Used caravan and motorhome searches fell by more than a fifth this summer. Searches for family-size vans went the other way.
That’s the headline from the first ABU Used Demand Index, which tracks what UK buyers search for by brand, berth and layout. From June to August 2026, searches for used caravans for sale were down 23% on last summer, and used motorhomes down 22%. Over the same months, 6-berth caravan searches rose 55%, and 4-berth caravans and motorhomes rose 46%.
Here’s what this actually means. Fewer buyers are searching, they want more berths, and they are cooling on premium motorhomes. That should shape what you take in on part exchange and at auction this winter.
The Market: Fewer Buyers Searching
Caravans and motorhomes both lost about a fifth of their summer search demand. Campervans held level.
| Search | Jun to Aug 2026 | Jun to Aug 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used caravans for sale | 16,400 | 21,300 | -23% |
| Used motorhomes for sale | 18,900 | 24,300 | -22% |
| Used campervans for sale | 17,400 | 17,400 | 0% |
The 12 months to August tell the same story: used motorhome searches down 18%, used caravans down 14%, campervans down 3%. This is not one weak summer. Demand has been easing all year, and campervans are taking a bigger share of it.
Family Berths Are Growing Against the Market
Source: DataForSEO, UK Google search volumes, June to August 2026 vs 2025.
6-berth caravan searches rose 55% to 10,400 over the summer, and they are up 70% over 12 months. The only shrinking berth search is 2-berth caravans, while 2-berth motorhomes grew.
Premium Motorhomes Are Cooling Fastest
The sharpest falls are at the top of the motorhome market. Every premium search we track fell faster than used motorhomes overall (-22%).
| Search | Jun to Aug 2026 | Jun to Aug 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chausson motorhomes for sale | 910 | 2,030 | -55% |
| A-class motorhome for sale | 3,300 | 5,100 | -35% |
| Auto-Trail motorhomes for sale | 1,900 | 2,880 | -34% |
| Hymer motorhomes for sale | 5,900 | 7,700 | -23% |
Chausson fell hardest, losing more than half its searches. If you hold A-class or Chausson vans bought at last year’s prices, they are the motorhomes most at risk of ageing on the forecourt.
Campervans: Steady Demand, but Not for the California
Campervan searches held level this summer. Look closer, and searches for the VW California, the best-known campervan on the market, did not.
VW California for sale fell 37%, from 19,800 to 12,400 searches. Used VW California fell 41%, from 3,000 to 1,770. Over 12 months, California searches are down 31% while used campervan searches are down only 3%.
Buyers are still looking for campervans, just less often for the California.
Caravan Brands: Who Held Up
Source: DataForSEO, UK Google search volumes for “[brand] caravans for sale”, June to August 2026 vs 2025.
Six of nine caravan brands lost less search interest than the market. Adria, Hobby and Sprite lost more.
Layouts: Twin Axles Hold, Island Beds Slip
Twin-axle caravans held up far better than the caravan market as a whole. Island bed searches fell further.
| Search | Jun to Aug 2026 | Jun to Aug 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caravan with motor mover | 5,100 | 4,500 | +13% |
| Twin axle caravan for sale | 3,900 | 4,200 | -7% |
| Motorhome with garage for sale | 680 | 730 | -7% |
| Lightweight caravan for sale | 1,350 | 1,550 | -13% |
| Fixed bed caravan for sale | 3,600 | 4,500 | -20% |
| Island bed caravan | 1,370 | 1,900 | -28% |
Two cautions. Motor mover searches rose this summer but are down 51% over 12 months, so treat that rise as noise until it repeats. Lightweight caravans dipped this summer but are up 6% over the year, possibly a sign of buyers with EVs and smaller tow cars.
How the Index Works
The index compares UK Google search volumes for the same three months a year apart, so seasonality cancels out. This issue covers June to August 2026 against June to August 2025.
- Source: monthly UK Google search volumes from DataForSEO, which reports Google Ads keyword data. Pulled 20 October 2026.
- Search is not sales. It shows what buyers are looking for, usually weeks before they buy. Read it alongside registrations and your own enquiry data, not instead of them.
- Volumes are rounded. Google reports searches in bands, so small terms move in steps. We only report terms with at least a few hundred searches over the period.
- Brand terms are mixed. A search like “Swift caravans for sale” includes buyers looking at new stock as well as used.
Every issue lives on the Used Demand Index page.
What to Do About It
Used margin is made when you buy, not when you sell. The full issue sets out six buying-in moves for this winter: where to allow more on a part exchange, which units to price for a slower sale, and when a price cut beats waiting.
Subscribers get the full issue free. Sign up below and you’ll also get our Used Stock Ageing Tracker, a spreadsheet that flags which units on your forecourt have stopped making money. Already know which units are ageing? Our used stock margin calculator shows the day each one stops paying its way.
Look back at your part-exchange allowances since the summer. How many of them priced in the demand you see above?