The results in full

It’s time to anounce all of the findings of our survey! First we reveal who scored best in our new-caravan category, followed closely by the winners in pre-owned vans

IT’S A REPEAT of 2020’s win for Adria in the New Caravans category. There’s no more satisfying van to own, according to our survey respondents.

This year’s score of 89.5% beats 2020’s 88.1%.

Adria doesn’t have things all its own way, though. Last time’s runner-up and 2019’s winner, Coachman, keeps the Slovenian brand on its toes, scoring 87.9%. That improves on Coachman’s score of 84.3% from 2020, and narrows the gap between first and second place.

With this year’s new, tougher requirement for a Gold Award, only Adria and Coachman reach the standard for 2022.

The supporting cast of Silver Award winners is led by Swift, with 82.8%, edging out rivals Bailey on 81.8%. The Erwin Hymer Group UK (Elddis, Compass, Xplore and Buccaneer) has a 79.7% satisfaction rating.

That gives five award winners, one fewer than in 2020. However, the scores for most manufacturers are higher than last time around, which suggests a gentle uplift in the standards. Some manufacturers also score highly, but fail to meet the minimum response.

A number of those coming in with a small sample size are the well-respected Continental brands. Some persistently score highly every year, but struggle to reach enough responses for inclusion in the main survey. This is a sign, however, of how home-grown caravans dominate sales in the UK market, rather than weakness from the best European caravan makers.

New Caravan Dealers

The best caravan manufacturer is only as good as its dealership network. Owners rarely have direct contact with the firm that built their caravan, but they may spend hours with the dealer who sells it to them.

From the first enquiry, through doing the deal, to the handover and any servicing or warranty work, the best dealers take care of their customers every step of the way.

If anything, choosing the right dealership is even more important than picking the right brand of caravan.

Our results show that most owners are content with their choice of caravan, but there’s a much wider range of scores for dealers. Some have happy customers, others disappoint as often as they please.

You’re unlikely to be wearing a frown if you buy from Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury, which leaps to first from eighth place in 2020. A 91% satisfaction rating easily achieves the Gold Award standard, leaving clear daylight between Salop Leisure and the best of the rest.

That honour goes to Ropers Leisure, in Catterick. Its score of 87.5% earns a Gold Award, a step up from the third position that it achieved in 2020.

This year, third spot goes to Lady Bailey Caravans in Dorset, with a Gold Award-winning score of 87.3%.

The next-best dealers are only just behind. Last year’s winner, Winchester Caravans, may have dropped down the league table, but still picks up a Gold Award with a satisfaction rating of 87.2%.

This year’s Silver Award winners are Broad Lane Leisure, in the Midlands, with 81.1%; Newport Caravans (80.7%); Swindon Caravans (80.2%); Raymond James, Warwickshire (75.4%); and Chipping Sodbury Caravans (74.9%).

Nine dealerships pick up an award this year, down from 12 in 2020. However, there are also some strong scores from dealers narrowly missing out on the minimum sample size, so we wouldn’t read too much into this decrease.

‘Scores for most manufacturers are higher than last time around, which suggests a gentle uplift in the standards’