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Does the ideal price motorhome exist in today's reality? Here we tell you our experience and the reality of the costs of a motorhome today, during the purchase and also after.

Lovers of the caravanning world know that acquiring a motorhome is making a dream come true, since, surely, we have been longing for it for years and many others saving or looking for ways to make it possible. But, in addition, how much is it going to cost me to maintain a motorhome each year? There's the quid of the question; the difficulty in acquiring it is not everything, since we are going to have to think about insuring it, maintaining it, attending to its taxes and revisions and finding a parking space for it when we do not use it. But of course, once we have reached that point where we are already owners, we accept the sacrifice with the same passion (there is no other) as when we enjoy our vacations on wheels.

Below, we explain the initial cost of a motorhome, the average price per type, and the expenses you'll face as a motorhome owner. This is an important section in our Motorhome Travel Guide . We can tell you upfront that buying one will cost you between €35.000 and €80.000, depending on whether it's new or used, and that average annual maintenance costs will range from €1.500 to €3.000 . We know that maintenance isn't cheap and that the vehicle's amortization will depend on the number of trips you take each year, but good maintenance will undoubtedly help to maximize the lifespan of your motorhome.

Let's go there!

How much does a motorhome cost? Does the ideal price-quality motorhome exist?

new motorhomes

Finding a motorhome, whether new or used, has become quite a challenge these days. The boom in the sector brought on by Covid and the crisis affecting raw material manufacturers have slowed production. Furthermore, there is an excess of demand over supply , which has driven up prices across the caravanning sector in recent years.

A clear example is the price of our new motorhome. We bought our Challenger 396 four years ago for a final price of €54.500, including taxes and extras like Remis blinds, solar panel, TV, awning, mosquito nets, gas alarm, and a single-control gas system. Today, this same motorhome with all these extras and registration tax costs close to €75.000. That's about €20.000 more than four years ago . Crazy, isn't it?

Second hand market

At the same time, the increase in prices and delivery times for new motorhomes has driven up demand in the used market. This has led to you being able to find a motorhome like ours, four years old, for the same price we paid for it new! Crazy, isn't it?

Well, this is what there is today at the motorhome price level. A motorhome price to our way of seeing it a bit abusive due to today's boom situation.

If you're thinking of buying a used motorhome, don't forget to read our recently written article , "10 Tips for Buying a Used Motorhome ."

Other solutions for a more reasonably priced motorhome

historical old ladies

Despite this, if you're looking for an older motorhome, you can find one for around €35.000 that's about 10 years old or even older and cheaper. Keep in mind, though, that older motorhomes require more repairs. We know this from experience, but we also know it's a solution to our dream.

Buy outside of Spain

Finally, another solution for finding lower-priced motorhomes is to look in markets outside of Spain. France and Germany are 30 years ahead of Spain in the campervan market, so there's a wider selection of used motorhomes there, often at better prices.

However, if you're buying from abroad, remember to add at least €6.000 for paperwork and the cost of shipping it here for homologation. Also, make sure the registration documents don't state that the motorhome weighs 4200 kg; otherwise, you'll need a truck license or have to reduce its weight. In other countries, like France, you can drive a motorhome with a standard car license (category B) even if it exceeds 3500 kg up to 4200 kg, so this is something to keep in mind during the purchase process.

Now let's see the broken down expenses of the annual maintenance of our motorhome

Traveling in a motorhome is precisely that, traveling! The destination is not as important as the road traveled and for that reason, the maintenance of our vehicle is essential after its purchase. A motorhome that covers our needs, at 100% of its performance, and good insurance for unforeseen events are the pillars to be able to enjoy the freedom that our vehicle offers us.

Even after acquiring our long-awaited motorhome, the costs don't end there. Let's break down the maintenance expenses for a motorhome by type. Ready? Set, go!

Annual taxes and fees on the vehicle

In this section of the expenses you will see that the total cost will depend a lot on the type of vehicle and how old it is and even on the municipality where you register the motorhome and the autonomous community where you live.

IVTM, Municipal tax on mechanical traction vehicles

This is an annual, municipal tax, and its amount depends on the municipality where you live. It typically ranges from €60 to €300 per year.

Vehicle Technical Inspection (ITV)

Between €40 and €70 from the fourth year after vehicle registration. Between four and ten years, the vehicle will undergo the ITV (MOT) inspection every two years, and from the tenth year onwards, the inspection will be annual.

Tax on CO2 emissions from vehicles

A new tax introduced in 2021 by some autonomous communities in Spain, such as Catalonia. Depending on the vehicle's pollution and CO2 emissions category, the tax ranges from € 0 to €100 annually.

Motorhome insurance

This is undoubtedly one of the most significant fixed annual costs of our motorhome. The cost will depend on the type of insurance chosen—comprehensive, with excess, or third-party—and on the insurance company and the coverage offered. However, on average, expect to pay between €400 and €600 per year for comprehensive insurance with an average excess for a motorhome. When it comes to travel, we can't skimp on safety, and therefore, we should give ourselves the peace of mind that if any mishap occurs during our trip, we'll always be well covered.

It is very important, in our view, that the insurance is fully comprehensive, with or without excess, and that it covers specific situations in which we may find ourselves when traveling in a motorhome. Also, it is essential that the insurance company allows us to open incidents easily, be transparent and decisive.

Since we know price is a deciding factor, you can benefit from our experience and price comparison in the article you'll find at the following link: https://www.kucavana.es/seguro-autocaravana/ . It's truly worthwhile to choose a good insurance company; the fine print can be very damaging when something happens, we know from experience, so be sure to read the post and comparisons we provide carefully.

Mechanical maintenance of our average price motorhome

If we want our motorhome to perform at 100%, consume just and necessary gasoline and work and last for many years, this part is vital.

We should estimate around €200-€600 for a general annual check-up like any other vehicle and around €400-€600 when we have to change the timing belt, around every 120 kilometers or when it's time to do the clutch.

Maintenance of the shoes of our motorhome average price

It is as or more important than the engine to fit our motorhomes well. On it, our security depends continuously. They are heavy vehicles and we cannot risk a blowout that will make our driving unstable and could cause an accident.

It's recommended that you use tires specifically designed for motorhomes, called Camper tires. Depending on the brand, they can cost around €120-€220 each, totaling about € 500-€800. On average, you'll need to replace them every 50.000 km . This will depend on how you use your motorhome. One piece of advice: keep an eye on your tires and never push them beyond their limits.

Something else to keep in mind is winter tires . For winter sports enthusiasts like us, winter tires, or at least all-season tires, are practically mandatory, and always specifically designed for campervans. We used non-camper tires, and due to the vehicle's weight, they deformed and almost caused a blowout, so be careful.

If you have four-season tires, you won't need anything else, but if you have winter tires, you'll generally need to change them when spring arrives. This involves the cost of changing the tires and, if you don't have space at home, the cost of storing them. In total, this can cost you between €30 and €200 per year , depending on where you live and the garage that performs the tire change and storage.

Maintenance of the guarantee of the watertightness of the motorhome

For new motorhomes, there's something many people don't initially realize: there's a kind of "revolutionary tax" to maintain the watertightness warranty for the 5, 7, or 10 years promised at the time of purchase: the annual watertightness inspection. This inspection involves spraying water with a hose, and sometimes we're left feeling foolish because they charge around €100 annually on average. Either you get it done, or if you develop a crack or something, things can get much worse. I'm speaking from experience, having had a crack in my motorhome, and thankfully, we had our watertightness inspections up to date.

Maintenance of the facilities of the motorhome average price

A motorhome is essentially a second home, and as such, the facilities need regular inspections and ongoing maintenance to address common issues like blockages, unpleasant odors from the pipes, and the need to replace chemical toilets. Beyond the cost of repairing these issues , we must also consider the importance of good preventative maintenance.

Maintenance of water tanks, pipes and chemical toilets

First, we must ensure proper maintenance, especially of water tanks, pipes, and the chemical toilet, to prevent blockages and unpleasant odors . This will involve purchasing specific products, which aren't exactly cheap, and performing the necessary maintenance to avoid problems and, above all, bad smells. For this annual maintenance, budget an average of €50-100 for the products.

Mandatory review of gas installations

Furthermore, while water and heating systems do not require mandatory maintenance, gas installations must be officially inspected every 5 years , or 4 in the Basque Country. This is regulated by Royal Decree 1085/1995, which approved the Technical Regulations for the distribution and use of gaseous fuels and their technical instructions. In short, you will need to have your gas inspected every 5 years, which will cost between €50 and €100.

Auxiliary battery change

Our energy depends mainly on auxiliary batteries and solar panels, so it is important to guarantee good maintenance of all of this.

A standard lead-acid battery can have an average lifespan of 2-5 years depending on usage (those of us who go skiing will definitely see a significant reduction in its lifespan), and its cost will depend on the product range. High-end batteries will easily exceed €300, while cheaper ones will cost around €100. In any case, it's important to buy a high-quality battery with the capacity to meet your needs, as the investment will pay off in the long run in terms of safety and durability.

In this case, as we have done in our motorhome, we recommend spending a little more on good lithium batteries to save on maintenance and unexpected costs. Lithium batteries last from 500 to 1000 discharge cycles, which translates to between 5 and 20 years of use, depending on their quality and usage. Keep in mind that the initial cost of a lithium battery plus installation for system adaptation can reach around €1000, and on average, replacing a cheaper battery every 10 years costs around €500-€600.

Parking rental if we do not have a space to leave it

Knowing where we are going to park the motorhome is, perhaps, the first question that comes to mind before buying it. It is not recommended to leave it in the street due to the complications that it can cause us, and, without a doubt, in the event of being able to keep it in our house, this will be the first option.

If, on the contrary, we do not have space, we will have to add to our expenses the rental of an external car park that can represent between €50 and €300 per month depending on the location and services offered. There are open motorhome parkings that are cheaper than covered or closed ones and motorhome parkings that have more or less emptying and filling services that also make prices vary.

Thus, if we have to rent a parking space for motorhomes, this will cost us between €600 and €3600 or more for this annual rental.

And put to ask, it will help us a lot that the car park is relatively close to our home both for its supervision and for the ease that it will provide us when we plan an outing.

Conclusions and totals on how much a motorhome costs annually on average

After breaking down one by one the expenses that we will have to pay for the maintenance of our motorhome, we can tell you that on average we will have to save €1.500 per year to maintain the motorhome or €3.000 if we need a parking space for it.

We have made this calculation with this breakdown, which is approximate and an average of the expenses that we and friends with a motorhome have:

• About €300 for taxes and ITV
• About €450 for insurance
• About €200 for tire maintenance
• About €400 for engine, sealing and gas revisions
• About €50 for maintenance cleaning products
• About €100 for the batteries
• About €1500 for parking rental

This is a summary, roughly, of the expenses involved in maintaining our motorhome to have it, at all times, ready for a new adventure and they are worth it as long as we integrate it into our way of life and continue enjoying it, which is known as experiential amortization. Only in this way, the expenses are diluted in favor of our safety and well-being. However, we come out badly when we abandon the maintenance of the vehicle and we start losing money since, even if we sell it, we will not recover the same for a maintained vehicle as for one without maintenance.