Camper Vans have taken over the automotive industry. The movement to pair down and take your life on the road blew up over covid-19 lockdown but still seems to remain appealing to many, but how much does living the van life cost? While there are many small fees and expenses, the first to figure out is what is what the average cost of a camper van is. Let’s start there and see how far our money goes in the camper van world and if there are affordable camper vans to be had.
Are there affordable camper vans?
| Ram Promaster City | Starting at $9,000 |
| Hillside Leisure Dalbury E-Electric | Starting at $30,000 |
| VW Caddy | Starting at $35,000 |
| Sportsmobile Classic | Starting at $39,100 |
| Citroen Campster | Starting at $41,000 |
| Citroen Wildcamp | Starting at $47,970 |
| Sunlight Cliff 600 | Starting at $49,000 |
| Winnebago Solis | Starting at $100,667 |
| VW Crafter MaxTraxx | Starting at $103,499 |
| Hymer Aktiv 2.0 | Starting at $114,127 |
| Benchmark Ford Transit Camper | Starting at $125,000 |
| Winnebago Revel | Starting at $129,375 |
| Roadtrek Adventurous | Starting at $151,510 |
| Storyteller Overland Mode | Starting at $153,748 |
Yes and no. It is not hard to spend $500,000 on a camper van these days. However, few other automotive segments lend themselves to the DIY world as camper vans do. We have covered camper vans from every angle we can think of, and in doing so, we have seen some super rad camper vans. From the folks at Caravan Outfitters to Storyteller Overland, there are many options. Although the range is vast, we will focus on the reasonable end of things where most vans are priced. Realistically the camper van price range stretches between $10,000-$150,000. Every camper van available will not be on this list, but the ones included are among the most popular camper vans.
What’s the cheapest camper van you can get?
There are a few options floating around the sub-$50,000 mark. According to Go Downsize, the cheapest production camper at the moment seems to be the Ram Promaster City. This tiny camper is about as basic and compact as it gets, but for those on a tight budget, this camper van has enough to get you living the vanlife for under $10,000. Prices for the Ram ProMaster City start at $9,000.
Other killer options for affordable camper vans include the much better-equipped Caravan Outfitter Free Bird, starting at $37,665. This one is much closer to what most people might expect from an affordable camper van. Also, the Sportmobile classic is a killer option. This killer affordable camper van starts at $39,100, which is killer considering that many camper trailers can cost this much and more.
If you look at the best seven campers priced under $50,000, the average cost of a camper van comes to $35,867. That’s actually lower than the average new car price.
How expensive are camper vans?
This segment can get pricy pretty quickly. Even with the lower starting prices, options can stack up easily. All of a sudden, your $35,000 camper van price jumps up to $50,000. The same principle applies to high-end camper vans but much more dramatically.
If you take camper van price out of the equation and just look at some of the most popular campervans, you’ll find many models that easily hit the $150,000 mark. For instance, one of our favorites is the Alabama-made Storyteller Overland Mode. This 4×4 Ford base is ready for damn near anything, and they won’t let you or your bank account forget it with a $150,000 starting price.
The Winnebago Revel is another massively popular camper van that runs the same money as two 2021 Corvette C8s. These camper van prices start at $121,000. While that is a massive chunk of cash, the Revel is said to be one of the finest and most capable camper vans on the market. That won’t make the payments any harder to stomach, but maybe you’ll forget when you are trekking deep into the wilderness in your Winnebago.
For the more expensive side of the list, here are another seven of the best camper vans in the over $50,000 price range. The average cost of a camper van in the upper-tier options is $124,882.
By adding up the most popular camper van models from each segment and getting an average between the two, the average cost of a camper van should be roughly $80,000. Vanlife may not be cheap if you want to go the new, premade route, but you are getting a lot of vehicles for your money. As with any major purchase, shop around and wait to find the best deal possible. And, if all else fails, build one yourself out of a $1,500 van off Craigslist.
