Short answer: the average van conversion cost in the UK was £4,558 in Confused.com's 2025 survey of van owners, and a quarter spent over £5,000. Camplify puts a DIY build at £5,000 to £15,000 and a professional one at £15,000 to £40,000 or more, on top of the van. A bare-bones build with second-hand materials can start from around £2,000. Electrics and gas are usually the biggest single line items.
What the average build costs
The most recent survey we could find is from Confused.com, published on 9 September 2025. OnePoll asked 600 UK adults who own or have owned a van about their conversions in July 2025. The average spend was £4,558, 25% spent more than £5,000, and the average build took about three months, with a third taking between four and eleven months. 52% did some or all of the work themselves and 41% paid a professional for the full conversion.
An average hides a very wide spread, though. A survey average mixes simple "bed and a cool box" builds with full off-grid conversions, so treat £4,558 as a reference point rather than a target. The ranges below are more useful for planning.
Van conversion cost UK by build level
These are Camplify's ranges for the conversion itself. They do not include the van.
| Build level | Typical range | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Bare-bones self-build | From around £2,000 | Second-hand materials, simple bed, portable cooking, minimal electrics |
| DIY build | £5,000 to £15,000 | Insulation, lining, fixed kitchen, leisure battery system, water |
| Professional build | £15,000 to £40,000+ | Fitted by a converter, gas and electrics signed off, higher spec furniture |
Just Kampers Insurance's guide adds up its own line items to a similar picture, and both agree on the pattern: the van and the systems (power, gas, heating) move the total far more than the furniture.
Cost by line item
Here are the published estimates side by side. Where the two guides give different numbers we show both, because that difference is real: it depends on brands, how much you do yourself, and whether a professional fits it.
| Item | Camplify | Just Kampers Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Base van | £500 to £15,000 | £1,000 to £15,000 |
| Windows and roof vent | £800 to £1,150 total; £200 to £300 per window fitted by a company; roof vent about £200 DIY | About £1,000 |
| Insulation | £250 to £300 | About £300 |
| Floor and lining | £200 to £1,000 | About £750 |
| Electrics (12V system) | £1,000 to £2,000; DIY £190 to £400; professional about £1,000 | About £1,000; DIY £200 to £400 |
| Inverter | £140 to £270 | £150 to £270 |
| Solar panel | £250 to £300 each | Around £300 |
| Water (70 litre tank, pump, plumbing) | About £200, no shower | About £200 |
| Gas and heating | £1,000 to £1,600; professional gas fitting £500 to £800 | £1,000 to £1,500 |
| Kitchen | £105 basic to £1,100 luxury | £200 to £1,100 |
| Fridge | 12V from £200, up to £800 to £900 | From around £200; compressor fridge-freezer around £700 |
| Furniture and fittings | £500 to £5,000 | £600 to £5,000 |
| Toilet | £60 to £150 camping toilet | About £320 toilet and shower |
| Safety and security | From about £85 basic kit; alarm £250 to £350 | £80 to £500 |
Prices change quickly, especially for lithium batteries and solar, so open current retailer pages before you lock a budget. Our campervan electrics guide explains how to size the system first, which is the best way to stop that £1,000 to £2,000 line drifting.
Where you can save and where you should not
Furniture is where DIY saves the most: the gap between £500 and £5,000 is mostly labour and materials choice. Electrics can be done yourself if you are careful and size cables and fuses properly (our cable size calculator does the maths). Gas is different. Just Kampers Insurance's gas guide says you can fit gas in your own van if you are competent, but if the van is ever hired out the system must be installed and certified by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and your insurer may ask for proof. Most people budget for a professional here.
A sample DIY budget from those figures
To show how the line items add up, here is a mid-range DIY build using the lower Camplify figures where a range is given, before the van. It is arithmetic on published estimates, not a quote.
| Item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Windows and roof vent | £800 |
| Insulation | £250 |
| Floor and lining | £200 |
| Electrics | £1,000 |
| Solar panel (one) | £250 |
| Water | £200 |
| Gas and heating | £1,000 |
| Furniture and fittings | £500 |
| Toilet | £60 |
| Safety kit | £85 |
| Total | £4,345 |
That lands close to Confused.com's £4,558 average, which is reassuring. Move the electrics, gas and furniture towards the top of their ranges and the same build passes £10,000 quickly, which is why those three deserve the most planning.
Costs people forget
- Tools and consumables. Hole saws, a jigsaw blade for window cut-outs, sealant, foil tape, screws and glue add up over three months of weekends.
- Re-registration. Camplify notes the DVLA change itself is free, but if the DVLA asks to inspect the van you pay to get it there. The DVLA's motor caravan guidance sets out the features and photos it wants, so plan your windows and door with it in mind. Check before you apply.
- Insurance. Confused.com advises telling your insurer about a conversion, as you may need campervan cover rather than van cover. See our insurance and DVLA guide.
- Mistakes. Something will be fitted twice. Following the conversion steps in order keeps that to a minimum.
Keeping the budget honest
Most of our overspend was small purchases we forgot about. A tenner of screws here, a second tube of sealant there. By the end we could not say where a few hundred pounds had gone, or which of us had paid for it.
That is why Build expenses is in Roam now: scan a receipt and it is logged, set a budget per area of the build, and see who paid what so you can settle up. It sits next to the build photo book, so the spend and the photos of each stage end up in one place.
Rule of thumb from our own build: add a contingency of 10 to 20% on top of your line items. It is not a sourced figure, just what we would do again.
Questions
How much does it cost to convert a van into a campervan in the UK?
Confused.com's 2025 survey put the average at £4,558. Camplify's ranges are £5,000 to £15,000 for a DIY build and £15,000 to £40,000 or more for a professional one, before the price of the van.
Is it cheaper to convert a van or buy a campervan?
Converting is usually cheaper if you do most of the work and value your time at nothing. Once you pay for professional electrics, gas and furniture, the gap narrows, so price a few finished campervans alongside your build budget.
What is the most expensive part of a van conversion?
After the van, it is usually the systems. Both guides we used put electrics at around £1,000 or more and gas and heating at £1,000 to £1,600, with high-end furniture able to reach £5,000.
How long does a van conversion take?
The Confused.com survey found an average of about three months, with a third of builds taking four to eleven months.