Where will it live? It is one of the first practical questions of campervan ownership, and one a lot of buyers only think about after they have fallen for a van. Where and how you store it affects your insurance, your security, and how well the van survives the winter.
There is no single right answer, only the one that fits your space and how often you use the van. Here are the realistic options, and how to keep whichever you choose secure.
At home: driveway or on the street
Keeping the van at home is the cheapest and most convenient option if you have the room. A driveway off the road beats parking on the street: it is easier to keep an eye on, simpler to fit security to, and insurers usually prefer it. Check for height and length, low branches, and whether the van will block light or annoy the neighbours. On-street parking is legal for most vans under 3.5 tonnes, but it leaves the van exposed, can clash with local parking rules, and tends to push your insurance up. Some streets restrict larger vehicles overnight, so check before you commit.
Specialist storage sites and the CaSSOA grades
If home storage is not an option, a dedicated storage site is the usual answer. The body to know is CaSSOA, the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association, which grades sites by security. Bronze is the entry level and covers the basics like a secure perimeter and lockable gates. Silver adds measures such as CCTV and monitored entry and exit. Gold and Platinum offer the highest security. Sites are surveyed regularly to keep their grade, so the badge means something.
The benefit is not only peace of mind. Insurers reward it, and a van kept at a CaSSOA Gold or Platinum site is usually cheaper to insure than the same van left on the street nearby, with Silver earning a smaller discount. If you are going to pay for storage anyway, a higher-graded site can partly pay for itself through cheaper cover.
Security devices worth having
Wherever the van lives, physical security helps, and it is worth fitting what your insurer recognises. That usually means a Thatcham-approved tracker (often Category S5 or S7), a Thatcham-rated alarm and immobiliser, and Sold Secure rated wheel clamps and steering or hitch locks. Sold Secure grades these bronze, silver and gold, and the toughest wheel locks earn a diamond rating.
Many insurers ask what security you have and price the policy accordingly, and some require a tracker or a wheel clamp on higher-value vans. A wheel clamp on show is also a strong deterrent in its own right. Read your policy wording closely, because fitting exactly what your insurer specifies is the difference between a valid claim and a rejected one. Our guide to campervan insurance covers what cover to expect and what insurers ask for.
Access and how often you will use it
Security is not the only thing that matters; so is how easily you can get to the van. A storage site might be cheaper and safer, but if it is half an hour away and only open during set hours, you will use the van less than you expect, and a spontaneous weekend away turns into a chore. If you are out most weekends, convenience usually beats a small gain in security. If the van mainly sleeps through winter and comes out for planned trips, a slightly awkward but secure site is the better call.
Tell your insurer where it is really kept
Wherever the van lives, your insurer needs to know. Where you keep it overnight is one of the biggest factors in your premium, and getting it wrong, even by accident, can leave a claim unpaid. If you say it lives on a secure driveway or a graded storage site, it has to actually be there overnight. Keep the paperwork if you use a CaSSOA site, because insurers often ask for proof before they apply the discount.
Keeping it healthy over winter
Storage is not only about security. A van that sits unused for months needs looking after, and damp is the main enemy. Use a breathable cover rather than a plastic sheet that traps moisture, leave the vents cracked open, and put a few moisture absorbers inside. Keep the leisure battery charged with a solar panel or a trickle charger, keep the tyres at the right pressure to avoid flat spots, and drain the water system before a hard frost. A van stored well comes back to life in spring; one left damp and flat does not.
Match storage to how you use the van
If you are out most weekends, you want the van close and easy to reach, which usually means home or a nearby site. If it is a summer-only van, a secure storage site over winter can make sense and may cut your insurance at the same time. Either way, factor storage into the running costs before you buy, because it is an ongoing cost that is easy to forget when you are staring at the van itself.
If storing a van all year sounds like more hassle than it is worth, remember you can always hire a campervan for trips instead of owning one. Sorted out where it will live? Then have a look through the campervans for sale and find the van to fill the space.
