How Much Does A Professional Camper Van Conversion Cost?

So you are looking into van life and wondering how much does a professional camper van conversion cost? Well, the honest answer is, A LOT, and it can really differ in price quite a bit.

It depends on the type of van build you are looking for, plus which company you choose to professionally convert your van. But if you are just here looking for a quick answer, I’d say the cost of a professional camper van conversion on average costs between $30,000 and $80,000 just for the conversion itself (not including the van).

But at the extremes, some high-end companies can exceed $150,000, and some super-budget conversions can be as low as $5,000.

If you want a top-of-the-line build-out with the best appliances, real wood, & all the amenities, etc then the build will cost closer to $50,000-$100,000. If you are looking for a more modest conversion, it usually costs around $15,000-$30,000.

That is why a DIY build becomes the best option if your budget is much lower than this. For example, Jake and I spent around $17,500 (including the van) on our camper van conversion. But we both had a mix of skills and time to build out our own camper van, which many people might not have.

So let’s break it down and see how much it costs for a professional camper van conversion? 

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What Kind Of Van For Your Professional Conversion?

First, you will need to decide what type of van you want to be built out. 

There are many things to consider when choosing the right van for a camper van conversion. Such as high roof vs low roof, used van vs new van, are you using it full time or part time, do you need a 4×4/AWD or 2wd, is it for solo travel or the whole family, do you plan to rent out your campervan, etc. 

Many professional camper van conversion companies only convert newer makes and models. Which typically consists of the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, and Ram Promaster. 

It’s actually quite difficult to find someone to convert an older van these days. I assume this is due to the companies already having the measurements they need for building out the newer makes and models.

Restricting their conversions to just a few models helps keep it simple for their employees and keep the costs down.

Older vans typically have low roofs and more curves, which makes them less comfortable and spacious for conversions. And of course, newer vans will tend to run longer, so many companies don’t want to do an elaborate custom build in a van that only has 50,000 miles of life left on it. 

Just to get a good idea of the starting price of a new 2022 cargo van such as the Mercedes Sprinters, Ford Transits, and Ram Promasters, the price starts at around $40,000. This is the price for a base model, low roof, no windows, or fancy features. Therefore, I would say you can expect to pay over that price for the van itself. 

You might also be able to find a used campervan that already has some miles on it to cut the price down.

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Do You Need To Provide Your Own Van?

Something to consider is whether or not you need to provide your own van. From my research, the majority of professional van conversion companies require that you provide them with a van to convert. And as I will discuss later, most companies have a short list of vans that they will convert.

So if you don’t already own a van, finding a suitable van to purchase is going to be the first step of the process. Make sure the company you choose is able to convert the specific van that you buy. Some companies are willing to assist you in the buying process.

There are some companies where you can buy the van from them, but it’s much more rare.

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How Much Does A Professional Camper Van Conversion Cost?

For this post, I researched a few different camper van conversion companies to provide an average price of a professional camper van conversion cost. 

• Dave & Matt Vans
• Vanlife Customs
• Contravans
• Wayfarer Vans 
• Muse & Co Outdoors

Dave & Matt Vans

Dave & Matt Vans is a local (to us) professional camper van builder in Gypsum, CO. Their motto is to make vanlife accessible to everyone. They create vans that are modest but also very practical.

They don’t come with all the extra bells and whistles, but they are also very beautifully done. Their basic model in their smallest van starts around $79,500 (including the van).

Therefore the cost of the van conversion + labor (not including the van) is around $35,000. Their build out designs are basic, but beautiful and practical. You can also add on extras to make the campervan as luxurious as you want, but the price will obviously increase. 

Vanlife Customs

Vanlife Customs has an awesome feature where it will walk you through an estimate of what a van conversion would cost through their company without having to contact anyone. 

But with choosing the basic essentials for a professional camper van conversion through Vanlife customs, my estimate was around $67,000 (not including the van). Their website does say builds start around $85,000, therefore that price probably doesn’t include labor. 

So this is a bit higher priced professional camper van conversion. But I’d claim their builds are a bit more on the luxury side and will include the extra bells and whistles if that is what you prefer. From heaters, air conditioners, window flares, off-road mods and more. 

Contravans

Contravans is one of the best professional camper van conversion companies if you are looking to have a van other than a Mercedes Sprinter (i.e. a Ford Transit or Ram Promaster conversion). They actually build out all different makes and models of camper vans. You can also provide your own camper van to them, and they will build it out for you. 

Their builds start around $15,000 (not including the van) for smaller van builds. And the price goes up from there. They can keep the build rather simple and basic to help keep the cost down or more luxurious if that is what you are looking for.

So if you are looking for a professional camper van conversion company on a budget, consider looking into Contravans. 

Wayfarer Vans

Wayfarer Vans is probably one of the least expensive professional camper van conversion companies on the market. BUT, they are very specific in the vans they can build out. 

• RAM Promaster City Cargo (Tradesmen) (years 2015 to current)
• RAM Promaster 136” wheel base, high roof (years 2014 to current)
• RAM Promaster 159” wheel base, high roof (years 2014 to current)
• Ford Transit 148” wheel base, mid or high roof, long cargo (years 2015 to current)

Plus there are no modifications to their van builds. They specialize in one build out.

But the cost of their basic kits range from $5,580 – 12,930 + tax (not including van), but does include the labor in the price.

So that’s a very reasonable price for a professional camper van conversion. But you will have to consider that you need at least a 2015 RAM Promaster City, 2014 Ram Promaster or 2015 Ford Transit van or newer model which can be expensive.

Muse & Co Outdoors

And of course, we had to add a luxury professional camper van conversion builder into the mix. Muse & Co Outdoors offers luxury camper van builds starting around $125,000. So this is MUCH higher than the other van builders on this list.

There are 3 different design layouts: Endeavor, Venture, and Explorer.

With the van builds offering to accommodate either 2-5 people. Plus other enhancements and optional package add-ons, but this will inevitably increase the cost. Muse & Co only builds out 2019 or newer Mercedes Sprinter vans, so you are often already starting at a high van price + the luxury build out.

Therefore, you can expect to pay closer to $175k for the build out + the van itself.

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List Of The Top 30 Professional Camper Van Conversion Builders

Here is a list of awesome professional camper van conversion companies. This does not include every single professional camper van conversion builder in the U.S., but many of these are reputable companies to work with. In this list I will include their general starting price of the build, what vans they convert and how long their general build out time takes.

Wayfarer Vans:

• Price: Starting around $5,580 (not including van)
• Convert: Ram Promaster City, Ram Promaster, & Ford Transit
• Build time: 2-12 weeks

Contravans:

• Price: Starting around $15,000
• Convert: Most van makes & models (inquire within)
• Built time: 3 months

Vanlife Customs:

• Price: Starting around $85,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Sprinters, Transits and Promaster
• Build time: 8-12 weeks

Dave & Matt Vans:

• Price: Starting around $79,500 (including van)
• Convert: Ram Promaster
• Build time: depends on inventory (inquire within)

Sportsmobile:

• Price: Starting around $25,000 for partial build outs (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Dodge ProMaster, Chevy Express & Ford E Series
• Built time: 3 months

Outside Van:

• Price: Starting around: $73,500 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter
• Build time: 3-5 months

Freedom Vans:

• Price: Starting around $100,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter
• Build time: 3-8 months

Advanture CO:

• Price: Starting at $36,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Most van makes & models (inquire within)
• Build time: 3 months

Glampervan:

• Price: Starting around $60,000 (including van)
• Convert: Ram Promaster
• Build time: 6-12 weeks

Beartooth Vanworks:

• Price: Starting around $75,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Dodge ProMaster
• Build Time: 14 weeks

Cascade Van:

• Custom Pricing (inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters
• Build Time: 12-15 weeks

Custom Crafted Vans:

• Price: Starting at $85,000 for a partial build out (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter & Ram Promaster
• Build Time: 4-6 months

TouRig:

• Price: Starting at $139,000 (including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter & Ford Transit
• Build Time: 4-12 weeks

Rossmonster:

• Price: Starting at custom (inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter, including VW Vanagons & Truck campers
• Build Time: 3 weeks

Aspen Custom Vans:

• Price: Custom (inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter, Ram Promaster, Ford Transit, Ford F-350
• Build Time: N/A

El Kapitan Van:

• Price: Starting at $182,000 (including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter
• Build Time: 8-12 weeks

Mountain Made Vans:

• Price: Starting around $80,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter and Ram Promaster
• Build Time: N/A (inquire within)

Sync Vans:

• Price: Starting at $100,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters
• Build Time: Custom (inquire within)

Adventure Wagon:

• Price: Starting at $13,500 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit
• Build Time: 5 days

Colorado Camper Van:

• Price: Starting at $12,500 (not including van)
• Convert: most vans
• Build Time: 4-5 weeks

Boulder Campervans:

• Price: Starting at $100,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters & Ford Transits
• Build Time: 10-12 weeks

Vanworks:

• Price: N/A (Inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters, Ram Promasters & Ford Transits
• Build Time: N/A (inquire within)

Titan Vans:

• Price: Starting at $45,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter & Ford Transit
• Build Time: N/A (inquire within)

Zenvanz:

• Price: Starting around $18,000 (custom kit- not including van)
• Convert: N/A
• Build Time: N/A (inquire within)

Yeti Bus:

• Price: Starting around: $49,500 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinter
• Build time: N/A (inquire within)

Momentum Vans:

• Price: custom (inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters
• Build Time: custom (inquire within)

Muse & Co:

• Price: Starting around $125,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters 2019+
• Build time: 10-12 weeks

Benchmark Vehicle:

• Price: Custom (inquire within)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters
• Build time: custom (inquire within)

Campo Vans:

• Price: Starting around $80,000 + custom quotes (not including van)
• Convert: N/A (inquire within)
• Build time: 4-16 weeks

Bodhi Vans:

• Price: Starting around $85,000 (not including van)
• Convert: Mercedes Sprinters
• Build time: N/A (inquire within)

Honestly, the list of professional camper van conversion builders goes on and on! But consider that you may have to drive your van to a professional van converter and pick it up when it’s ready. So perhaps you narrow your search to companies closest to you.

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How Long Does A Professional Camper Van Conversion Take:

So now you found a company you like, how long can you expect the build out to take? In general, the build out time for a professional camper van conversion is around 3 months. Or sometimes even just a couple of weeks for a more simple conversion.

Conversely, very custom or elaborate conversions can take up to a year. Also consider that many companies have a waiting list, so you may need to factor in that extra time.

Build time really depends on the builder and materials. For example, during the pandemic, it was harder for builders to get the products they needed, including the van itself. But as of late, products are becoming more abundant and restocked faster, so you can assume production times to be a bit faster. 

And of course, if you go super custom, where a company needs to modify everything, add off-roading features, etc, the build time will probably take 6-12 months on average. 

But on average I would say it takes a professional camper van conversion builder 3-6 months once they begin work on your van.

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Professional Camper Van Conversion Vs DIY Camper Van Conversion

You might be wondering what the price difference is for a professional camper van build out versus a DIY conversion. And we can help you with that because we did a DIY conversion. 

For example, our DIY camper van build out was around $7,600 (not including van). But, we worked on the van everyday for 2 months straight without a job. So if we factor in our labor, (say $15/hour) for 40 hours a week, times 2 months for 2 people, our labor would cost around $10,400.

And to be honest we worked on this camper van sun up to sun down without many days off, so we were definitely putting 60+ hours in per week each. But our labor hours weren’t the most efficient since we were learning as we went, and our van has lots of awkward curves.

Doing your own DIY camper van comes with huge learning curves and honestly big risks. It can be hard to get a DIY build insured, because these companies don’t know how competent you really are.

We did our own electrical system, found our own way to attach cabinets to a fiberglass high top, cut the hole in the roof for our MAXXair fan, etc. So if you are not up for a BIG challenge on a DIY campervan and/or have the time, it can be much easier and simpler to go with a professional camper van conversion builder.

After much trial and error and now living in our self-converted campervan for 4+ year that we created a solid van. Therefore, we have a helpful guide for DIY van conversion building to help people from the start to build out their dream van.

If you do have the time and are up for a challenge, then Youtube has so many great resources to learn from on how to build your own camper van. 

If you are interested in the cost breakdown of our camper van conversion, check out our blog post, how much did our van conversion cost. 

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Takeaway | How Much Does A Professional Camper Van Conversion Cost:

Ultimately, building out a camper van is probably more expensive than you might think. From the cheaper build outs starting around $5,000 to the more elaborate built outs being almost $150,000+.

Plus it can be harder to find a professional camper van conversion builder to convert anything other than the new makes and models. But with that being said, there is definitely a professional camper van conversion company to meet everyone’s needs. There are a few companies that can do a cheaper van build out and convert older van makes and models.

We hope this guide answers your burning question for how much a professional camper van conversion costs.

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