Exclusive crash test video of the latest Bebb campervan seats and seatbelts, which are used in Leisuredrive campervans

Leisuredrive now fits crash-tested seating to its new conversions after it became an approved fitting centre for Bebb Ltd, which produces crash-tested Volkswagen T5 rear bench seats (rock 'n' roll beds), lay flat seats and front swivel seat bases.

This means the seats Leisuredrive fits to its T5 conversions have been crash tested to the standard needed to conform to the European Directive EC76/115/EEC, as can be seen in the following videos.

This means they will retain their integrity and safety in a 30mph smash.

This testing is not cheap – £50,000 per seat – and required two re-tests before the seating passed, which included reinforcing the under chassis fixing points.

Bebb’s bench/bed is dedicated for T5 conversions and also includes two integrated three-point seatbelts plus Isofix points for children’s safety seats.

Isofix fittings allow for childseats to be fixed directly to the vehicle's chassis rather than just being restrained by seatbelts. You can see them being tested in the following video.

“We recommend that everyone considering buying a converted van ask what crash testing has been carried out…and then ask for evidence,” explains David Park business development manager at Bebb.

But it is not just about crash safety. The DVLA and insurance companies are taking a greater interest in van conversions, as David explains: “Insurance companies will not just insure these conversions now – they want to see that it is a reputable converter who has carried out the work and they want that backed up by certified products.

"This is where we come in – we crash test our seats and then we will only supply to converters who we have trained and inspected so we know they are fitting them correctly using the correct parts.”

And Leisuredrive is one of these converters.

But the seats are not cheap – the rock n roll bed costs close to £2,000 – and this additional cost must be reflected in the higher conversion price.

“But can you put a cost on safety?” asks David.

And the seats are impressive: not only have they been crash tested to a level that replicates a 30-mph collision, but they are also well designed.

They fold down in one simple movement to form a double bed of 6 feet by 4 feet and have a simple quick release, which means it can be removed turning the camper back into a van.