Motorhome sales are rising in the UK, so why are dealerships closing, restructuring or struggling to make money? And could the traditional way we buy new motorhomes be about to change?

Motorhome Matt and Keith Gooden examine the financial pressures facing the UK motorhome industry, from expensive stock finance and rising overheads to changing customer expectations. With new registrations reportedly up 8.5%, is demand really the problem, or has running a motorhome dealership simply become a much tougher business?

Matt speaks to the MDs of Tottington Motor Company, M5 Leisure and Bristol Caravans at the NEC. They share contrasting experiences of the market, including difficult part-exchange valuations, the cost of stocking new vehicles, strong campervan sales and owners spending thousands upgrading their existing motorhomes rather than replacing them.

One major development is Trigano's new Atom Motorhomes brand, which sells directly to customers instead of through traditional dealerships. Could this approach bring better prices, and who takes responsibility for servicing, warranty repairs and aftersales support? We hear what dealers think of the model and why some are reluctant to get involved.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Which apps can help you navigate low-emission zones and toll roads when touring Norway and Sweden
• What should a first-time buyer ask before purchasing a Consort campervan, particularly about warranties, insurance and aftersales support?
• Do you need winter tyres, snow chains or snow socks when driving a motorhome through the French, Spanish and Andorran Pyrenees?

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Low-emission zones in Europe: urbanaccessregulations.eu

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A £12,000 discount on a new motorhome sounds tempting, but what happens if you realise six months later that you've bought the wrong van? Motorhome shows bring together hundreds of vehicles and attractive deals, but rushing a decision could leave you seriously out of pocket.

With the Motorhome & Caravan Show at the NEC upon us, Motorhome Matt and Keith discuss seven costly mistakes to avoid when buying a motorhome at a show. From going in with a fixed idea of the perfect layout to getting carried away by discounts, Matt explains why slowing down could save you money and disappointment.

Why should you look at motorhomes above your budget? How do you properly test a layout before committing? And why could buying from a dealer hundreds of miles away cause problems when you need warranty repairs? We also tackle payload limits, driving licence requirements and the importance of returning for a second look, including Matt's experience helping a couple narrow down a shortlist of 33 motorhomes.

In our Motorhome Finance Fact or Fiction feature, Steve Blake from Motorhome Finance explains whether you need to find your ideal motorhome before applying for finance, and how understanding your borrowing options can help when visiting a show or dealership.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

- Can you safely carry a spare gas bottle in your motorhome garage, and what could it mean for your habitation check and insurance? - Which European breakdown cover options should you consider for a larger motorhome, particularly if it needs recovering to the UK? - Why are some motorhome dealers reluctant to discount older or unsold stock, even when vehicles have been sitting on forecourts for years?

If you're planning to buy or upgrade your motorhome, listen before committing to a show deal. The right layout, dealer and practical specifications could matter far more than the discount on the windscreen.

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A campervan conversion can look beautifully finished, but how do you know the seats are installed safely, the payload still works in the real world, the conversion meets the right standards, and the company will support you if something goes wrong?

Motorhome Matt and Keith Gooden are joined at the Newark show by Tom Heeney from Landseer Campervans, Dan Douglass from Out and About Campers and Peter Vaughan. They examine the checks buyers should make before committing to a campervan conversion, including type approval, crash-tested seating, installation standards, usable payload, water ingress, warranty support and the reputation of the converter.

They also tackle some of the mistakes buyers make before a conversion has even started, from choosing the wrong base van to assuming a familiar vehicle badge guarantees the quality of the conversion. The discussion finishes with electric and hybrid campervans, including the Kia PV5, range expectations and the practical challenges converters face as the market changes.

Our new Blokes Breakfast event takes place on Saturday 10 October at That Leisure Shop in Chelston, Wellington. It’s a free ticketed event, with Dan Trudgian joining Matt to talk about health, wellbeing and how buying a caravan changed his life.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Where and how should you fit a safe in a Fiat Ducato campervan?
• What can you negotiate when buying a second-hand motorhome from a dealer?

If you’re choosing a campervan converter, sourcing a base van or considering a used conversion, this is the conversation to listen to before you commit your money.

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Are lithium leisure batteries about to become the norm in motorhomes rather than an expensive upgrade added later? With Swift moving its 2027 motorhome range to lithium, there are signs that one of the biggest changes in motorhome electrical systems is moving firmly into the mainstream.

Motorhome Matt and Keith are joined by Steve from Roamer, the UK lithium battery company supplying Swift. We look at what's driving manufacturers away from lead-acid, including weight, payload and usable battery capacity, and what factory-fit lithium could mean for the way future motorhomes are designed.

For existing motorhome and campervan owners, there are some important questions too. Can you really replace a lead-acid leisure battery with lithium without changing everything else? How much battery and inverter capacity do you need to run an air fryer, kettle or coffee machine off-grid?

We also get into battery storage, charging in freezing temperatures, LiFePO4 safety and why Steve believes 48V systems could have a much bigger role in motorhomes of the future.

We also hear about the upcoming Blokes, Bacon Baps and Banter morning at That Leisure Shop at Chelston, with breakfast, coffee, motorhome chat and a live Q&A.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Can you safely use hydraulic levelling legs when your motorhome is parked on a steep slope?
• What could cause leaking rear shock absorbers on a relatively new Peugeot Boxer-based motorhome?
• How do you choose the right inverter to run a microwave from a 12V motorhome electrical system?

If you've been considering lithium, wondering what you'll fit when your lead-acid battery eventually gives up, or simply want to understand where motorhome electrical systems are heading next, this conversation should give you plenty to think about.

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Leaving your motorhome keys in the ignition while you nip in to pay for fuel might seem harmless. But when it comes to insurance, small decisions like that can have much bigger consequences than owners realise.

Matt and Keith are joined by Mel Savage, Head of Insurance Product at Ripe, to look at the motorhome and campervan insurance assumptions that can make a claim more difficult. We get into what “comprehensive” cover actually means, why documentation matters when you make a claim, and how theft, keyless entry, trackers and test drives are treated.

We also look at some of the changes being made to motorhome and campervan cover, including older vehicles, commuting, lower-value vehicles and classic campers. There’s practical advice on European travel, lithium battery upgrades and off-grid use too, with a useful reminder that insurance is ultimately about assessing risk.

Plus, a new event at That Leisure Shop: Blokes Breakfast, a relaxed Saturday morning get-together at Chelston for motorhome and campervan chat over breakfast.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Can you tow a car on an A-frame in France or elsewhere in Europe and still be insured?
• Could removing the oven from a motorhome affect its insurance or classification?
• How does breakdown cover work for older vans travelling in Europe?
• What can you do to reduce your motorhome insurance premium?

If you’ve ever wondered what your motorhome insurance really covers, what you need to declare, or what could make a claim more awkward than it needs to be, this is a useful conversation to hear before you need the policy.

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Can travelling in a motorhome or campervan really become a paying content business, or does life as a creator look rather easier from the other side of the screen?

Motorhome Matt and Keith explore what it really takes to build a motorhome or van-life audience, in a live panel recorded at Vanlove 2026. Joining Matt are Steve and Lyndsay Radford from The Roaming Radfords, Mark Bonito from Vanlife Eats, TV presenter and campervan converter Max McMurdo, and Guy Robinson from Vanlove.

They get candid about the money and the workload. There are 4am editing sessions on motorhome trips, the challenge of turning a hobby into a business, and the peculiar world of YouTube where a carefully produced project costing thousands can struggle for views while something much simpler takes off.

Matt also shares what it costs to produce the Motorhome Matt Podcast, while Max explains why moving from television into YouTube feels rather like starting again.

The conversation also gets into the less obvious side of putting yourself online: deciding how much of your private life to share, dealing with negative comments, building a recognisable brand and working out why you want to create content in the first place. The panel finishes with practical advice for anyone thinking of picking up a camera and starting their own motorhome or campervan channel.

In Motorhome Finance Fact or Fiction, Matt is joined by Steve Blake to look at the assumption that financing a motorhome always requires a large deposit, and how affordability now influences the options available.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Travelling with a full motorhome fresh-water tank, payload and the effect of water moving around in the tank
• Whether an £850 Diamondbrite ceramic coating is worth considering on a Bailey Adamo 75-4DL
• A campervan seller being asked by prospective buyers to purchase an EpicVIN vehicle-history report, and whether that should raise concerns

If you have ever looked at a motorhome creator travelling the country and thought it looked like a rather agreeable way to earn a living, this conversation gives you the view from behind the camera, including the bits the algorithm tends not to mention.

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What should you actually carry in a motorhome toolkit, and which bits are genuinely worth the space?

Motorhome Matt and Keith work through the tools, spares and emergency kit Matt keeps onboard, from torque wrenches, tyre pressure kit and jump starter packs to fuses, plumbing fittings, cable ties, Wago connectors and a spare water pump. Along the way, Matt explains the real situations that have made some of these items earn a permanent place in the van.

There are a few useful surprises too, including why Matt now carries a torque wrench, what he keeps for common water system problems, why a head torch is one of his favourite bits of kit, and why his laminated fuse diagrams have become so useful when other motorhome owners ask for help. We also look at the sensible limit to all this preparation: carrying the tools is one thing, knowing when not to use them is another.

We also look ahead to The South West Motorhome & Campervan Show at the Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, with camping, live entertainment, motorhomes for sale, trade stands and free talks across the weekend.

And in the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Can standard motorhome wing mirrors be replaced with rear-view camera systems?
• Does a 2023 Fiat Ducato need reprogramming after changing the starter battery?
• How do you manage children’s car seats in a motorhome without them taking over the living space?

If you’ve ever wondered what’s genuinely useful to keep in the van for those small problems that crop up on the road, this is a practical look at the kit Matt actually carries and why.

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• Screwdrivers: flat-head and cross-head in different sizes, including PH and PZ
• General-purpose pliers
• Long-nose pliers
• Adjustable spanner
• Miniature socket set
• Torx bits
• Allen keys
• Torque wrench
• Multimeter
• Claw hammer
• Rubber mallet
• Miniature lump hammer
• Wheel brace
• Breaker bar
• Standard vehicle jack
• Bottle jack
• Craft knife
• Tyre pressure gauge
• TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system)
• Portable tyre inflator
• Tyre puncture gel/sealant
• Jump starter/booster pack

• Spare fuses
• Spare bulbs
• Jubilee clips in a few sizes
• Hose repair connectors
• John Guest push-fit plumbing fittings
• 12 mm and 10 mm hard water pipe
• O-rings and seals
• Spare submersible water pump

• Head torch
• Disposable gloves
• Hand-cleaning wipes
• Kneeling mat
• Cable ties in different sizes
• Metal cable ties
• Gaffer tape
• Electrical repair tape
• Corks or bungs for temporarily stopping leaks
• Silicone spray
• Small can of WD-40
• Two-part plastic epoxy resin
• Bungee cords
• Wago electrical connectors
• Small reel of electrical wire

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Modern motorhomes can stay off-grid for longer, carry more usable battery capacity and rely far less on electric hook-up than they once did. So what does a campsite need to offer now to make motorhome owners want to stop, stay and pay for a pitch?

Motorhome Matt and Keith Gooden look at how touring habits are changing, from shorter stays and last-minute bookings to Brit Stops, park-ups and the growing expectation that a campsite should offer more than somewhere to plug in. We also tackle the awkward question of value, including why campsite prices have risen and what owners should reasonably expect for their money.

Matt visits Riverside Caravan Park in High Bentham to speak with operations director John Marshall about what those changes look like from the campsite side. At Riverside, tourers stay for an average of 3.7 nights compared with 2.2 nights for motorhomes, while the mix of touring caravans and motorhomes has shifted considerably in recent years. John explains how the business is responding through facilities, online booking, later arrivals, Wi-Fi, EV charging, solar and giving visitors more reasons to explore from the site.

There’s also an update on ETIAS and the European Entry/Exit System, including the latest uncertainty around when ETIAS will actually be introduced and what travellers heading into the Schengen area need to keep an eye on.

In the Q&A, Matt answers your questions on:

• Which type of air conditioning makes sense for a motorhome retrofit
• Why a Kador bead can pull out of a Multirail and what size difference may be causing it
• How to find a motorhome layout that is comfortable enough to live in without sacrificing the storage you need

If you’ve noticed yourself using campsites differently in the last few years, this conversation explains why the relationship between motorhomes and campsites is changing, and what both sides are having to rethink.

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