Guide
Motorhome storage: what is different from storing a caravan
Updated
The pitch looks the same. The requirements are not, because a motorhome has an engine, batteries and a habitation door that all behave differently to a towed van left standing for months.
The differences that change what you should book
- It drives itself in and out
- No tow car, no manoeuvring on the hitch, but you need a pitch you can drive into and out of without ten minutes of shunting. Ask about aisle width and whether you get a drive-through or a reverse-in bay.
- Batteries and the engine
- A motorhome left standing has a vehicle battery and usually a leisure battery, both of which discharge. Ask whether any electrical hook-up or trickle charging is available, and what it costs.
- Height and headroom
- The main practical reason a motorhome cannot use a given indoor or covered bay. Measure the highest point including any roof kit and check the barrier and door heights before booking.
- Length bands work the same way
- Sites price by metre band exactly as they do for caravans, so a long coachbuilt or A-class costs more than a short campervan, regardless of what it is called.
- MOT, tax and use
- It is a road vehicle, so it needs keeping legal and moving occasionally. Some sites are easier to get in and out of at short notice than others, and that convenience is worth real money.
Questions worth asking that caravan owners do not need to
- Can I run a hook-up or a solar panel? Some sites allow it, some do not, and a few charge for it.
- Can I get to it to start it monthly? Access hours matter more when the thing needs running.
- Is there height clearance on the route in? Barriers, canopies and low branches are the usual obstacles.
- Is there water and waste on site? Being able to fill and flush before and after a trip saves a lot of faff.
- What about habitation checks and servicing? Some storage sites offer them or host a mobile engineer, which is genuinely convenient.
Campervans, and the driveway question
Smaller campervans often fit on a drive or in a garage, which is why storage is a genuine choice rather than a necessity. If you are weighing that up, the honest considerations are covenants or lease terms that restrict parking a commercial-looking vehicle, whether the van blocks a drive you need, and how your insurer treats the address it is kept at. That last one is a question for the insurer, not for us: ring them before you decide either way.
Give us the length and the height in the enquiry and sites will tell you straight away what they can take. Get motorhome storage quotes.