Compact caravans can be an attractive choice for anyone who is looking for easier manoeuvring, without having to compromise on having showers, kitchens, lounges and, well, luxury. With an increasing amount of choice on the market, we’re here to help you find the best small caravan for your needs.
Whether it’s from having a small tow car or limited storage, right now there’s a whole host of cool and tiny caravans for you to choose from – and these little numbers could probably even fit in your drive.
At the Practical Caravan Awards 2025 have picked out the best small caravans on the market for the 2025 season, as well as sharing our favourite options from recent years, which you can look out for on the used market.
This year, we picked out the Mini Capsule R as the standout small caravan on the market – we loved the style it offered, as well as the brightness of its interior. You can see what we made of it below, as well as our other top picks for this type of caravan from recent years, featuring models from some of the best caravan manufacturers, such as Swift, Eriba, and more.
The best small caravans
Shortlisted at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025
Mini Capsule R
Xplore XC Lite
Swift Sprite Compact Exclusive
Our top picks from recent years
Campmaster Duo
Swift Basecamp 2
Eriba Triton 420
T@B L400 TD
Knaus Sport & Fun
Campmaster King
Barefoot
The best small caravan
Mini Capsule R
- Price: £16,995
- MTPLM: 750kg
- MiRO: 650kg
- Payload: 100kg
- Shipping length: 3.8m
- Width: 1.98m
Reason to buy:
- A bright, stylish little caravan at a great price.
Reason to avoid:
- Not for those who want a luxurious washroom
Best small caravan at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025
We love this new little arrival from Turkey, which is currently being sold in the UK by the Leeds Caravan Centre. In fact, this is the second category the compact caravan has won at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025, as it also took our caravan innovation award.
Often when it comes to caravans, small tends to mean basic. Not so with this caravan, which comes with bright external colours and an interior complete with natural wood and basket weave lockers doors. For a small caravan, its front lounge is surprisingly comfortable. It’s a monocoque, too, which makes its £16,995 price tag all the more impressive. (That’s a good £5,000 or so less than the cheapest conventional British caravan when it’s new, and it won’t be monocoque.)
OK, so the corner washroom is a bit basic, but if you are likely to spend most of your time staying on caravan parks, you’ll overlook this – especially when you see that, with an MTPLM of just 750kg, it can be towed by pretty much anything.
Full review: Mini Capsule R
Xplore XC Lite
- Price: £21,999
- MTPLM: 1150kg
- MIRO: 995kg
- Payload: 135kg
- Shipping length: 5.54m
- Width: 2.18m
Reason to buy:
- Tried and tested layout from a big name.
Reason to avoid:
- Not for you if you expect carpets as standard
Highly commended at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025
This caravan might have a fancy new name, but it should look familiar because it is the same layout as the old Xplore 340, which has been part of the Xplore range for many years now, and with good reason.
The winner of the best budget caravan this year has a versatile layout that can work both for a couple and for a family with two children, thanks to a side dinette that converts into bunks, but it’s still only 5.54m long overall.
For the 2025 season, Erwin Hymer UK has completely redesigned the Xplore range to appeal to a more adventurous, possibly younger customer. That explains the minimalist styling, with pale wood locker doors, grey upholstery and scatter cushions that mimic the topographical design on the outside. Perhaps the biggest change is that carpets are now only an option. You might not miss them with these easy-to-clean floor tiles. All in all, this is a popular model revamped for a modern age.
Swift Sprite Compact Exclusive
- Price: £23,745
- MTPLM: 1109kg
- MiRO: 995kg
- Payload: 114kg
- Shipping length: 5.37m
- Width: 2.03m
Reason to buy:
- A great choice if space or your car’s towing ability is limited, yet with good spec too
Reason to avoid:
- It’s not the roomiest of interiors
Highly commended at the Practical Caravan Awards 2025
Like the Xplore 340 (now the XC Lite), the Sprite Compact has always been a popular little van, and a useful little addition for those who because of the size of their tow car or because of space can’t actually stretch to a fully blown Sprite.
This year, along with the rest of the models in the Sprite range, the Compact has been given an upgrade in the form of the Sprite Exclusive Edition. This gives you a whole range of extras as standard, including alloy wheels ATC, a 120W solar panel, an exterior BBQ point and mains socket, a wireless charging pad, exclusive fabrics, and much more.
All that means that this compact caravan looks far more top spec than you might think in a vehicle that is only 5.37m long.
Campmaster Duo
- Year: 2024
- Berths: 2
- MTPLM: 750kg
- MIRO: 615kg
- Payload: 135kg
- Shipping length: 4.60m
- Width: 2.00m
Reason to buy:
- A large fixed bed in a lightweight caravan
Reason to avoid:
- It’s very basic
If you are willing to sacrifice a proper washroom to get yourself a tiny caravan that shouldn’t make you trade up your car and which you could possibly store on your drive, then the Duo is the van for you. The cost shouldn’t hurt you either – this tourer has a great price. However, you might want to pay another £1,300 to the the GLX version with a few more creature comforts.
Inside here you still get a huge bed and plenty of storage, full LED lighting and a fairly basic kitchen.
Once you are on site you can set up the Isabella awning that has been specially designed to fit this caravan, so you shouldn’t have any compatibility issues to worry about either.
Full review: Campmaster Duo
Swift Basecamp 2
- Berths: 2
- Exterior length: 5.10m
- Interior length: 3.42m
- Internal headroom: 1.95m
- Width: 2.28m
- MiRO: 932kg
- MTPLM: 1043kg
When a major UK manufacturer enters the small caravan market, people immediately sit up and take notice.
Swift’s Basecamp brought stylish and comfortable caravanning to the masses back in 2016. It combines compact proportions for easy towing with a handsome profile and some groovy graphics, to make touring more appealing to those who find the traditional ‘white box’ a bit too bland.
Basecamp is ideal for anyone who loves the great outdoors, but demands a certain level of luxury and comfort – that is, not a tent.
It comes fitted with a shower room and toilet, a kitchen with a three-burner gas hob, a Duplex Thetford oven and a fridge, along with a comfortable lounge area that turns into a large double bed.
I’ve toured extensively in the Basecamp, and can confirm it’s very easy to tow and manoeuvre – and it attracts admiring glances wherever it goes. Impressively, it features full-scale headroom (1.95m) and a large rear door, making it easy to transport a bike or paddle board inside (and it has fold-up sofas and tie-down loops in the floor).
Basecamp comes in other versions too, including the Swift Basecamp 3, the Swift Basecamp 6 and a 4-berth too – it’s a miracle of modern packing and that’s before you attach the Vango awning that more than doubles your living space.
Eriba Triton 420
- Berths: 2
- Exterior length: 5.28m
- Interior length: 4.16m
- Internal headroom: 1.95m (with roof extended)
- Width: 2.00m
- MiRO: 855kg
- MTPLM: 1000-1300kg (depending on spec)
The Eriba has earned design-classic status and as such, these tourers hold their price very well. Inside, they have a traditional caravan layout, but with all of the facilities squeezed into the model’s compact and easily towable dimensions.
Like Basecamp, the Triton 420 will attract admiring (probably even envious) looks from passers-by, and it delivers plenty of home comforts. These include a surprisingly huge bed (bigger than a UK king-size), 3500W gas heating, a compact shower room and toilet combo, a well-planned kitchen with storage, a fridge and a two-burner hob, and even fresh-water tanks.
To achieve the full internal height of 1.95m, the pop-up roof has to be popped and I must admit, at 6′ 2″, I do find the interior a little claustrophobic. However, for anyone up to 6ft tall, this caravan’s a little gem.
The cosy lounge/bedroom benefits from three large windows, and is the ideal space for two to chill out on the long sofas or the oversized make-up bed.
The 420 is available in silver or white, and is one of those designs that will never date – in fact, it probably gets cooler with age.
T@B L400 TD
- Berths: 2-4
- Exterior length: 5.97m
- Internal headroom: 1.98m max
- Width: 2.25m
- MiRO: 982kg
- MTPLM: 1200kg
This classic German teardrop tourer combines superb build quality with a clever interior.
The aerodynamic shape should help to minimise fuel consumption, while the interior delivers everything the caravanner needs: a compact kitchenette on the sidewall, with a shower room/toilet opposite, next to the wardrobe There’s a dining area at one end and a sizeable double bed at the other. The sloping roof dictates that the shorter inhabitant sleeps on the wall side of the fixed bed. The dining area makes up into a second bed for one adult or two smaller children.
I like the idea of turning the front dinette into a huge, flat chill-out area with throws and cushions.
T@Bs are well built and have a 10-year body water-ingress warranty. This makes them another of the desirable Continentals that will hold their price – but perhaps steer clear of the louder graphics, which might not age as well. The L400 TD is available in a basic form, or you could go for this eye-catching Mexican Sunset version. Personally, I prefer the graphite and silver Metropolis.
The kitchen offers good worktop, a stylish three-burner hob and a circular sink. There are lots of storage options, too.
The dining area is illuminated by a large front window and two porthole side windows.
Knaus Sport & Fun
- Berths: Up to 4
- Exterior length: 6.25m
- Interior length: 4.80m
- Internal headroom: 2.57m
- Width: 2.32m
- MiRO: 1156kg
- MTPLM: 1400kg
It doesn’t get much smarter than Germany’s coolest tiny tourer, the Knaus Sport & Fun. This unusual caravan has three large doors: the rear and side doors provide entry to the interior, while the sizeable third door gives access to the huge ‘garage’ positioned under the raised double bed. The strong glass fibre body has a 10-year water-ingress warranty and houses a kitchen with a three-burner gas hob and a 142-litre fridge, while in the washroom, there’s a shower, handbasin and Dometic swivel cassette toilet.
Heating comes courtesy of the excellent Truma S 3004 heating system, while the Sport & Fun is also fitted with a generous 45-litre fresh-water tank.
This cleverly designed tourer has a separate lounge and bed, with daytime relaxation courtesy of an L-shaped sofa.
Some might find the Continental style interior a little unusual – like many such models, it’s really intended for Europe’s warmer climes, where you’re outside almost all the time. However, I’ve stayed in a Knaus in Yorkshire in March, and I can guarantee it’s a very usable layout if you’re looking for a compact caravan for couples.
See our review of the Knaus Sport&Fun Black Selection from 2023.
Campmaster King
- Berths: 2
- Exterior length: 4.80m
- Interior length: 3.60m
- Internal headroom: 2.45m
- Width: 2.04m
- MiRO: 690kg
- MTPLM: 750kg
These Portuguese-built vans feel extremely well made and solid. Despite their diminutive proportions, they have many of the facilities that much bigger tourers offer.
They come with a shower room/toilet, a great kitchen and even underfloor heating.
The end kitchen has a Dometic two-burner gas hob that’s integral to the sink, so cleaning is simple. There’s also a sizeable fridge and lots of storage in cupboards and lockers.
The high-quality body construction includes thick insulating foam, making the Campmaster King a real all-year tourer, ideal for those who love caravanning in winter.
The devils’ in the detail, too: the King offers a trio of three-pin plug points and two USB sockets, double-glazed windows and a swivel toilet. Elsewhere, the bed can be used as a large double or two singles. Altogether, this is a highly impressive compact package, and at a very competitive price, too.
Full review: Campmaster King
Barefoot
- Berths: 2
- Exterior length: 5.08m
- Interior length: 3.56m
- Width: 1.92m
- MiRO: 960kg
- MTPLM: 1200kg
All small caravans are, of course, adorable, but Barefoot has to be the queen of cute.
The aerodynamic, egg-shaped body is formed in one piece from GRP, so there are no panel joints to leak. This body sits on a strong galvanised steel chassis and although it looks compact, there’s a hell of a lot of retro cool design squeezed inside.
As well as a lounge area that makes up into a sizeable double bed, there’s a compact kitchen, storage cupboards and lockers, and a separate shower/toilet combo neatly tucked behind a tambour sliding door. All of this practicality is also delivered in what might be described as a ‘retro-aspirational’ way.
Barefoot is light to tow and has good road manners, and because it comes in various delightful pastel shades, we reckon they’ll have more demand than supply, so should almost certainly hold their value well.
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