Parkdean Resorts' New Caravan Grade System - Is It Worth Upgrading?

Our guide to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Deluxe caravans at Parkdean Resorts for 2025 and 2026 holidays

Parkdean Resorts now has six grades of caravan and three grades of lodge (picture shows a Deluxe Lodge)

Prepare yourself for great excitement and thrills ahead! Parkdean Resorts has a new grading system for its caravans! 

Perhaps I am in the minority getting excited about this but trust me when I say this is a big deal for a holiday park nerd like myself.

Over the years, we have found Parkdean's caravan grading system quite confusing, which has made it difficult to do comparisons between resorts. We wrote a guide three years ago to Parkdean's grades, but it's mostly irrelevant now (so much so that I won't even bother linking to it here).

The new system from Parkdean Resorts is much clearer and quite similar to that used by Haven, which is discussed in mind-numbing detail in this blog.

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What grades of caravan are available with Parkdean Resorts under the new grading system?

There are now six grades of caravan at Parkdean Resorts including:

• Bronze (£)
• Bronze Premium (£)
• Silver (££)
• Silver Premium (££)
• Gold (£££)
• Gold Premium (£££)

There are also three grades of lodge at Parkdean Resorts including:

• Superior (££££)
• Deluxe (£££££)
• Prestige (££££££)

(We've used £ symbols to help you keep track of which are the cheaper and more expensive accommodation options, but they are only a guide. The 'Premium' upgrades cost more but we didn't want to end up with a great big row of pound symbols).

Personally, I find the caravan gradings more logical than the lodge gradings. A pedant might point out that 'Superior' can't logically be the cheapest grade, as it's actually 'Inferior' to the other grades. Luckily, I am not such a pedant so I won't mention this (Ed: too late).

This is a typical Bronze grade caravan at Parkdean Resorts - but each resort is slightly different

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A quick explainer about caravan grades before we go any further

It's important to point out is that there is not 100% consistency within caravan grades at Parkdean Resorts. Caravan parks tend to update their stock gradually, as well as buying and selling holiday parks over the years.

Brands such as Parkdean Resorts and Haven tend to retrofit a grading system by assessing each caravan to see whether it's a bronze, silver or gold model -rather than buying a range of caravans that are sold as being 'bronze grade' or 'silver grade'.

​We've had this confirmed by Parkdean Resorts, which says that:

'While all accommodations in a category share similar features as listed in the comparison table the appearance, layout, and views may vary depending on the park and location'.

You also won't find every grade and every upgrade available at all 65 Parkdean Resorts in the UK.

However, Parkdean Resorts has produced a useful PDF and Q&A about the new grading system, which we will be referring to throughout this guide.

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What's the difference between Bronze, Silver and Gold caravans at Parkdean Resorts?

The main difference between Bronze (£), Silver (££) and Gold (£££) caravans at Parkdean Resorts is how spacious they are. The grading looks like this:

• Bronze caravans are at least 240 square feet
• Silver caravans are at least 384 square feet
• Gold caravans are at least 432 square feet

At this point, you are probably trying to figure out what 240 square feet looks like. Will it be enough to stop your three teenage sons falling out with each other after twenty minutes?

​Thankfully, I've spent ages scratching my head over this to save you the bother.

We can't say exactly, but my best estimate is that:

• Typical bronze caravans will be about 3m x 7m
• Typical silver caravans will be about 3.7m x 10m
• Typical gold caravans will be about 3.7m x 11m

(A few boring but important notes about these calculations: I have jumped to the conclusion that Bronze caravans are mostly 10 foot wide models, whilst Silver and Gold models are generally 12 foot wide models. I don't know for sure that this is always the case. I've also done some major rounding and not accounted for the fact that Parkdean says that these are minimum sizes).

Silver caravans - like this one - are slightly bigger than the Bronze caravans

Gold caravans add a bit more space, so you won't be falling each other as much

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Besides size, what are the other differences between Parkdean's caravan grades?

According to the official comparison table, size is the only difference between the Bronze (£), Silver (££) and Gold (£££) caravans at Parkdean Resorts. They all come with:

• Entertainment passes (known as 'Hub passes')
• Heating and double glazing (thank goodness)
• A kitchen (seems pretty essential)
• Beds made up
• A shower

None of them come with towels included and none of them have hot tubs. You can also pay for upgrades, regardless of whether you choose Bronze (£), Silver (££) or Gold (£££) including:

• Dedicated parking
• Decking with outside seating
• Ensuite facilities
• Sea or lake view (obviously this only applies if there is a sea view or lake view at the resort!)​

Your choice of upgrades will obviously be limited by what is actually available at the particular park you are looking at. 

So far, so simple, right?

​Hold onto your hats, as I'm about to reveal something pretty sensational (Ed: great teaser, this is really thrilling stuff).

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However, there's also the option of a 'Premium' upgrade

Within each grade (Bronze, Silver and Gold) you can also choose a 'Premium' upgrade. Officially, this means that the caravan offers 'Premium Quality'.

What exactly does this mean? 

Parkdean Resorts doesn't offer a lot of detail, beyond saying that you will get 'higher-end fixtures and fittings'.

We previously advised people to look out for newer caravans, as this was highlighted on Parkdean's site. When we've stayed with Parkdean Resorts or looked round sites we have always prioritised new caravans, as these tend to be in the best condition and have nicer fittings.

However, Parkdean Resorts now say that 'Accommodation isn't grouped by age' in the way that it used to be (at one stage, newer caravans were labelled as 'new on park' on the booking page). So, it won't necessarily by the case that 'Premium Quality' means that it is a newer caravan.

You can request a specific caravan 'for a small fee' once you've booked, so you could theoretically contact them and ask for a newer caravan - but it's not a simple option.

At this stage, we don't know a lot about what you get for a 'Premium Quality' upgrade as Parkdean Resorts hasn't shared its assessment criteria.

However, we'll keep gathering information and update this page when we've visited a few more resorts for ourselves or come closer to figuring it out.

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What about lodges at Parkdean Resorts? How are they graded?

Lodge grading at Parkdean Resorts works in a similar way.

• The cheapest lodges are called 'Superior' models (££££). They are at least 456 square foot, which typically would be about 3.7m x 12m
• The mid-priced lodges are the 'Deluxe' models (£££££), which are at least 800 square foot. That would typically be about 5m x 16m or 6m x 20m.
• The most expensive lodges are called 'Premium' models (££££££). They are the same size as the Deluxe models but have the same promise of 'Premium Quality'.

Again, we don't exactly know what is included in 'Premium Quality' fittings. 

Hot tubs are theoretically available with all three grades of lodges, although it does depend on which resort you are staying at. You get towels included with all three grades of lodge.

This is the sort of thing you'll get with a Deluxe Lodge at Parkdean Resorts

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How much extra will I pay for upgrading caravan grades at Parkdean Resorts holiday parks? Is it worth it?

Let's talk money!

We will look at an example to see how the upgrades affect the prices.

We looked for a week's holiday at Sea Acres in early August 2026 for four people. We looked for a two bedroom property and were quoted:

• £1069 for a Bronze caravan (£)
• £1179 for a Silver caravan (££)
• £1439 for a Gold Premium caravan (£££)
• £2129 for a Premium Lodge (££££££)

There were other upgrades available, including an extra bedroom and a sea view but these prices were all for two bedroom properties.

So, upgrading from Bronze (£) to Silver (££) and getting a bit more space would cost £110 extra. If we wanted more space and 'Premium Quality' then it would cost us £370 (Bronze vs Gold Premium). Upgrading to a Premium lodge (significantly larger, towels included and Premium Quality) would cost us £1060.

And here's the same accommodation for an off-peak week in early October 2026:

• £331 for a Bronze caravan (£)
• £367 for a Silver caravan (££)
• £451 for a Gold Premium caravan (£££)
• £889 for a Premium Lodge (££££££)

In this instance, upgrading from Bronze to Silver costs just £36. Upgrading to Gold Premium is £120. Upgrading to the highest grade costs about £550.

Personally, I would cough up for an upgrade or two outside of peak season but would be a bit more hesitant during school holidays!

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A quick conclusion

Parkdean Resorts' new grading system is a simple way to figure out how spacious your accommodation will be.

However, it differs from the grading systems used by Haven and Center Parcs because it doesn't tell you things like whether you get a dishwasher, larger fridge freezer or TV in the bedroom.

The 'Premium' upgrade option will get you 'higher-end fixtures and fittings' but we don't yet have specifics from Parkdean Resorts about what that means. My assumption is that newer caravans are more likely to be graded as Premium but we don't have that confirmed from Parkdean Resorts.