What are the differences between a Motorhome and a Campervan?

We love this topic as there are many schools of thought.  The terminology can be different depending on where in the world you are.   If you are north American then your are likely to use the term RV, which standards for Recreational Vehicle.   Winnebago is also popular and actually related to a brand name that became synonymous with RV’s.    Here in Europe Campervan and Motorhome seem to have stuck.

Motorhomes

Our view is that Motorhomes are defined as being constructed on top of a chassis.   The main chassis built by the like of Fiat or Ford are supplied “bare” to the motorhome manufacturer.   At their factory they build the habitation unit onto the chassis and drivers cab.   They are generally made of reinforced plastic composites and very strong and lightweight.   This type of manufacture lends itself to myriad design choices as size and layouts are easy to design and build onto most chassis.   By there very nature Motorhomes tend to be larger vehicles.  Our range starts small at 6 metres long and extends to around 7.4 metres for our 5 and 6 berth models.   It is possible to get much larger vehicles built this way up to 9 ot 10 metres in some cases.   We don’t run this type as they are unsuitable for the types of roads most of our customers wish to visit.

Campervans

Campervans are sometimes perceived to just be smaller vehicles.   This is not always the case.   There are definitely campervans larger than motorhomes and vice versa.   In our opinion a campervan is a converted van.  Sometimes these vans started out as commercial vans and were later converted or they were custom built into a camper whilst the van was brand new.   Some of the layout options in campervans can make them feel bigger on the inside than they look on the outside.

When you are choosing a motorhome or campervan to hire, you shouldn’t get attached to the semantics of whether it is a motorhome of campervan.   The interior specifications overlap quite considerably.   The most important elements to look for are the interior layouts, length or vehicle and whether it has all the specifications you want.

View our current choice of motorhomes and campervans.