DF Capital launches finance tool after searches for leisure vehicle finance hit five-year highs this summer
UK search interest in caravan, motorhome and campervan finance hit five-year highs this summer, according to Google Trends, as specialist lender DF Capital launches a tool that lets buyers check what they can borrow before they set foot in a dealership.
Between March and August 2026, search interest in “caravan finance” was more than double the average for the same months in 2024 and 2025, peaking in the week of 19 July at its highest level in five years. Interest in “motorhome finance” and “campervan finance” also more than doubled over the same period, with “campervan finance” reaching a five-year high in the week of 9 August.
Interest has since eased with the usual autumn slowdown, but searches for “caravan finance” in September were still around three-quarters higher than a year earlier.
Manchester-based DF Capital has launched the tool for buyers searching for their new vehicle and aiming to secure finance. With DFRNT, people can find out what they can borrow from any device and in their own time. If approved, they can then arrive at a dealership with their finance already approved and a budget they know they can stick to.
Available on the DF Capital website, DFRNT runs a soft search that doesn’t affect the user’s credit file. It returns a decision in minutes, with a minimal amount of information needed and, if approved, will show how much they could borrow, their personalised interest rate and what their monthly repayments would be.
Approved users can try different combinations of deposit, term and purchase price, with low or no deposit options for eligible customers. Finance is available from £10,000 to £200,000 over three to 15 years.
Approved applicants receive a Finance Certificate valid for up to 90 days. They can take it to any of DF Capital’s approved dealers and shop with a clear budget.
Charlie Michael, COO at DF Capital, said: “For many, buying a leisure vehicle will be one of the biggest purchases they make.
“Yet, the finance conversation tends to be one of the last things to happen, often in a dealership, under pressure, when a customer has fallen in love with a vehicle.
“Our new tool flips that completely. We want buyers to walk into any dealership already knowing their position, confident in what they can afford, and ready to decide on their terms.”
Many finance calculators are built around borrowers with a strong credit history. DFRNT is designed for a wider range of credit profiles. Where someone has a limited or imperfect history, it can suggest alternatives rather than returning a flat decline.
Charlie added: “The leisure vehicle market is full of people who have dreamed about owning a motorhome, caravan, or campervan for years but assumed finance would be out of reach. We built the DFRNT tool for those people too.
“DF Capital lends across a wide range of credit profiles, and where someone has had financial difficulties in the past or has a limited credit history, we would rather find a solution that works for them than simply turn them away.”