The Caravan and Motorhome Club named the winners of its 32nd Caravan Design Awards at the NEC on 14 October. Twelve categories. 67 caravans assessed. Bailey, Swift and ADRIA took three wins each.

On the surface, it’s a trophy list. Look closer, and it’s a free sales tool landing just as winter buyers start building shortlists.

It’s also a tool that’s easy to oversell. Used well, it backs up what your sales team already says. Used badly, it’s a sticker that falls apart under one awkward question.

What the Club Actually Announced

The Club badges these awards by model year. So these are the 2027 awards, judged at the Motorhome and Caravan Show in October 2026.

An eight-strong panel did the judging: five journalists and influencers, plus three people from the Club’s own staff and committees. The Club says they spent over 1,000 combined hours on desktop reviews and hands-on inspections at the NEC.

They scored five things:

  • Comfort and layout
  • Storage, usability and payload
  • Kitchen and washroom design
  • Safety, electrics and security
  • Build quality and finish

Entries rose from 50 last year to 67 this year. That’s about a third more caravans chasing the same 12 trophies, which makes a win harder to earn than it was 12 months ago.

The Full Winners List

  • Any pop top caravan: Eriba Touring 420 Harbour Blue Edition with Comfort Package
  • Caravans 750kg to 1150kg: Barefoot Caravans Eclipse
  • Any caravan up to £26,000: Bailey Phoenix Black Edition 420
  • Any two-berth caravan: Coachman VIP 460
  • Conventional caravan, 3 or 4 berths: Bailey Unicorn Deluxe Madrid
  • Fixed double bed caravan, 3 or 4 berths: Swift Elegance Grande 860
  • Fixed single beds caravan, 3 or 4 berths: Swift Conqueror 565
  • Any caravan with 5 or 6 berths: ADRIA Adora Seine
  • Any 8ft wide caravan or wider: ADRIA Alpina Mississippi
  • Any family caravan: Bailey Unicorn Deluxe Cabrera
  • Any large family caravan: ADRIA Adora Seine
  • Any caravan over £47,000: Swift Elegance Grande 850

Repeat Winners and Missing Names

Three patterns stand out once you put this list next to the last two years.

1. Consistency Gets Rewarded

The Bailey Phoenix Black 420 wins the budget category for the second year running. The Unicorn Deluxe Madrid takes back the conventional crown it held in the 2025 awards. The Alpina Mississippi won a fixed bed class in 2025 and now takes the 8ft wide category.

For dealers, that’s a useful line: these aren’t one-year wonders.

2. Newer Ranges Arrived Fast

ADRIA’s rebuilt Adora generation took two categories with a single model, the Seine. Swift’s Conqueror, which only returned to the line-up for 2026, won the fixed single beds class.

And at the top end, the Swift Elegance Grande 850 beat the field over £47,000. Last year it finished second to the Coachman Lusso II, a range we covered when Coachman pushed further into premium.

3. Two Of Last Year’s Winners Have Left the Field

Elddis and Buccaneer won two categories last year, with the Crusader Shamal and the Starliner Aruba. This year they won none, and that’s no verdict on the product.

They had nothing new to enter. In March, Elddis announced it would stop building caravans at Consett and move its focus to motorhomes and campervans, built in Erwin Hymer Group plants in Germany and Poland. By June, Practical Caravan reported that Buccaneer and Xplore were being dropped altogether.

Elddis caravans are due back, built at EHG’s plant in Isny, Germany, with a public launch planned for the NEC in October 2027. Until then, there’s no new Elddis caravan to judge.

So the 2027 field is one UK caravan maker lighter. Entries still rose by a third, which tells you the remaining brands, and the importers, are fighting harder for the space Elddis has left.

One more detail worth a second look: the top price band rose from £45,000 to £47,000. The budget band stayed at £26,000. Premium prices are still climbing faster than entry-level ones.

What This Means for UK Caravan Dealers

An award only earns money if a buyer sees it at the right moment. Here’s what to do this month.

Badge winning stock now. Add the award to stock listings, forecourt boards and social posts. Name the exact category, such as “Best Family Caravan, Caravan Design Awards 2027”. That wording matches how buyers search, and a vague “award winner” badge tells them nothing.

Match the badge to the model. The award belongs to the variant that was judged. Don’t stretch the Unicorn Deluxe Cabrera’s win across the whole Unicorn range or onto a different layout. A buyer who spots that trusts the rest of your listing less.

Brief the sales team on the honest version. Which category, what the judges scored, and how many rivals it beat. Some categories are thin: last year two caravans contested the lightweight class and three contested the top price band. Your team should know that before a buyer reads it on a forum.

If you sell Elddis or Buccaneer, get ahead of the questions. Owners and used buyers will ask about warranty, parts and resale. Elddis says Consett stays open for service, warranty and after-sales support. Put that answer on your website and in your team’s script before a buyer goes looking for it on a forum.

Win the Buccaneer buyer. Buccaneer sold to buyers who wanted a premium, wide-bodied tourer. They still do. This year’s 8ft wide and over £47,000 winners are the obvious shortlist, and the dealer who calls those owners first gets the conversation.

Use the judging criteria even if your brands didn’t win. Payload, locker access, washroom layout and power management are the judges’ checklist. They’re also the buyer’s checklist. Build them into your walkround and handover.

Ask your manufacturer rep for the award artwork. Get the official logo and any usage rules before you design your own.

What This Means for Caravan Buyers

The Club says it has over a million members, and these results go out through its channels as buyers plan their next purchase.

For a buyer, the awards are a decent shortlist filter. Judges spent real time inside each caravan, which few buyers can do across 67 models.

But a win is specific. It says one layout beat its rivals in one category. It doesn’t say the whole range is the best buy for every family, every tow car or every budget.

The Signal for 2027

Three manufacturers shared nine of 12 categories. One UK caravan maker has stepped back, blaming falling caravan registrations. Yet more caravans entered than last year. The judges rewarded build quality and practical layouts over gimmicks.

The signal is clear: the mid-market and premium fight is now won on finish, payload and layout detail, and buyers have more independent evidence than ever before they set foot on your forecourt.

So walk your stock this week. Find the winners and badge them by name. If you don’t stock any, take the judges’ five criteria and make sure your team can sell against every one of them.