Amongst the haul of status symbol purchases – from Le Creuset cookware to a robot lawnmower and a luxury Jaguar SUV – listed during Peter Murrell’s recent embezzlement trial at Edinburgh High Court, there was one that trumped all others.
The most expensive item bought with SNP money by Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband – and listed on more than 100 pages shared by The Crown Office – was a German-made Niesmann+Bischoff ismove motorhome, with a £124,550 price tag.
Images of the black-and-white luxury vehicle, which was parked on Murrell’s mother’s driveway in Dunfermline – and had clocked up just four miles after being bought at a dealership in Stafford – showed the motorhome in pristine condition.
The high-spec German-made model boasts an opulent interior, including a fully-functioning kitchen, bathroom suite with a ceramic loo and full-size shower – and, in the one purchased by Murrell, a host of Molton Brown products.
Photos released by the Crown Office of the luxury German motorhome, a Niesmann+Bischoff ismove, bought by Nicola Sturgeon’s ex husband using SNP funds
Peter Murrell, who’ll be sentenced later this month following his embezzlement charge splashed out £124,550 on the luxury motorhome – but apparently never used it, with just four miles on the vehicle’s clock
According to the Niesmann+Bischoff website, the vehicle also has a super king-size bed and a roomy garage area for storage.
Earlier this year, online platform Gumtree revealed that sales of motorhomes, and more compact campervans, in the UK have soared by more than 133 per cent, with uncertainty in the Middle East and fluctuating fuel costs said to be sparking the boom.
While the UK is a long way behind the US when it comes to our devotion to holiday homes on wheels – the RV (recreational vehicle) market across the Pond is worth around £20billion – we are increasingly switching on to holidays that put us in the driving seat, literally.
Daniel Attwood, editor of MMM, The Motorhomers’ Magazine, says sales of new campervans and motorhomes have risen dramatically in the last 30 years – there were 16,666 sold last year, compared to just under 5,000 in 2000.
The swish interior of the £124,550 motorhome, which comes with a convertible super king-size bed. Right: An image of the vehicle’s bathroom, with Molton Brown bathroom products in it
Caravan sales meanwhile have ‘fallen off a cliff’, says Attwood, dropping from annual sales of 34,000 in 2006/2007 to around just 7,300 last year.
Innovations within the motorhome industry are coming thick and fast he explains, and wooing a whole new audience – who don’t fancy the stress of towing a caravan when they can have a fully integrated vehicle.
On a practical level, many motorhomes now have mini washing machines, solar panels that negate the need for an electric hook-up and toilets that can go for up to around five days before they have to be emptied. Beds that descend from the ceiling can be summoned with just the push of a button and interior fabrics are ever more luxurious.
How much can you expect to spend at the top end of the market?
It depends largely on whether you’re going for a coach-built model – where the living areas are dropped onto the bare chassis of a commercial van or truck, or an A Class, where the whole vehicle is constructed as one unit, giving it a more exclusive feel.
Swish: The interior of a modern motorhome – technology and design have transformed the humble vehicle into a luxury holiday proposition
Attwood says: ‘You’re looking at around about £50,000 for an entry level campervan or large motorhome.
‘To get a decent motorhome, it’s more like £80,000 and then at £100,000 and over, you start getting into the luxury end. From there, the sky’s the limit. There are two and three million pound homes out there.’
Rob Ganley, Editor-in-Chief at Camping & Caravanning, the monthly magazine of The Camping and Caravanning Club, says vehicles have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years – as campers’ appetites for a genuine ‘home from home’ have grown.
‘Modern vehicles are packed with all your creature comforts such as fully-equipped kitchens, luxurious fixed beds, modern bathrooms and showers, plus technology such as solar panels.
‘You can even be out for the day and, when heading back to the campsite, you can switch on the heating using an app on your smartphone to ensure it’s nice and warm for your arrival. Some come with air-con units to keep you cool on a warm day.
Dig deep: The most expensive motorhomes you can buy in the UK
Morelo Grand Empire
Price: Between £600,000 to £850,000
Spec: Featuring a mobile garage that fits a smaller car inside it plus a digital control centre, freezer, dishwasher, rain shower and underfloor heating, the German built Morelo Grand Empire – which has a Mercedes Actros chassis – does a good impression of an A-lister’s tour bus.
Niesmann+Bischoff Flair
Price: From £204,700 to £339,000 for the highest spec models
Spec: This super-premium A-class has cab seats that swivel into additional seating, a TV with surround sound, induction and gas hob, leather seating and the kind of plush layout you might expect in a designer flat.
Concorde Centurion
More expensive than many UK homes, the German-made Concorde Centurion includes leather upholstery, a spa-style shower and solar panels to allow campers to go off-grid
Price: From £400,000 to £600,000
Spec: Another German model, this ‘land yacht’ allows owners to go off grid thanks to a sizeable lithium battery, integrated solar panels and substantial water tanks. Inside? There’s leather upholstery, stone-style worktops and an impressive spa-style shower.
‘Low wattage portable ice makers and air fryers are also increasingly popular with campers, while more people than ever are using projectors in their awnings, bringing a cinema experience to the campsite.’
What’s the reality of owning a motorhome when it comes to costs though? Expert Matt Sims, who hosts the Motorhome Matt podcast and has owned 22 motorhomes of his own, says it’s a fabulous – but increasingly expensive – way to holiday.
Podcaster Matt Sims, aka ‘Motorhome Matt’, has owned more than 22 motorhomes and says it’s not a cheap pursuit – but that there’s plenty of fun to be had
He tells the Daily Mail: ‘Motorhoming is not a cheap pastime – that’s a given. There are low-cost ways of doing it; we’re seeing a massive boom in people converting their own van.
‘The reality is, if you own a £120,000 motorhome, you are probably going to spend £1,000 a year having it serviced – the chassis plus the living area, which we call a habitation check – you need to do that to maintain the warranty.’
Road tax is cheap though – from as little as around £171 a year, says Sims, but there are other expenses that need to be factored in.
‘If you can’t park it at home, you might have to put it into a storage site, which is going to cost around £700 a year.
‘And then it costs around two or three thousand pounds a year to insure it, to maintain it and to road tax it, which has to be budgeted for.’
And the country’s poshest campsites, which have all the mod cons holidaymakers with such an expensive vehicle might need – or just want – can also end up over the £100-a-night mark.
How to have all the fun of the fair without the costs? Easy. Rent someone else’s.
Goboony, dubbed the ‘Airbnb of campervans’, lets you borrow a motorhome or campervan for a weekend, with more than 25,000 on the books across eight countries.
Jake Stone, Head of Fleet for the brand, says: ‘Rental offers many of the same benefits as ownership, without the upfront costs, maintenance, insurance and storage considerations that come with buying. We’re seeing more people use rental as a stepping stone into the lifestyle.’
The average Goboony trip costs around £92 a night – with campsite fees and fuel on top – so could borrowing someone else’s flashy motorhome be the answer?
Says Stone: ‘A Goboony booking often compares favourably with the combined cost of flights, accommodation and car hire for a family trip.
‘It allows people to experience the freedom, spontaneity and connection to nature that make motorhome travel so appealing, while ensuring they’re making a fully informed decision before purchasing a vehicle of their own.’
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