Age, layout, damp readings, service history and overall condition decide what a caravan is worth. Layout and damp usually move the figure further than age does.
Dealers weigh those five things, then work backwards from what the caravan will realistically sell for on their forecourt. The offer you receive is the retail price minus everything it costs to get there. That gap is not a trick, and this post explains exactly what sits inside it.
How dealers valued caravans until 2025, and what changed
For thirty years the trade worked to a price guide. A dealer looked up the trade value in Glass’s, applied a percentage of the margin they were prepared to give away, and produced a part-exchange figure. It was quick, it was consistent, and it could be done over the phone without anyone looking at the caravan.
The managing director of another UK dealership described that habit publicly in early 2026, and he was not complimentary about it. His point was that a formula arrived at from a book tells you nothing about how a particular caravan has actually been cared for.
Then the guide went. On 1 January 2025 Glass’s withdrew both GlassNet Caravan and the Digital Caravan Guide, and removed leisure vehicle data from its other products. What remains is an archive of PDFs with figures frozen at October 2024.
Want the figure rather than the theory? Get a free caravan valuation — no obligation, and we will tell you which of these factors is actually moving your number.
So what replaced it? In practice, three things:
- Recent transaction records. What comparable caravans have genuinely changed hands for, not what they were advertised at.
- Live retail prices. What the same model is on sale for right now, including on our own forecourt.
- A physical inspection. The part the old formula skipped entirely.
That last one is why a good valuation involves someone looking at your caravan rather than looking it up.
What affects caravan value: the eight factors that matter
These are weighed on every valuation, in roughly this order of impact.
| Factor | Effect on value | Can you change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Damp | Largest single swing. Repairs come off the figure | Sometimes — early damp is cheaper to fix than to sell with |
| Layout | Often beats age. Fixed beds and island beds sell fastest | No |
| Age | Steep depreciation early, then it flattens | No |
| Service history | A stamped book removes the buyer’s biggest doubt | Going forward, yes |
| Condition | Cosmetic wear, upholstery, worktops, exterior finish | Yes, cheaply |
| Berth and axle | Four-berth is the broadest market. Twin axles narrow it | No |
| Equipment | A working motor mover is the one extra that reliably adds money | Yes |
| Paperwork | CRiS document, receipts, handbooks, all the keys | Usually yes |
Layout deserves more attention than most sellers give it. As a rule of thumb, four berths outsell two, fixed beds outsell side dinettes, and island beds outsell fixed French beds. That hierarchy is stable year to year, which is why a well-laid-out older van can be worth more than a newer one nobody wants to tow home.
Age matters, but it is not the headline. Depreciation is steepest in the first three years and flattens considerably after that. A tidy ten-year-old tourer has a steady, predictable market.
What genuinely does not add much: custom interiors, DIY modifications, and single replaced items. A new fridge in an otherwise tired caravan does not lift the figure by the price of the fridge. Awnings and televisions rarely move it at all.
Does damp affect caravan value?
Yes, more than any other single fault, and it is worth understanding the mechanism rather than just the warning.
A meter reading under 15% is generally acceptable and often costs you nothing. From 20% upwards there is active water ingress, and at that point the deduction is not arbitrary — it reflects what the repair costs. Once a wall panel starts to delaminate it has to be stripped and rebonded, and that is a workshop job rather than a tube of sealant.
Damp is also the reason honest sellers do better than optimistic ones. It shows up on the meter within minutes, so declaring it early costs nothing and hiding it wastes a collection slot.
How caravan condition grading works
Dealers grade incoming stock, though almost nobody explains the criteria to the person selling. The grades are not formal or industry-standard — every dealership runs its own version — but they follow the same logic.
- Retail ready. Clean, dry, serviced, no significant faults. Needs a valet and a habitation check, then it goes straight on the forecourt.
- Needs preparation. Sound but tired. Upholstery, a worktop, a couple of appliances, some sealant work. Most part exchanges land here.
- Workshop first. Damp above 20%, a fault affecting habitation safety, or structural work. It sells eventually, but it ties up bay time.
- Trade only. Beyond economic repair for retail. It moves on to the trade rather than the forecourt, and the offer reflects that.
Where your caravan sits on that ladder matters more than most sellers realise. It decides how much money the dealer has to spend, and how many weeks pass before the caravan earns anything.
The arithmetic behind the offer
Here is the part nobody publishes. Take a caravan retailing on our forecourt at £10,995 — a 2015 Bailey Pursuit 530-4, four berth, end washroom.
Before it reached that price it needed:
- A habitation check and service
- A full valet, inside, outside and underneath
- Photography, advertising and a listing
- Forecourt space, insured and heated, for however many weeks it takes to sell
Every one of those costs sits between the retail price and what a seller is offered. So does the dealer’s margin, which is the part that keeps the yard open.
That is why a dealer’s asking price can look 20% or more above what you were offered. The difference is not the profit — the profit is what is left after all of the above.
Worth knowing if you are part exchanging. A dealer can show you a higher figure for your caravan by discounting the one you are buying and moving the discount across. The number on your old van looks better; the balance to change is identical. Always compare the balance to change, not the part-exchange figure.
Why two dealers offer different figures for the same caravan
Nothing about your caravan changes between phone calls. What affects caravan value here is the forecourt, not the caravan.
- What is already in stock. A dealer with three unsold four-berths will not want a fourth, whatever its condition.
- The season. Winters are quiet and forecourts fill up. From February demand climbs, stock thins, and offers firm up.
- Regional demand. Layouts sell differently in different parts of the country.
- Whether they retail it or trade it on. A buyer who sells your caravan themselves can pay more than one who moves it straight into the trade.
None of that means an offer is unfair. It does mean a figure is a snapshot of one forecourt on one day, which is why quotes are held for a fixed period rather than indefinitely.
What a valuer actually checks
A proper valuation takes about twenty minutes and involves getting inside the caravan.
- A damp meter round every window surround, the front locker seams, the wardrobe base and the washroom corners
- Bed boxes lifted and the floor pressed by hand at the shower tray and just inside the door
- The chassis number checked against the CRiS document
- The motor mover run on both wheels, forwards and back
- Heating and fridge tested from cold, and the tyre date codes read rather than just the tread
Frequently asked questions
How do dealers value caravans?
Dealers work backwards from the retail price. They estimate what the caravan will sell for on their forecourt, deduct preparation, servicing, warranty and the cost of holding it, and offer what is left minus their margin. Until 2025 most of the trade started from a printed price guide instead. That guide no longer exists, so recent sale prices and a physical inspection have replaced it.
What affects caravan value the most?
Damp and layout. Damp because the deduction reflects a real repair cost rather than a guess. Layout because it decides how quickly the caravan sells — a fixed island bed or an end washroom has a queue of buyers waiting. Age matters too, but a well-laid-out older caravan regularly beats a newer one.
Does damp affect caravan value?
Yes, more than any other single fault. Under 15% on the meter is generally acceptable and often costs nothing. From 20% there is active ingress and the deduction covers the repair, which for a delaminated wall panel means stripping and rebonding rather than resealing. Damp caravans still sell — the reading just has to be honest.
Why is a dealer’s offer lower than the forecourt price?
Because everything between the two costs money. Habitation check, service, valet, repairs, warranty, advertising and weeks of insured forecourt space all come out of that gap before anyone makes a penny. A gap of 20% or more is normal, and a buyer claiming otherwise is usually hiding a deduction elsewhere.
Do caravan dealers still use Glass’s Guide?
No, because it is no longer published. Glass’s withdrew GlassNet Caravan and the Digital Caravan Guide on 1 January 2025 and removed leisure vehicle data from its other products. An archived PDF set exists with figures frozen at October 2024, but it is not a current market price. Any valuation quoting Glass’s today is quoting a guide that stopped updating before it was given.