[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: Happy New year. Hey! Whoa! Yeah!
[00:00:07] Matt Sims: And another one. Come on. Just for measure. Another one. Deary me. In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast, I’m back alive and well once more. And a fully fledged Zipper Club member. I am indeed. Yeah, I got the t-shirt and everything.
[00:00:25] Keith Gooden: He’s that a triple heart bypass, if it’s the first time you’re watching or listening. It’s because he’s been unzipped down the front.
[00:00:34] Matt Sims: I’ve never heard it phrased quite like that. Today we’re looking back at the best bits of 2025 and thinking ahead to what might be in store in 2026. And we answer your questions about upgrading headlights, checking ULEZ compliance, and getting a gas safety certificate for your Hymer motorhome.
[00:01:02] Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:01:05] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:01:06] Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans. And it’s brought to you by Www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:01:16] Matt Sims: Now, remember to follow on your favourite podcast app and subscribe on YouTube.
[00:01:21] Keith Gooden: Hey, Matt is back and he’s got the booze. Is that available on the NHS?
[00:01:28] Matt Sims: No it’s not, unfortunately, only private.So I’m going to open this. Let’s see if we can ruin the studio.
[00:01:33] Keith Gooden: Hey hey hey hey. Oh, dear. Hey! Oh, my goodness.
[00:01:42] Matt Sims: I’ve ruined my script.
[00:01:43] Keith Gooden: Yeah, well, that’s not the first time you’ve wet yourself since you’ve been in hospital, is it?
[00:01:49] Matt Sims: How many party poppers have you actually got? I’m soaking wet, actually.
[00:01:52] Keith Gooden: I’m going to throw them at you as well.
[00:01:54] Matt Sims: I am covered in champagne. It’s very rock and roll.
[00:01:59] Keith Gooden: There are worse things, aren’t there? So how are you feeling, by the way?
[00:01:59] Matt Sims: I’m all right. Well, although being slightly damp.
[00:02:05] Keith Gooden: How’s the recovery?
[00:02:06] Matt Sims: It’s been good. I reckon I’m doing okay.
[00:02:10] Keith Gooden: You got a glass for Maddie, Motorhome Maddie?
[00:02:12] Matt Sims: Have you got a glass over there, Maddie? And maybe a towel… only a half glass. Yeah. Have a top up. Have a top up.
[00:02:21] Keith Gooden: So what’s it? What’s it like being sort of zipped up and having new heart bits put in?
[00:02:27] Matt Sims: Well, lots of people ask me this. The angina pain has kind of gone, I guess. But the other pain’s…
[00:02:34] Keith Gooden: They’ve given you an angina?
[00:02:40] Matt Sims: Moving on quickly…
[00:02:43] Keith Gooden: Which toilets do you use?
[00:02:49] Matt Sims: I’m not going there! But the other pains are probably more prolific, I’d say. So I get this weird clunk and click from my sternum as it kind of bonds and fuses back together. The cold is pretty harsh on my lungs. And I guess the wires in my sternum get cold as well, and I feel that. Yeah, it’s very strange, very peculiar. I get very, very breathless very quickly, which is a bit of a concern, but I’m assured it’s normal. Maybe you’ve had some kind of bypass and you’ve had this procedure done. Are you getting breathless or did you get breathless? I’d love to know. It does bother me, and it’s a bit limiting. So on the flat walking 4 or 5 miles. No problem now. I can do it. But as soon as we hit an incline, I really struggle. So I guess I’m hoping that will get easier as time goes on.
[00:03:40] Keith Gooden: Well, you popped in today, but I hear you’re going to be taking it easy for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Are you?
[00:03:45] Matt Sims: Probably longer than that, I’ll be honest. Someone said to me, how long were you out for? It was just a smidge under nine hours. And they said, well, that’s going to take nine months to recover from that.
[00:03:57] Keith Gooden: Well, it’s a major operation, isn’t it? I mean, you didn’t expect to get better faster, did you? Your body’s got to knit itself together.
[00:04:07] Matt Sims: It’s pretty invasive. I’m seeing the consultant, the guy that did the op in February. I was meant to see him in December, a couple of weeks ago. But the doctor’s strike meant it got postponed. I’m waiting for that appointment, so I will talk to him about this breathlessness and some of the other symptoms I’m experiencing. But I guess it just takes time. In reality, it has been less than two months since I had the procedure done. Well, just over two months as we release this episode. And I’m up and about and trying not to overdo things. Driving again. Yeah, taking it slower.
[00:04:42] Keith Gooden: Well, that’s good. And you have to understand, Matt had a triple heart bypass and we sort of take these things for granted these days. But it’s major, you know, they open your chest. It’s open heart surgery. And yeah, you’ve just got to take it easy. But thank you to everybody for your well wishes for Matt. There’s been hundreds and thousands of them. And, you know, I think every one has been appreciated, hasn’t it?
[00:05:08] Matt Sims: Absolutely. Yeah. And I’ve tried to reply to as many as possible. It was all quite overwhelming at the beginning. But yeah, thank you to everyone who sent good wishes and continue to do so. And I’m really excited to be back here in the studio with you. It’s lovely to see you in person.
[00:05:24] Keith Gooden: Yeah, because this is actually we are actually here in December and not September, for a change.
[00:05:31] Matt Sims: We’re trying not to be Time Lords.
[00:05:32] Keith Gooden: Yeah.
[00:05:33] Matt Sims: And not confusing Maddie with our date references.
[00:05:36] Keith Gooden: Doctor Who and his assistant.
[00:05:38] Matt Sims: Glamorous assistant.
[00:05:39] Keith Gooden: Yeah.
[00:05:41] Matt Sims: So, yeah, it’s great to be back. And I’m really looking forward to engaging with customers here at the business again, a year of shows coming up. We’ll talk about those in a minute. So yeah, I’m very much looking forward to getting back to all of those and seeing you all in person.
[00:05:55] Keith Gooden: It’s the Boxing Day sale at That Leisure Shop, and we want you to be able to buy what you actually need. So you’ve got some spend and save offers across all your products, haven’t you, Matt? So if you can just list them, please.
[00:06:09] Matt Sims: So the Spend and Save offer was a huge success last year, and I know it’s going to be a huge success again this year because you can spend and save a ton of money. So spend £50 and save £5. You just use the code SAVE5.
[00:06:24] Keith Gooden: That’s save with a number five.
[00:06:26] Matt Sims: Yes. Spend £145 and save £15. So more than 10% off. And there you would type SAVE15, spend £240 and save £30. So guess what the code is.
[00:06:41] Keith Gooden: SAVE30.
[00:06:43] Matt Sims: SAVE30. You’ve got it. All the details are at www.thatleisureshop.com. Make sure you follow us on socials as well and sign up to our email mailing list, and you get early notification of all these great offers that the team are putting together, both now and as we go into the new year.
[00:07:01] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
[00:07:03] Matt Sims: And me, Motorhome Matt.
[00:07:04] Keith Gooden: Brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe. Let’s talk shows then, shall we, Matt? The Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Show. It’s in Manchester, 15th to the 18th of January at Manchester Central.
[00:07:19] Matt Sims: It is right in the centre of Manchester. Beautiful venue. It’s a great show. It’s a very small show so it’s quite local for people from the Manchester area, but it’s a great display of motorhomes, campervans, caravans, tents, accessories. And of course it co-locates with the destinations show so you can get to explore tourist boards from all around the world. You get free entry into that show as well. It’s a lovely show. It’s kind of a warm-up act for the rest of the year, and I’m speaking on stage every day. So the show, as you say, runs from the 15th to the 18th of January. I’m talking changes to European travel in 2026, everything you need to know about going to Europe.
[00:07:59] Keith Gooden: Yeah, and it was just a couple of weekends ago that I was down in the southeast visiting my sister. And the day we were travelling, it was all over the news. You know, delays at Dover and Channel Tunnel delays. And I turned to my lovely wife, and I said, they do know they sold the tickets, don’t they? I mean, they know people are coming, but it was down to an IT issue on our side. But with the French computers, because of this new way of getting through at the borders..
[00:08:28] Matt Sims: The entry exit system.
[00:08:29] Keith Gooden: Yeah, yeah. So you’ll be talking about that at the show.
[00:08:32] Matt Sims: I’ll be talking about the entry exit system, which is live now. Yeah. So you can find out all about that if you come along to the show. I’m on the Meet the Experts Theatre on Friday, the 16th of Jan at 11:45 a.m. and then, of course, we’ve got ETIAS coming in October 26th is the European Travel Information Authorisation System. So this is about applying for a visa waiver before you travel.
[00:08:56] Keith Gooden: Yeah. It’s like if you’ve been to America, the ESTA system in America. But the difference is that it’s not just doing the online work with it. You also have to pay as well. So you’re talking about that.
[00:09:06] Matt Sims: Well, it’s not expensive though.
[00:09:08] Keith Gooden: But you still have to pay.
[00:09:09] Matt Sims: You do.
[00:09:10] Keith Gooden: Whereas before you didn’t.
[00:09:11] Matt Sims: So we’re talking about all the changes that are coming in in 2026. Some are already with us now. I’ll be talking about best practice for springing your motorhome back into action, so all the checks you should do before your first motorhome trip of the season.
[00:09:26] Keith Gooden: Time for bed, said Zebedee. Boing. Yeah.
[00:09:30] Matt Sims: I’ll be doing that on Saturday at 12:45. Sunday, I’ll be with Andrew Dickens on the food and travel stage again, talking about changes to European travel in the year ahead. So looking forward to the weekend. We’ve got to stand there as well for the podcast, and we’ll have some of our hero products there for sale throughout the weekend. You can actually win tickets to go to the show. Just head to mhmp.info/manchestershow.
[00:09:57] Keith Gooden: Or you can buy now and save on tickets by heading to mhmp.info/cmhshow. Matt, we’re talking about our top three most-viewed episodes, among other things. What are they?
[00:10:23] Matt Sims: Can you guess what they were?
[00:10:26] Keith Gooden: No, because it’s written down here.
[00:10:28] Matt Sims: I know the answer’s there, but can you guess?
[00:10:30] Keith Gooden: I could if it wasn’t written. I’ve read it!
[00:10:34] Matt Sims: You already know. You’ve rehearsed. There were three top ones. I’m not sure the order they’re in, but one of them was definitely how to get good internet in your motorhome. I think that was tied to the success of the Pathway 4G launch. This is our internet router from Belmont Leisure that is sold by That Leisure Shop. It was definitely a highlight of the beginning of the year when we launched it.
[00:10:58] Keith Gooden: That’s a great little box.
[00:10:59] Matt Sims: It’s brilliant. It just saves loads of hassle. You just lick and stick it to a window, put a SIM card in it and that’s it. You’re online.
[00:11:06] Keith Gooden: Yeah. And the great thing is it’s portable so you can have it in your motorhome. Or, you know, if you can’t get good internet upstairs at home, for whatever reason, you can use it. You can use it anywhere. It’s brilliant.
[00:11:16] Matt Sims: We took it on holiday with us when we were in a hotel, and we put it in the hotel. We knew that the internet in this particular hotel – all the reviews said, oh, lovely hotel, but the internet is terrible. So we took our little Pathway 4G along with us in its carry case, stuck it up in the hotel room on the window, and we had brilliant 4G access.
[00:11:34] Keith Gooden: Even the hotels that say book your internet access in advance, a booking in advance and then turn it on on the day. And it’s rubbish. So yeah, this Pathway 4G is good for it, as you say.
[00:11:45] Matt Sims: So that was a top episode.
[00:11:46] Keith Gooden: And there was must have accessories, wasn’t there? What you really need.
[00:11:50] Matt Sims: Yeah. So that was live on stage with the lovely Peter Vaughan from Out and About Live. And I dragged the cart of chaos, as it was known, onto stage. It was a portable wagon, you know, you drag this thing along and it was absolutely full of accessories. And Peter brought some of his choice accessories along as well. And we had a great debate about whether they were useful, pointless, a waste of money, or just silly. We really did cut through the rubbish, let’s call it that, about what you do need to buy and what you shouldn’t. So that proved to be really popular. We were also talking about whether the motorhome market will crash.
[00:12:25] Keith Gooden: Well, will it?
[00:12:26] Matt Sims: Well, did it? Yeah.
[00:12:28] Keith Gooden: For some people.
[00:12:30] Matt Sims: For some people, it did. That is true. And we were unpacking pricing fears and buyers’ hesitation and why that is going on. And I guess a lot of that nervousness was around the uncertainty of what was going to happen in the market. And so we really started to dig in as to why this landscape of uncertainty existed. And I tried to give some insight into it. No crystal ball. You know, I can’t guarantee what the future’s going to hold. But I tried to give my insight into what I thought was happening and was going to happen. And I haven’t been proved wrong, I have to say, but that proved to be a very, very popular episode.
[00:13:11] Keith Gooden: So which of them surprised you the most?
[00:13:13] Matt Sims: I think the accessory one, because it was great fun to do. It seemed, you know, a fairly simple idea, but it really hit the spot. So we had a few that have kind of taken us by surprise. Those are the top three most viewed.
[00:13:26] Keith Gooden: So why do these topics matter?
[00:13:29] Matt Sims: I think they matter because for the audience, they’re important. You know, what’s happening with the motorhome market? I’m about to sink £50 grand or £100 grand into a motorhome. Is it suddenly going to be worth nothing? You know, am I going to get it if I’m pre-ordering it? It matters. So I think they’re close to home for the audience, who are most of you are! Consumers. Although we have a huge growing audience in the trade, that’s become very apparent. In fact, that particular episode, I had lots of dealers and other businesses messaging me saying, thank you for being so honest about the reality we’re in and some of the challenges that we as a business are facing and why we do what we do. Yeah, that was encouraging to hear. I think the reality is they’re just topics that are close to home and relevant.
[00:14:16] Keith Gooden: And lastly, a thank you to the motorhome, caravan and camping community as well for all your questions that you’ve sent us. Matt calls them his gold.
[00:14:26] Matt Sims: They are gold. They’re amazing. I mean, they help determine the content we talk about. I see themes in the questions. There are always themes, aren’t there, around payload and solar and lithium and internet. you know, and repeating the topic is fine. It doesn’t matter. They absolutely are so useful. And I always say, if you’ve got the question, please ask it because I guarantee you there’s probably a thousand people thinking, what a great question! I wish I’d thought to ask that, and many people are too nervous to ask it. There’s no need to be. They’re dead easy. Just fill in a form and we’ll read it for you. Or you can record it. And we love hearing your voices on the podcast.
[00:15:04] Keith Gooden: Don’t worry if you make a mistake or whatever, we can edit it together.
[00:15:07] Matt Sims: Absolutely. We can make it spiffing. Is that the word you use?
[00:15:11] Keith Gooden: We could do a Donald Trump on it.
[00:15:19] Matt Sims: We’re not doing that.
[00:15:21] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Thanks to you for continuing to listen and watch. We are now hitting over 2.2 million views and listens.
[00:15:31] Matt Sims: That’s amazing. And that’s a lot of people.
[00:15:33] Keith Gooden: Incredible. Thank you, thank you.
[00:15:34] Matt Sims: It’s actually my dad playing it over and over.
[00:15:38] Keith Gooden: We were number seven in Brazil the other day.
[00:15:41] Matt Sims: Brazil?!
[00:15:42] Keith Gooden: Brazil. I hope I get invited over for the carnival. You can just see me, can’t you?
[00:15:47] Matt Sims: That’d be good, to see you in a dress.
[00:15:50] Keith Gooden: Okay, then, Matt, let’s talk about some of the big milestones of 2025. Over 2 million podcast downloads. Wow. Hey. Thank you. Expanded partnerships with sponsors including Ripe, Warners shows, NordVPN and others. Thanks to them as well. Now we get sometimes people saying, I don’t like the ads, or whatever. Without the ads, we don’t have the podcast. You know, you can’t watch and listen – you see a lot of channels which say these days, no, you can only watch this podcast if you’re part of the subscriptions and all the rest. Well, you know, you can have the sponsors or you can have subscriptions.
[00:16:25] Matt Sims: They are a necessity. But also, I do think we always try and work with partners who add value for the audience. So, you know, nobody’s just invited to come on and be a sponsor. They have to add value to the audience and they have to be a brand that I am personally happy to work with. It’s been an absolute joy working with Ripe. They’ve been new to the marketplace for motorhome and campervan insurance and have absolutely taken it by storm. Huge success with new customers joining them. And what’s been really good about Ripe, apart from their success and the success of our partnership together, has actually been how we’ve put insurance of this product we love centre stage. And people have been unable sometimes to get insurance. And we’ve unpacked why this is and so that’s been a real kind of bonus side effect, I suppose, of that partnership. And Ripe have been fantastic at coming forward and opening up and sharing with us behind the scenes as to why people may not be able to get cover with them.
[00:17:27] Keith Gooden: Yeah, so it’s not a question with the sponsors that we have to have them and we don’t want them, but we do want them because, as Matt says, they add value and expertise as well. NordVPN and Warners shows. Warner shows. I mean, you’re at shows all year long, aren’t you?
[00:17:43] Matt Sims: I’m looking forward to doing them all this year. We’ll be at the motorhome and campervan shows as That Leisure Shop. We’ll have a stand at them all. And I’m at the advice centre as I was this year, 2025. But in 2026, I’ll be hosting the advice centres again and comparing them. I’m really excited about what’s coming this year, some new faces on stage, some great new topics, some great new personalities. They’re completely free. So if you’re going to a Warners show weekend, they are such great value. Make sure you come along to the advice centre. Check the programme for what’s on or check the website for what’s on that weekend. As I say, they’re completely free to attend. They are great value and a great place to learn something maybe you didn’t know before. So yes, a privilege for me to be the compere and MC all weekend. Great great fun.
[00:18:31] Keith Gooden: And of course, the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. These are the products and services that Motorhome Matt himself approves. And it’s a it’s an exclusive list because you don’t approve everybody, do you?
[00:18:46] Matt Sims: It will always be a secret who we’ve turned away. Of course, of course. But we have turned brands down very graciously where I just think I’m not sure about your product or the after sales. And the businesses that are on there, I genuinely have had first-hand experience of working with, buying from or working in partnership with to improve their offering to you, the consumer and the listener to this podcast. So it’s a very genuine directory of products, brands and services that I can commend. And I’m very excited to announce some new partnerships as we go into 2026. There is a cost for these businesses to be part of it. And again, as Keith says, it’s a way that we monetise the podcast and help continue to bring it to you. And it’s been great to see businesses engaging with us and realising that we are a great pathway to you, the audience. So it’s been an exciting project.
[00:19:41] Keith Gooden: And talking of the Pathway at That Leisure Shop, your Pathway 4G launched.
[00:19:47] Matt Sims: It did. We launched in January.
[00:19:47] Keith Gooden: Sold out several times. That’s the internet box we were talking about.
[00:19:51] Matt Sims: Absolutely. Took us by surprise. And we made us realise the impact the podcast has and how important it plays a role in people’s lives doing this Motorhome Matt thing and how the Pathway fixed the problem. So yeah, very exciting that that kept selling out. It’s back in stock at the minute.
[00:20:07] Keith Gooden: And your second bricks and mortar shop That Leisure Shop store at Chelston Motorhomes down in Somerset.
[00:20:13] Matt Sims: Yeah, that’s been a big step. A big new shop down at Chelston, Junction 26 of the M5. If you’re passing, do pop in. Go and see Colin and the team. It is an amazing shop. It’s a biggie. I helped design it, didn’t do any of the fit out because I was not very well and I was stopped from doing it, but it’s phenomenal. It’s absolutely amazing.
[00:20:31] Keith Gooden: Yeah, yeah, it is great. And remember, spring is on the way. So if you’re heading down to the West Country, you can pop into That Leisure Shop in Hewish or the big one at Chelston. You’ve got more people joining the team in the hire business and at That Leisure Shop as well. It’s like the Roman Empire, isn’t it?
[00:20:48] Matt Sims: Not quite.
[00:20:50] Keith Gooden: Roman, Roaming Empire. Get it?
[00:20:51] Matt Sims: Very good. So yeah, we’ve had a number of people joining the team. Some members, friends and family, I have to say. A new show team for 2026. Fliss and Andy, very excited to be working with them this year. And then new members joining the team and of course, the shop.
[00:21:07] Keith Gooden: Yes.
[00:21:08] Matt Sims: And we’re still recruiting.
[00:21:09] Keith Gooden: Tea boy?
[00:21:11] Matt Sims: Are you applying?
[00:21:16] Keith Gooden: You know, for the new year? And we were talking about the community – thanks very much. And the feedback that you’ve given us gives us great ideas for what we want to do in the future as well. So keep that feedback coming. It’s really valuable. It’s, as we said earlier, the gold. Reality check, though, and you know, it’s not all sunshine and roses. It’s been a tough year for many businesses in the motorhoming community, hasn’t it? And caravanning, including new and used dealers.
[00:21:49] Matt Sims: Very much so. And of course, we’ve seen some long-established family businesses going to the wall or closing down, choosing to close or not having a choice and having to close, which has been very sad, particularly for those who are in their employment. We’ve seen manufacturers shrinking back, laying people off, and I fear we are going to see more of that in 2026. It’s a tough landscape for us here. Although we’re growing, we’re still finding it a challenge. And I think that challenge is going to continue into 2026.
[00:22:19] Keith Gooden: Right. And consumers are understandably nervous. You know, there’s more pressure on people’s finances than ever before, you know, and motorhome prices do seem to be on the uptick, don’t they? So it’s important that you watch and listen to podcasts such as the Motorhome Matt podcast, you know, because we give you the info you need before you make that leap into that huge purchase.
[00:22:41] Matt Sims: I think we’re stepping into a generation now which is what I call the research generation. I heard an interesting statistic the other day that people go into a business before they walk in. They are now probably 70% likely to buy by virtue of the fact they’ve walked into the business. They’re pretty close to making a decision to purchase.
[00:22:59] Keith Gooden: They’ve already done the research.
[00:23:00] Matt Sims: Ten years ago, it was probably 20% likely to buy.
[00:23:03] Keith Gooden: Just looking.
[00:23:04] Matt Sims: Yeah. Just looking. Visiting is part of the research now. There is so much information online that you can find out pretty much everything you want to know before you walk into a dealership. And that number is set to increase to 80% or 90% over the next five years. So for businesses welcoming customers, they pretty much just need to shake their hand, make them feel welcome, make them a tea or coffee and answer their questions. That’s key.
[00:23:30] Keith Gooden: Yeah. And why are drivers getting a bit nervous about the future of motorhomes with regard to, you know, licenses and weights?
[00:23:38] Matt Sims: There’s lots of change afoot. The European government, of course, or the European Parliament, I should say, adopted the fourth directive of the driving licence. We have a whole episode on this. That was another episode that did really well and took me by surprise, because it’s a pretty sage topic. And the fourth directive includes the ability for drivers of a motorhome to drive up to 40kg to 50kg on a B licence, so you don’t need to have a C1 licence. We talked about this a lot on the podcast, didn’t we? This has been another real theme of the Q and A, so it’s a big change. There’s lots of other changes within the fourth directive. Will the UK government adopt the fourth directive? It remains to be seen.
[00:24:17] Keith Gooden: They have to, haven’t they?
[00:24:18] Matt Sims: I think we will. I think it’s inevitable.
[00:24:20] Keith Gooden: We’re so close to Europe. They have to, whether we’re in the EU or not. And these extra weights are because of batteries, aren’t they?
[00:24:29] Matt Sims: And electrifying the safety equipment on the chassis is increasing and going higher and higher.
[00:24:35] Keith Gooden: It weighs more.
[00:24:35] Matt Sims: It weighs more. Yes, and we’re carrying more stuff with us. So yeah, it would be a sensible change. Someone has launched a petition. You may have seen this on social media. I’m going to read this URL out, so bear with me. It’s https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/741293.
[00:24:58] Keith Gooden: And what, you sign that if you want the weight to go up?
[00:25:01] Matt Sims: Yes. So this is a petition for the government to raise the weights of motorhomes that can be driven on a B licence to 4,250kg. Now I think this is only part of the picture. And I don’t think it’s going to, you know, carry any favour, but if it gets to 100,000…
[00:25:18] Keith Gooden: They have to debate it.
[00:25:19] Matt Sims: They have to debate it in Parliament. Now, that’s good because it puts motorhomes on the government’s agenda. And it might get them thinking about the fourth directive. So I would encourage you to sign it. I don’t think it’s going to change anything in isolation, but I think it does put the motorhome niche on the radar of government. This is really important. And this is, for us as a community, one of the huge benefits of the fourth directive, and I think the sooner we adopt it, the better. But it won’t be just for this reason for us, obviously, that’s the big tick. But go to the link – it will be in the notes to this episode, so go and sign that petition. I have signed it. So let’s see if we can get it discussed in Parliament.
[00:25:59] Keith Gooden: And if you’re just sitting listening to this and you’ve got a pen and paper nearby, I’ll just repeat that. It’s https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/741293.
[00:26:23] Matt Sims: NordVPN. It’s something I use every time I’m in the van and relying on campsite Wi-Fi or even tethering through my phone abroad. You just never quite know who else is on the network or how secure it is.
[00:26:35] Keith Gooden: So for those who have never used one, what is a VPN actually doing?
[00:26:40] Matt Sims: Good question. A VPN or virtual private network basically creates a secure tunnel for your internet traffic. It keeps your data private, even on public Wi-Fi, and lets you access websites and streaming as if you’re still in the UK.
[00:26:55] Keith Gooden: So you can be sat in Spain and still watch your favourite TV show like you’re at home.
[00:27:01] Matt Sims: Exactly, yeah. Plus, NordVPN has this feature called Threat Protection. It blocks pop ups, trackers and dodgy websites before they even load. So your browsing is not just secure, it’s quicker and cleaner too.
[00:27:15] Keith Gooden: And what’s the setup like? Is it very technical?
[00:27:18] Matt Sims: Not at all, no. You download the app. Tap to connect and it runs quietly in the background. It works on your mobile phone, laptops, tablets, you name it. Easy.
[00:27:27] Keith Gooden: So where can people get it?
[00:27:29] Matt Sims: Easy. Just head to Nordvpn.com forward slash Motorhome Matt and you’ll get four extra months free on the two year plan. And there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose.
[00:27:43] Keith Gooden: The link is also in the episode description. It really is as simple as that.
[00:27:48] Matt Sims: It’s one of those things that you don’t think about until it’s too late, so best to get it sorted before your next trip.
[00:27:55] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
[00:27:57] Matt Sims: And me, Motorhome Matt.
[00:27:58] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe. Now, some trends for 2026. We’ve already mentioned one – buyers getting more cautious. Impulse buyers are almost gone. So let’s skip that one and talk about the poor old dealers. Well, some of them, anyway. It’s been a tough five years for everybody. But some dealers are going out of business, aren’t they?
[00:28:22] Matt Sims: Some are. I think if they don’t innovate, they will evaporate. I’ve always said this. The lazy will vanish. I hate to say it.
[00:28:30] Keith Gooden: It’s difficult to innovate if you’re just selling motorhomes.
[00:28:32] Matt Sims: Well, yeah, maybe they need to evolve into selling something else. Maybe they need to look at moving into hire, try before you buy. I mean, the point is, a dealership has a huge offering and a huge customer base. So very often they have a huge amount of product that needs to be paid for. So it’s how they pay for that. And the challenge for many dealers, particularly those selling new, but it’s true for those selling used as well, is that after a certain amount of time, the days in stock that it’s free to sit on the forecourt run out. The finance company that own that vehicle displayed for sale wants the money.
[00:29:04] Keith Gooden: Just to quickly explain the way it works for new listeners with dealerships is the finance company buys the motorhome from the manufacturer. So the manufacturers get their money for making the motorhome. They’re happy, they’ve got their profit. They’ve got it. Then the finance company owns the motorhome, but puts it on the dealer’s forecourt. And then they’ve got a certain amount of time, haven’t they, to sell it. How long?
[00:29:30] Matt Sims: It varies. Often a year, sometimes only 180 days before it has to be paid for. And that payment is called a curtailment. And it’s not all of it. You don’t have to pay for all of it in one go, but you start to pay a chunk of it, and you pay interest. Interest is accrued on the time it’s sat there. So the dealer has a time where they can market that motorhome. It’s with them, the fact it’s for sale and there’s no real pressure on to sell it. But then you hit curtailment, and the finance company – it’s not a finance company like you’re used to dealing with, like your bank. This is a big corporate lender .
[00:30:01] Keith Gooden: Proper business, isn’t it.
[00:30:02] Matt Sims: Yes.
[00:30:03] Keith Gooden: And they take no prisoners.
[00:30:05] Matt Sims: There’s no mucking around. They will just take the money out of your bank account. And if you’re a business, some dealerships lose millions in a month just to the lender that has provided that credit line and that hurts. And it’s all about cash flow. So they need to sell that vehicle in order to pay for it. And when it’s sold, it’s paid for. And maybe the manufacturer will give them another one and put another vehicle on their credit line to replace it. But that’s why dealerships, many of them, are struggling trying to fund those vehicles. And you’ll see dealerships are full of stock. And they need to sell them, which is why we’re seeing so many discounts on 2025 stock. And I think at the beginning of the year, we will see some discounts.
[00:30:47] Keith Gooden: So am I right in thinking that all the risk is on the dealers? But obviously, if they don’t sell it, they’re not going to be ordering more from the manufacturers. And that’s when that risk hits them as well, isn’t it?
[00:30:57] Matt Sims: We had a great episode with Simon Howard from Bailey. And as a manufacturer, he unpacked what happens to a manufacturer when a dealer goes bust. And we just see the dealership going bust. And they’re often referred to as stealers, not dealers. And I just don’t think that’s fair. They have a tough gig. It’s not a simple business model at all. And the landscape is challenging because people don’t want to pay some of these increased prices, which are just now the norm. So it’s a difficult market. And so how dealers are selling motorhomes. I think you’ll see more and more making a bigger effort on social media and trying to get into your newsfeed and hopefully innovating to avoid evaporating. That’s the key.
[00:31:40] Keith Gooden: Yeah. When prices go up, customers then tend to shift to brands that they trust, don’t they?
[00:31:45] Matt Sims: Well, this is another factor as well. Some of the reputations from some manufacturers and dealers have been frankly less than poor. And all that information is now available online and consumers will vote with their feet. It’s very easy to make a judgment call on the service levels from that dealership, or the build quality from that manufacturer. And as an industry, we are not great at delivering great after-sales service. We’re not great at consistently delivering great product. Parts take way too long to come through. We’ve talked about this in previous episodes before. As an industry, we need to do better.
[00:32:22] Keith Gooden: We were talking to one gentleman at the NSA who came up and spoke to us, and, you know, he bought a very expensive – well, they’re all very expensive – but, you know, premium motorhome. And the door lock had broken, and he’d been waiting months just for the door lock to be fixed.
[00:32:39] Matt Sims: I think he’d been off the road longer than on the road.
[00:32:42] Keith Gooden: Because he couldn’t secure it.
[00:32:43] Matt Sims: Yeah. So he couldn’t use it.
[00:32:44] Keith Gooden: So, you know, if you bought that, if it was a car, you’d take it back to the dealership and they’d take the door off, wouldn’t they? And they’d fit a new door, of course.
[00:32:51] Matt Sims: And this is a problem with our industry – we get compared to the automotive world. We are very different.
[00:32:57] Keith Gooden: Could still take the door off and fit a new door, couldn’t you?
[00:32:59] Matt Sims: If you’ve got the door to supply in the first place. And there’s the rub. Manufacturers don’t overproduce parts. And so you wait months and months and months for spare parts to come through. There needs to be change. It’s like steering a Titanic. It takes time. And we know this as an industry. This is the frustration for me – manufacturers and dealerships, we all know this. Service centres know this. But why it doesn’t change quickly, I don’t know. We’re trying to do our bit here and trying to stock more spare parts that are hard to find and sought after, but you know, that takes time as well because we end up with thousands of pounds’ worth of product gathering dust on the shelf.
[00:33:35] Keith Gooden: Yeah. So for 2026, we’re making a plea to the manufacturers. Think about those months waiting for people who’ve spent all that money and placed their trust in your product, and something fairly insignificant could go wrong, or even something significant, and you just don’t have the infrastructure to get it fixed. It’s not for products, you know, like a television which is £700 to £1500. Okay, you might be able to live with it, but for something which is £100,000, it’s just not on.
[00:34:07] Matt Sims: No, it’s not. And as consumers, I have to say, we’ve started to just accept it as the reality. And we shouldn’t. It’s not acceptable. So yeah, hopefully we will see some change afoot. I’m trying to campaign for it and bang my drum because I do get very cross.
[00:34:24] Keith Gooden: Good advice as well. Book early for servicing and MOT. And if you find a good dealer, support them. And there are loads of great dealers, but do support them. They might not be there next year if we don’t support them.
[00:34:39] Matt Sims: That is the reality.
[00:34:40] Keith Gooden: It’s simple. And you know, dealers aren’t there to rip you off. And let’s not, you know, compare it to cars. And you always warned me about that. They’re not like the car dealer selling second hand cars. Most dealers aren’t dodgy dealers. Support them, and hopefully they can make a bit of money and survive. And you’ll be happier as a customer.
[00:35:01] Matt Sims: And I reckon we’ll have this strange thing again in March, April, May, where you just cannot get an MOT slot like post Covid. Do you remember we all came out of lockdown in April and lots of vehicles had no MOT on them.
[00:35:15] Keith Gooden: This bulge moving through.
[00:35:16] Matt Sims: And so rather than be a nice gentle spread through the year, there was a huge peak of people trying to get vehicles MOTed and serviced. And last April we saw that. It means it will happen again this year. I actually have MOTed my van, my T6 already. It was due in a couple of months’ time. I’ve done it now. It was done last week just so I didn’t have that pain. And for the sake of a couple of months, I’ve done it early, and then I’m out of sync with the mass population that are trying to get an MOT.
[00:35:44] Keith Gooden: That bulge. Yeah, yeah. Price pressures are hitting the nearly new market. Well, there you go.
[00:35:51] Matt Sims: Yes, absolutely. I think the challenge in stock profiling over the next couple of years is going to be vehicles that are now 2 or 3 years old, so bought post-pandemic at a premium price. People waited a long time for them, maybe all of them in 2020. They arrived in 2022. They’re now looking to sell them, so they’re now three years old. But the brand new one is not much more than they want to see for their three-year-old vehicle. And as we’ve talked before recently, depreciation is back. And I’ve been slated on online for saying that, you know, a £50K vehicle is potentially only going to see a value from a dealer of £25K. It’s true. You lose 20% in year one. My model is 10% in year two, 5% in year three. And then the dealer wants their piece across it as well. Do the maths. Whether it’s 50 grand or 80 grand, some dealers want ten grand across them. Depending on the time of year, they might be sat on it for eight months. They want a big chunk of change across it. Some will want just 4 or 5. If you’re brokering it through a dealer, it will be less because they’ll work on a percentage, as we do here at Motorhome Holiday Company. But some dealers want a big piece out of it, and that can push the used value that you’re going to see for your second-hand motorhome right down. So I think that two or three year old profile is under big price point pressure. Five or six years old is a bit different, purchased pre pandemic – far more sensible prices. Interestingly, our own motorhome is that age, and I’ve just valued it for the sake of a exercise for today. And it’s actually worth pretty much what I paid for it.
[00:37:21] Keith Gooden: Because it’s 5 or 6 years old.
[00:37:23] Matt Sims: Because it was bought pre-pandemic. Yeah.
[00:37:25] Keith Gooden: Post pandemic, if you’ve bought it, it’s a different story.
[00:37:28] Matt Sims: It probably would have been £1 million.
[00:37:30] Keith Gooden: Yeah. The thing that gets me is people buying a motorhome practically as an investment. Oh, don’t worry, you know, I’ll be able to sell it for the same or more. And in the meantime, you’re using it. I just think that’s an unreasonable frame of mind.
[00:37:45] Matt Sims: I think if you keep it long term, ten, 15 years, then you’re probably not going to lose much money on it. Yeah, that changed post-pandemic because the values of them to buy went so high. Yeah. The reality is you’re going to get tons of adventures out of it, make loads of memories in it. That’s where the value is. Yeah, they carry a cost, but go and do it. Don’t let it sit around gathering dust and going green with mould. Go and use it. We will be away in ours over New Year. And why not? We’ll be using ours again now I can drive again. We’ll be away in January. We’ll use ours every month, even if it’s only for an overnight. We will use it. So the problem comes when people don’t use them. And then it becomes a very expensive two-week holiday. That is not what a motorhome should be used for at all. If that’s the case, go and hire one. Much cheaper.
[00:38:32] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
[00:38:34] Matt Sims: And me, Motorhome Matt.
[00:38:35] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:38:39] Matt Sims: Now remember, get 15% off your premium with Ripe. The discount applies automatically if you click the link in the episode description.
[00:38:47] Keith Gooden: It’s a Q&A. The questions and answers. We do it every week where you ask the questions and Motorhome Matt he’s the expert, he’ll give you the answers. And if he doesn’t know, he will definitely ask somebody who does. First of all, Paul Hoffbrand is in Hertfordshire.
[00:39:03] Paul Hoffbrand: In an episode, I heard that you had upgraded your headlights to LED headlights. I’m looking to see how I can do that. I have a Swift compact 2022 model. Can you help me? Thank you.
[00:39:22] Keith Gooden: Thanks very much, Paul. Much appreciated. The question, just a quick explanation – headlights used to be bulbs, which would blow. The LEDs, light emitting diodes, tend not to. They tend to put about a dozen in.
[00:39:35] Matt Sims: They do, they do.
[00:39:36] Keith Gooden: They should put a dozen of them in. And then when one goes, the next one picks up. But as you say, they do. So what is the advice from you?
[00:39:45] Matt Sims: So Paul, you need to be careful here. So I did do mine on my T6. I’ve not actually upgraded the ones on our Fiat Ducato. And the reason is they have to be E marked now. I took them out of my T6 for the MOT because they should fail an MOT in our Fiat Ducato. I have fitted Osram Nightbreaker 200s. They’re an H7 bulb, 200% brighter. An LED one is about 700% or even 900% brighter. But I’ve not fitted them yet. I am tempted to try and just see what the effect is for off-road use only.
[00:40:20] Keith Gooden: Yeah, and this is one subject that’s got up to government, isn’t it? The Department of Transport. The brightness of some of these new headlights is causing issues on things like motorways and high-speed roads because they’re blinding people. And I came across one the other day. A Volvo was coming towards me. I could have sworn he had the full beam on, and it was blinding me. And I flashed him and my wife said, no. She said, that’s just one of those new headlights.
[00:40:43] Matt Sims: He might have had the main beam on. But the problem with LED is that the beam pattern splurges everywhere. Unlike the traditional H7, which is a very much a reflected beam and very controlled. So it shouldn’t blind oncoming motorists. And that’s the problem with aftermarket LED. They are not E marked. If you can find an E marked one then that would be okay to use. I have heard good reviews of Katur LEDs. I’m sure they are from China. I was actually looking ahead of today at the reviews. They’re about £35 a pair, and you would have to buy four if you’re going to do dipped and main beam. I am considering putting LEDs in my main beam because I would turn them off when a motorist is coming toward me. I’ve also considered putting an LED bar on the front that I can turn on and off in isolation. You can, though, buy manufacturer OEM LED headlights. So original equipment from the manufacturer. But they are £700 to £1,000 per light. Very expensive versus £35 for a pair on that well-known auction site.
[00:41:54] Keith Gooden: But the problem is, a lot of Chinese factories are turning out fabulous stuff, as we know. But there are some people who are selling on well-known sites and not-so-well-known sites and badging it as high quality but not actually selling you high quality because it’s coming from halfway around the world. So you’ve got to be careful how you buy, haven’t you?
[00:42:14] Matt Sims: Absolutely. There’s lots of content on YouTube of people making this comparison, but the big thing is that LEDs aftermarket are illegal and you will fail an MOT and you will blind oncoming motorists. So you need to take responsibility for that. And it’s on your head if you do it – or consider spending a small fortune on a new pair of headlights.
[00:42:33] Keith Gooden: Jo Woolnough got in touch.
[00:42:35] Jo Woolnough: Jo here, your friend with a high-rise chair. Just wanted to let you know for those people that got fined in their motorhome going through Portsmouth, there is a site they can go to where they can put their registration number in, and it will tell them whether or not they are actually going to be fined. Gives a list of all the Clean Air zones and the site that they need to go to is very long winded. It’s vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk. Our motorhome, as you know, is over five and a half tonnes and therefore we were classed as an HGV. So we were really thrilled that our van could go into Portsmouth and not get a fine at all. It was cleared, so hopefully your other people who listen to your show do exactly the same. And you can create an account. Hope you’re well. Bye for now.
[00:43:39] Keith Gooden: Jo, much appreciated. I’ll just repeat that website again because it is quite complicated. Pen and paper at the ready again. vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk.
[00:44:00] Matt Sims: There we are. And remember, you don’t automatically get a fine. You only pay the toll. You get a fine if you don’t pay the toll.
[00:44:05] Keith Gooden: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:44:07] Matt Sims: So do check your vehicle before you go anywhere to see if you have to pay the toll. And if you don’t, as you know, you get the fine.
[00:44:13] Keith Gooden: Yep. And, you know, then it’s like not paying your TV licence. People don’t get put in prison for not paying.
[00:44:19] Matt Sims: Let’s not start on TV licences.
[00:44:20] Keith Gooden: They get put in prison for not paying the subsequent fine the court imposes. John Shaw’s in Bristol. How do you find people to provide a gas safety certificate to vans that are rented out? I struggle to find anyone that is able to issue a certificate on my campervan.
[00:44:37] Matt Sims: That is a really great question, John. So this applies to a motorhome or campervan if you’re hiring it out. It has to have an annual gas safety certificate, not just a habitation check. John, you very kindly told us you’re in Bristol. This is a real-world challenge and I can recommend a company called Cosy Home Services. Paul is brilliant. He’s only recently started servicing motorhomes. He’s been a gas engineer for houses and is now looking after motorhomes. And he does the gas checks for all our hire fleet. So just Google Cosy Home Services Bristol. They don’t yet have a website or a Facebook page. The chap’s name is Paul. His phone number is there. Give him a bell and he’ll come to you and you’ll do it for you.
[00:45:19] Keith Gooden: So it just remains for me to say with Matt, Happy New Year to you.
[00:45:24] Matt Sims: Happy New Year.
[00:45:25] Keith Gooden: And look forward to the year coming ahead. Some of this in the last 45 minutes or so, we’ve been, you know, a bit down and a bit glum, haven’t we? But it’s not that – you were just discussing what’s actually happening.
[00:45:36] Matt Sims: It’s been a challenging year.
[00:45:37] Keith Gooden: If you’re thinking of buying a motorhome…
[00:45:40] Matt Sims: Go and do it.
[00:45:40] Keith Gooden: Do it, do it. Have a great time with your family or your mates or whatever. Hang on a second.
[00:45:46] Matt Sims: He’s drinking. He’s not going to stop talking anytime soon.
[00:45:49] Keith Gooden: And keep watching and listening. 2.2 million people can’t be wrong, so let’s double it. So how do people get in touch?
[00:45:55] Matt Sims: We love it if you did. Please, your questions are our gold. Head to mhmp.info/askmatt. Fill in the form or hit the orange button. Please tell us where in the world you are, and we’ll include you in a future episode of the podcast.
[00:46:08] Keith Gooden: And if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
[00:46:17] Matt Sims: And would you please do us a little favour? A little New Year gift. Leave us a review, a five star review. We would love it if you would head to mhmp.info/review.
[00:46:27] Keith Gooden: And if people want to follow, what should they do?
[00:46:30] Matt Sims: If you’re listening on your favourite podcast app, click follow. And if you’re watching on YouTube, please press subscribe and that little bell. Happy New Year.
[00:46:38] Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
