What is the Best Time of Year to Sell a Caravan or Motorhome?

If you’ve got a caravan, motorhome, or lodge that you’re thinking about parting ways with, the question of when to sell is just as important as how. Unlike selling a car, where demand is fairly steady all year-round, the caravan and motorhome market has seasonal peaks and troughs that can change the answer to "when should I sell my caravan?"

The reality is, the answer also depends on who you’re selling to. A private buyer and a professional trader will look at your caravan through very different lenses.

Every year, we help thousands of people sell their caravans, lodges, and motorhomes – so we can give you the low-down on the best time to sell (based on the hundreds of quotes we provide every month). When you're finished reading, you'll be able to decide when's right for you.

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Selling privately (i.e. to someone who's going to use your caravan)? The best time is usually late winter to early spring.

Selling to a trader (i.e. someone who's going to sell your caravan to someone else in the trade)? Timing doesn't matter – you’ll get a fair price year-round, without the hassle of waiting for buyers, dealing with time wasters, or losing more money to depreciation.

What is the Best Time to Sell a Touring Caravan?

For private buyers, the best time to sell a touring caravan is usually just before the season kicks off – late winter into early spring (February–April). That’s when families and couples are planning their first getaways – so enthusiasm for holidays is high. Put simply, buyers are itching to get out there, so demand (and prices) tend to peak.

If you’re selling privately, there are some tried-and-tested ways of maximising the value of your caravan. Having a good service history can help you achieve a higher price – people like reassurance that they’re buying a well-looked-after van. Also, comparing your model with similar caravans online can give you a feel for realistic selling prices.

Come autumn and winter, demand falls away a bit. Someone casually browsing in November isn’t usually ready to tow a van into frosty campsites. That means if you’re relying on private potential buyers, you might either wait until Christmas is out of the way – or accept less money.

For traders, though, timing is less critical. A dealer can take your caravan in the depths of winter, store it, and roll it back out in March at exactly the right moment. Because of this, trade prices tend to stay fairly steady. It's worth saying, though, caravans depreciate every year – so the longer you hold onto yours, the lower the price could be. With that in mind, if you’re leaning toward selling to the trade, sooner is usually better.

What is the Best Time to Sell a Static Caravan or Lodge?

Statics and lodges follow a slightly different rhythm. Most holiday parks slowly renew and upgrade stock in the off-season, typically autumn into winter. That’s when site managers are preparing for the following spring’s influx of holidaymakers.

So if you’re selling direct to another holidaymaker, spring and early summer will be your sweet spot, when buyers are desperate to secure their new holiday home. That’s often when you’ll get the best price.

But if you’re selling to a trader, timing is a lot less critical. A buyer who deals in statics can hold your lodge until demand picks up again. In this case, selling early still has the benefit of avoiding another year of depreciation – not to mention another year of site fees. And of course, selling to a trusted trader means you won’t have to deal with the selling process of advertising, haggling, showing people around, or answering endless questions.

What is the Best Time to Sell a Motorhome or Campervan?

The market for motorhomes and campervans is usually at its hottest just before and during spring, leading into peak holiday season. Typically, March through June is when private buyers are imagining road trips, festivals, and family adventures. A clean motorhome with a solid service history and tidy paperwork will almost always attract a higher price at this time of year.

The quieter months? Late autumn and winter, when most vans are tucked away in storage. If you sell privately during this time, you may need to reduce your asking price to tempt a buyer who isn’t in a rush.

For trade buyers, though, the pattern is similar to caravans: they’ll happily buy in November or December, knowing they can retail the van at a stronger price come spring. That means your offer from a trader in November might not be much different to one in April – but again, the longer you wait, the more depreciation is going to chip away at your resale value (especially when new number plates are issued in September).

Why Selling to a Trader Can Make Sense Year-Round

If all this makes you think “maybe I should just wait until spring,” that’s not unusual. On paper, with a purely financial head on, waiting for peak demand can mean a slightly higher price when selling privately.

But, this is one of those areas that's a bit of a double-edged sword. Why? Well:

• Depreciation never sleeps – the longer you keep hold of your caravan or motorhome, the less it’s worth.
• Running costs add up – storage, site fees, maintenance, and insurance don’t pause while you wait.
• Selling hassle is real – advertising, answering endless Facebook messages from time wasters, and hoping a serious (and trustworthy) buyer turns up.
• Cash in the bank sooner – traders will quote quickly, view almost immediately, and pay the same day. The best ones can even settle finance directly and pass the balance to you – saving you a lot of calling around.
• Peace of mind – the selling process is quick, simple, and avoids the uncertainty of waiting for potential buyers to commit. Plus, you never have that nagging feeling that someone's going to change their mind and come back to demand their money back!

For most people, the guarantee of a quick sale and money in the bank today beats holding out in the hope of a few hundred pounds when the sun is back.

What's the Best Time of Year to Sell a Caravan? A Summary

So, in a nutshell – if you’re selling privately, the best time to sell is just before the leisure season starts – usually February through until April. That’s when buyers are excited and motivated, and you stand the best chance of a quick sale at a slightly higher price.

If you’re selling to a trader, the best time to sell is usually right now. Trade buyers don’t follow the seasonal curve in the same way that individuals do, and you've got the bonus of selling sooner helping you avoid further depreciation and ongoing costs.

At the end of the day, it comes down to your priorities: are you happy to hold out and try your luck privately, or do you want a fast, hassle-free sale? There's no right or wrong – but if it’s the latter, that’s where we can help. At We Buy Every Caravan, our UK-wide network of traders buys caravans and motorhomes year-round, making the selling process simple, fast, and stress-free.