Best cars for car camping & estate car camping conversions

So you have decided to try it out? Enjoy the freedom of microcamping? Well done you! Now just that little detail of what car is best to convert into your microcamper and back to a normal car when you need it*. This post will give you a set of criteria to help you narrow your search + a table of 30 best cars for car camping with their dimensions, comfort and consumption data and ranking.

*(Yep, because I think that’s one of the best features of a microcamper – you’re not stuck with a camper, you have both – a car for the whole family or bunch of friends when needed, and a camper when you feel like it).

I’ve looked at many options out there and did a lot of research before I bought my microcamper. During that search, I relied on simple criteria to ensure I get the most for my buck.

Car camping / microcamper criteria – how we selected these cars

1. It needs to be spacious and comfortable

Have you ever tried to sleep in a car? It’s not the most comfortable of experiences if you don’t have the right equipment and your car isn’t prepared for it. What we are going to focus on is comfortable sleeping in your car – so that you can travel, explore > rest > continue exploring. And comfortable means the ability to stretch your legs when you lie down in the back, without bumping your head into the front seats. A general rule of thumb – you’ll need 180cm (5.9ft) boot length with rear seats folded down. I’ll allow some buffer as you can always move the front seats forward and easily gain about 20cm. That should give enough comfortable space for the average man (~175cm / 5.74ft) and woman (~163cm / 5.34ft).

2. It should be affordable – (car price max 10,000 EUR / 11,700 USD)*

This isn’t about buying a 70K campervan with everything ready for sleeping and just driving around. It’s about being creative with what you have and low cost. There’s no need to invest a lot into car camping. If you have an average size car (most sedans will do, a station wagon (combi in EU) or an SUV are even better, and the best is an MPV/Minivan – which is specifically aimed at providing more space inside.

*I understand this might be too subjective – you can set your own threshold of what’s affordable. These values should work well enough in EU / US.

3. Car camping gear that’s easily removable – portable & minimalist

One car is enough to work as your standard day-to-day car and also as your camping car. Having two cars (one for day-to-day, another for camping is an unnecessary luxury). The setup shouldn’t require a whole car rebuild – where you throw seats out and make it a camper forever. Nowadays, it’s easy enough to just fold down rear seats and throw a mattress in (in the most minimalist way), or add a few creative touches and handy gear to turn any standard car / suv into a useful and comfortable camper. And then take this gear out to have a standard car back again. A removable camper conversion is the goal.

Check out this page for a more details overview of our criteria:

Best camping cars to sleep in 2021: The comparison table

On mobile? Scroll the table to the right for more info (MPG, l/100km…) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My top pick – VW Sharan (or Seat Alhambra)

Obviously! I put my money where my mouth is as I have bought this one in 2020 and thoroughly tested it all summer. I was deciding between a VW Caddy Maxi Life and a Sharan, eventually found a Sharan sooner and really enjoyed the good balance between space and comfort.

Other good car camping candidates

VW Caddy Maxi Life

The VW Caddy Maxi Life version is extra long & tall and therefore perfectly suited for car camping purposes. You won’t get as much comfort out of the ride and interior as you would in a Sharan, but it’s still a good level.

Other things to think about

To make sure you pick the best car for your needs, think about these points:

• do you need a 4×4 – SUV type? You do if you plan to go offroad properly
• do you want a car for long journeys – are you going to spend a lot of time driving as well as camping? Then pick a car with higher comfort rating. If not, you should be good with a lower comfort rating, but better other attributes like boot size
• in terms of storage – if you plan to carry a lot of stuff, think about getting a roof box / cargo carrier
• if you’re a single person – you might have more fun with a 4×4, there’s plenty of room for one person (as seen in this Subaru Outback camping conversion)
• there are shorter cars (boot under 170cm) that aren’t in our table – you can still fit a 180cm person in them if you push the front seats all the way to the front + tilt the backrests. Not ideal, but if you find a car that you love with a boot like this – go for it
• for most of car camping, you don’t need a proper 4×4 offroad vehicle – there’s a good enough road going to so many places nowadays + a standard car can handle quite a bit of rough terrain too 🙂