Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards 2024: Best Campervan

Priced from £83,755 (incl. VAT and OTR) Fuel economy 34.9mpg C02 emissions 212 g/km Power 234bhp Torque 369lb ft

This is the third year in a row that the Mercedes V-Class Marco Polo has taken top honours in the campervan class, and you might think this is down to a shortage of competition. 

You’d be wrong, though, because there are a surprising amount of rivals vying for the hard-earned cash of would-be staycationers. There’s the Volkswagen California and Grand California, the Ford Transit Nugget, the Toyota Proace Matino, plus manufacturer-approved conversions of the Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro: all will try and tempt you away from the Marco Polo. However, if you simply want the best campervan there is, all will fail.

Now, we appreciate, it’s an expensive choice, made even more expensive by the fact that the entry-level 161bhp diesel engine has been dropped since last year’s Awards, leaving the pricier 234bhp version as the only option. However, it’s a smoother, quieter engine than those in any of its rivals, and when combined with the Marco Polo’s impressive suppression of wind and road noise, it all means your journey to your campsite of choice will be civilised and sophisticated. It’ll also be comfortable, because the V-Class has the most forgiving ride of any of its campervan compatriots.

And once you get to where you’re going, you’ll be living a life of comparative luxury. While rivals have interior materials and finishes that echo their commercial-vehicle roots, the V-Class feels almost as posh as any other big Mercedes. So sophisticated are your surroundings, in fact, that you might even be fooled into thinking that you’d decided to stay in some bijou boutique hotel instead.

The two chairs up front swivel around and face the two-seat rear bench to form a spacious and comfortable living area, and the Marco Polo has as many mod cons as your average Airbnb, too, with a fridge, two-burner gas hob and sink. And when it’s time to turn in, the rear bench tumbles down easily to form one double bed, while the roof raises electrically to reveal another. So, the Marco Polo is as brilliant at the destination as it is for the journey.

And while it’s already top of its class, an imminent facelift means the Marco Polo is soon to get even better, with a vastly upgraded widescreen infotainment system and even more luxury touches.

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