone without a C1 licence. Whether it holds that title depends on the official price, the payload and the option structure that land around July 2026. If those come in as the early signs suggest, the Ibex won't just be the value pick, it'll be the obvious one. We'd happily put a refundable reservation on that, while waiting for the numbers that turn a promising case into a proven one.

Who should buy it: the couple or solo adventurer who genuinely wants to leave the tarmac, values a B-licence plate, and wants real capability without paying Hymer money. Who shouldn't: families needing more than two berths, anyone who doesn't truly need all-wheel drive, and buyers who can't accept the uncertainty of an unproven, not-yet-priced, 2027-delivery van. Know which of those you are, and the value question answers itself.

What we'd confirm before signing

Because so much is still to be published, here's the short list we'd put to a dealer before parting with anything more than a refundable deposit. Treat it as your due-diligence checklist.

• The final, official on-the-road price, and exactly what it includes.
• Whether the off-road package is standard or a paid extra, and what it costs if so.
• The mass in running order, and therefore the real usable payload.
• The fresh and waste water tank capacities.
• The leisure battery type and capacity, and the solar wattage.
• The number of belted travel seats.
• The ground clearance, and whether any suspension lift is fitted.
• The firm delivery date for your build, and what the deposit commits you to.
• The warranty terms, and where you'd have the van serviced.

If those answers come back strong, the value case we've laid out holds, and the Ibex is the one to beat. If several come back disappointing, the headline price matters less than it looks. Either way, you'll be buying with your eyes open, which on a van of this price you won't see in the metal until 2027 is exactly how it should be done.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Sunlight Ibex good value?

On the facts confirmed so far, yes, for the right buyer. Among genuine 4x4 campervans, it undercuts its closest rival, the Bürstner Habiton X, by something like £12,000 to £17,000 at the base end, and it stays on an ordinary B licence where the Habiton X needs a C1. That combination of lower price and friendlier licence makes it the value pick in its class. The caveat is that the official price, the option structure and the payload aren't finalised, so the value case is very promising rather than fully proven.

Is the Sunlight Ibex the cheapest 4x4 campervan?

It's among the most keenly priced genuine 4x4 campers from an established maker, listed in the UK from around £90,000, which undercuts rivals like the Bürstner Habiton X and the Hymer Grand Canyon S. But "cheapest" depends on final pricing and how the off-road package is charged. It is emphatically not the cheapest campervan overall, a two-wheel-drive camper costs far less, so it's only the value choice if you genuinely need all-wheel drive.

Has the Sunlight Ibex been road-tested?

Not by customers or, as far as we can establish, in a full independent road test, because it isn't in customer hands yet, with deliveries due in 2027. Sunlight has run prototypes through Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Morocco. Until production vans are driven, any "review" including this one is an assessment of the proposition and the confirmed specification, not a road test. We'll test it properly when we can.

Do you need a C1 licence for the Sunlight Ibex?

No. The Ibex is plated at 3,500 kilograms, so it's drivable on a standard category B car licence. This is a genuine advantage over its closest rival, the Bürstner Habiton X, which in 4x4 form is plated at 4,100 kilograms and needs a C1 licence. The trade-off is that a 3,500-kilogram plate plus heavy 4x4 hardware can make payload tight, so check the usable payload when Sunlight publishes it.

What is the Sunlight Ibex's main rival?

The Bürstner Habiton X, another Erwin Hymer Group 4x4, built on the Mercedes Sprinter. It's dearer (around £102,000 to £107,000 in the UK) and needs a C1 licence, but it counters with a patented sliding bathroom and the Mercedes base. The Hymer Grand Canyon S 4x4 sits a tier above on price and luxury. Our full Ibex versus Habiton X comparison weighs the two in detail.

Is the Sunlight Ibex better value than the Hymer Grand Canyon S?

They're not really in the same class. The Hymer Grand Canyon S 4x4 is a tier above on price, around £119,950, and luxury, with a premium fit-out to match. The Ibex offers much of the same go-anywhere capability for roughly £30,000 less, so on pure value it's the stronger buy, but you're giving up the Hymer's plusher finish and badge. If your budget stretches to the Hymer and you want the luxury, it's a different proposition; if value is the priority, the Ibex makes the Hymer hard to justify.

Will the Sunlight Ibex hold its value?

It's genuinely too early to say. Rarity and a distinctive, sought-after niche can support strong residuals, and the Ibex has little direct competition, which helps. But it's an unproven new model with no resale track record, so any confident prediction would be guesswork. We'd treat resale as an unknown in the value sum rather than a point for or against, and we'd be wary of anyone claiming certainty either way on a van that won't reach customers until 2027.

Is the Sunlight Ibex worth waiting until 2027 for?

If it's the right van for you, quite possibly, but go in clear-eyed. You're committing to a significant purchase well before you can see, drive or take delivery of it, and before the final price and full specification are even published. The upside is securing an early build slot for a distinctive van with little competition. The sensible middle path is a refundable reservation now, if the dealer offers one, while you wait for the July 2026 official figures to confirm the value case before committing fully.

The reachable bit

The Ibex is a halo van, a flagship that most people will admire rather than buy, and at around £90,000 it's firmly in dream territory for the majority of the people who'd love one. That gap, between the campers we fall for and what we can actually afford, is the whole reason Campervan.win exists.

The Sunlight we're giving away right now isn't the Ibex, it's the Vanlife 540 V, the brand's clever, characterful two-berth, and you can read our full Vanlife 540 V review to see why it's such a likeable thing to win. A well-built Sunlight like that costs north of £60,000, out of reach for most of the people who'd love one, and closing that gap is the point: capped entries so the odds stay honest, £10 a ticket, a maximum of five per person, £500 to a UK charity from every full draw, the winner picked by a public randomness beacon anyone can re-check, and one person driving away in the van itself. You can spend a long time pricing up a 4x4 you'll mostly admire from afar. You can also simply try to win the Sunlight that's actually on offer.