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quotePut the TV on(board)
If getting away from it all means taking the TV with you, then read our gear guide to motorhome and caravan TVs
Time to watch a bit of TV when you’re out touring? Why not? That’s why they’re called leisure vehicles, surely?
A caravan or motorhome-friendly TV is designed for life on board a leisure vehicle. Typically, they’re a bit more robust in their manufacture (e.g. to withstand vibrations from travel etc) and can cope with a greater range of temperatures, compared to domestic TVs.
Also, you’ll find it useful having a TV that can work from 12V direct or 230V mains electric sources – so you can still watch the telly box wherever your travels take you.
Read on for our TV travelling advice.
Top tips for buying a motorhome or caravan TV
- Make sure the TV will fit into the space allowed by your motorhome or caravan. If you have an adjustable bracket, do consider how it will best work and where there might be any potential obstacles – such as a drop-down bed!
- Size does matter. You want a screen that’s large enough that you’re not craning your neck for a good view. At the same time, too big a TV and it might end up hindering movement around your vehicle – and be difficult to stow away for safe travel.
- You might want a TV with built-in features such as digital satellite and/or Freeview tuners. If you want to watch TV while you travel abroad in your motorhome or caravan, a satellite tuner might best suit your needs.
- Sound quality is often an issue for leisure vehicle-friendly TVs. One way around this is to add a soundbar (space, budget and compatibility allowing).
- Leaving your vehicle on its own? It’s a good idea to make sure high-value items like TVs are stowed out of sight and away from temptation.
- Laying up your leisure vehicle for winter? Make sure you take out your TV and store at home
Star Player #1
Vision Plus TV 23.5in
The newest model from Vision Plus, and it’s their largest screen yet. Like all the models in this gear guide, it’s designed specifically for leisure vehicle use, with features such as being able to operate it from mains electricity or a 12V supply.
Very generously specified – this caravan TV comes with a DVD/CD player, remote control, headphone socket, one-touch tuning, terrestrial TV recording function and lots more.
A stand is supplied, but it can also be removed for wall-mounting. It weighs just 2.9kg (including stand).
Key features 23.5in screen, NiCam stereo sound, HD terrestrial and satellite tuners, voltage protection, carry handle, lifetime product support, three-year guarantee
Expect to pay £349
Star Player #2
Avtex W249TS Smart TV
Available in four screen sizes (the smallest is 19.5in, maximum is 32in), the 24in version here is possibly the most popular motorhome or caravan TV – each allowing you to watch full HD via your vehicle’s TV aerial or satellite dish.
These Smart TVs have no DVD player and everything is streamed (e.g, Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+, YouTube, Amazon Prime etc), so you do need a good mobile wi-fi connection (like Avtex’s own AMR985).
Compatibility with Apple and Android devices means you can cast from your mobile phone, too.
The solid plastic carry case is another option to consider, to protect the TV from accidental knocks etc.
Key features LED display, HD 1080p resolution with matt display, comes complete with key video and music streaming apps, integrated Freesat with seven-day timer, works from 12V or 230V, WiFi connectivity with built-in browser and satellite decoder, Bluetooth connectivity, weight 3.1kg (including stand)
Expect to pay £429.99
Star Player #3
Cello 32in Traveller TV
County Durham-based Cello likes to style itself as “the last remaining TV manufacturer in the UK”. Its Traveller TV range starts with 14in screen models before going up to this, the 32in version.
An LED telly with built-in DVD player and satellite tuner, the latter for all free-to-air channels.
There’s also a USB port and HDMI input (great for gaming). Just note this isn’t a Smart TV.
Key features USB 2.0 port, two HDMI inlets, class A for energy efficiency, weight 4.3kg, 12-month warranty
Expect to pay £259.99
Star Player #4
Sharp 24EE2UM
An HD-ready, LED Smart TV with a 24in screen and plenty of pre-installed apps, including You Tube, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Prime Video and more.
Sharp is also particularly proud of the sound quality coming from its two 5Watt speakers. It can be used in the UK as well as throughout Europe thanks to its Digital Terrestrial and Satellite tuners. In the UK, it also benefits from Freeview HD as well as Freeview Play, the latter a boon as you’ll get all the Freeview benefits even if you’re not using an aerial or satellite dish.
Key features 12V and 230V operation, three HDMI ports, two USB ports, screen mirroring with mobile devices, supplied with digital terrestrial aerial, 4.2kg total weight
Expect to pay £249
Star Player #5
Living Leisure Sniper 16in
Marketed as camping TVs, the Sniper range from Living Leisure starts with this 16in version. That’s the type of screen size to make it viable in a campervan, for example, where overall space is more restricted.
It’s nevertheless fully featured, including a USB PVR function for pausing live transmissions and recording.
At the time of writing, if you buy direct from Living Leisure you get a complimentary Freeview aerial (normally £17.99).
Key features Built-in Freeview and DVB-S2 satellite receivers, 12V and 230V operation, DVD player, Bluetooth connectivity, USB portal, 12Watt power consumption, two-year warranty
Expect to pay £249
Insurance considerations
As a caravanner, always make sure you include the value of your caravan TV (and soundbar) in your insured value for equipment on your caravan insurance policy to make sure you’re fully covered in the event of a claim.
Motorhome owners get £5000 of equipment and personal possessions cover as standard with Caravan Guard and a motorhome TV would come under this element of motorhome insurance cover.
Our thanks to Prima Leisure – a leading retailer of motorhome and caravan TVs.
Like many specialist retailers, look out for specially priced bundles that might include the likes of a sound bar, Wi-Fi (streaming via 4G on many campsites is likely to be a bit hit-and-miss) or more.
Over to you…
Got any advice on leisure vehicle-friendly TVs you’d like to pass on to other Caravan Guard blog readers? Please feel free to add a comment below.
In supporting Uk manufacture I purchased a Cello 24inch tv but was extremely disappointed with the sound quality. I had to turn it to full volume to get it at normal volume with distortion. Picture quality was ok but I decided to send it back to Cello. Instead I bought a Sharp Aquos 24 inch tv and what a total difference !!!!! Very sharp picture (Excuse the pun lol ) and sound quality is out of this world so can totally recommend. It does not have a dvd player but I have saved all my videos on to a memory stick which plugs into the usb port
We recently upgraded our Avtex TV and we chose to stay with the DVD (non-smart) option as we have loads of DVDs we take in the van. We can turn it into a smart TV by using our Amazon Firestick – best of both worlds.
Something to consider – our tv with built in DVD player loads the DVD via a slot on the right. The motorhome came with a fixed TV bracket attached to the wardrobe. This layout doesn’t leave enough space to load DVDS into the slot because the TV is very close to the right hand wall. I can get round this by easily unhooking the TV, loading DVD and rehooking after. If the slot was on the left I’d be able to load 12 inch singles, as there is so much room on that side.
Another thing to consider when looking at the.
Thanks for sharing Trevor – it’s a very good point
likewise we have a 220v TV only and if we realy wanted to we could use our inverter from the battery. In fact previously traveling offgrid traveling in the uSA we used our laptop which had a spare battery and we solar charged during the day. We never in fact used more than one battery at a time either. So always had full power for the laptop the next day.
This information does not include what type of 12v plug adapters to use.using the wrong adapter could overload the circuit and overheat
Hi Ian, the TVs featured are all leisure vehicle-friendly and designed to work from a 12V direct supply, with no further adaptor needed. Of course, if you keep your caravan on a seasonal pitch and have a constant 230V supply, there’s no harm in using a TV designed for domestic use…
excellent as i am trying to settle on a TV at the moment so it is well timed
Ok article but why no non-12v TVs? We bought a £110 basic Tesco brand flat screen 15” tv + dvd/cd player about 12years ago and it’s accompanied us on our or travels since. Suits us just fine. Ok not smart or satellite but lightweight about 2kg and as it’s only 40w power we can run it off 12v if off grid using an inverter. Cost about £30.
Thanks for sharing Philip. We chose to focus on leisure vehicle TVs only.