Although there are quite a few Skoda Roomster campers, it’s not the best car for the job – it’s too short (although you can push the front seats forward and put in a whole 195cm camping bed, you are sacrificing storage space + can’t drive with the bed set up). The only thing that saves the car is a slightly higher boot than a standard estate car. It’s not an expensive car, but that shows in the interior & drive quality. It’s a good choice compared to a VW Golf, but not compared to a Caddy, Peugeot Grand Kangoo (closest in the price range to a Roomster) or a Ford Galaxy.
Many conversions I’ve seen fold the front seats down completely (not towards the front, but they lay the backrest down towards the back) and then build a platform above them. This way, you can get more than 200cm/78in sleeping area – but you are still sacrificing quite a lot of storage space. You can get some of it back by removing the rear seats.
The Prius gives you unmatched consumption whilst still boasting a good-size boot for a station wagon/estate body type, even with the battery being in the boot. So if you are looking for a low-fuel cost car that you still can sleep in, the Toyota Prius is a very good choice.
Good boot length and standard SUV height with better width between the wheel arches. Good for camping when you are planning to venture off the road (albeit not as rugged as the Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun). Plus, Toyota’s hybrid engine is one of the most reliable engines out there. Overall, the Toyota RAV4 ranks very high in terms of reliability. It is also quite a frugal car, especially the hybrid version, with an average consumption of 4.5 l/100km (around 6.5 l/100km for the petrol engine).
There is not much information available about the Dacia Bigster yet. This page collects what is available in one place for you. Watch this space! :) Dacia Bigster’s biggest selling point will be its promise of spaciousness and practicality that we’re accustomed to in larger SUVs, while keeping the price closer to what you’d expect with smaller models.
Dacia Duster is surprisingly spacious and offers high ground clearance (200mm) and 4×4 four-wheel drive, making it a great microcamper. It offers a perfect blend of practicality and affordability. The boot size is shorter than an average SUV, but still, the Duster provides enough room for sleeping inside.
User ratings for the Dacia Duster among camping enthusiasts have been generally positive. The vehicle is appreciated for its affordable price point, spacious interior, and off-road capabilities. Many users have praised the Duster for its versatility. With its reliable performance(1,2,3) and practical features, the Duster has garnered a loyal following among camping enthusiasts seeking an affordable and reliable camping companion.
Feedback from a fellow Duster owner: “With seats folded, the boot floor is not completely even. Back seat’s backrest is on an incline, so the real height from the top of the backrest to the car ceiling is around 70cm.”
This successor of Dacia Lodgy seems to be boasting everything you need from a good car for camping – SUV features to take it off-road, MPV size with 7 seats + a long and spacious boot at a very affordable price. This could be the next best everyday camping car – if you are prepared to let go of a few comforts, slightly lower boot height or accept a lower safety rating.
It’s a good enough camper if you push the front seats forward – giving you enough room to sleep. But its main advantage is that it’s a 4×4, not its size (there are bigger cars in our DB for that).
The Kia Ceed is a typical hatchback that still offers enough sleeping area when the seats are folded away properly. You can sleep in it, but there won’t be much storage or headroom, therefore a roofbox might come in handy.
This is one of the best SUVs in our database for car camping – a big boot overall, but its width stands out the most (see comparison with other SUVs). But – it’s not very well rated on top car reviewing websites and it does eat a lot! You might find the Subaru Forester a bit better (2.8/5 Nimblecamper rating – similar size, better consumption and comfort), or, if you are after something more rugged and mostly for off-road camping, try the Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun)
The Vauxhall / Opel Zafira Tourer is one of the more compact MPVs – close to a Ford S-Max or the VW Touran in terms of size and luxury (only the Tourer, the older Zafira is even smaller and less luxurious). Its rear seats fold flat (newer models), opening up a spacious boot that’s good enough for sleeping two people.
The Chevrolet Orlando was aimed at the MPV market, albeit unsuccessfully – it’s not as big as its rivals a fact that even its lower price didn’t rectify. It’s about as big as a VW Touran, with a smaller rear opening. On the positive side, it does offer some clever storage solutions and its seats fold completely flat, so all you need to do is throw in a mattress and you’re good to sleep in it. Could be a good quick camping solution – just carry the mattress and sleeping gear in the boot and you are always ready for an impromptu camping stop.
Although it might strike you as a big car, its boot is on par with most SUVs – about the same length and height. It is a big city SUV, not that well suited for rugged off-road conditions, like the Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun) for example.
The Land Rover Discovery offers about average boot length and height compared to other SUV Campers but gives you more width. It is a luxurious (and hence expensive) car so it’s not the usual choice people go for when looking for an SUV camper. It offers great off-road capabilities and more luxuries than your average SUV. It’s consumption is also a bit higher than a typical SUV in our database.
The Volvo V60 is a very reliable and safe car. It offers an average size boot for a typical estate/station wagon (combi) body type and slightly higher consumption than other estates.
It’s a good enough camper if you push the front seats forward – giving you enough room to sleep. But its main advantage is that it’s a 4×4, not its size (there are bigger cars in our DB for that).
The Kia Sorento is a spacious SUV that offers ample room for both passengers and cargo, making it a suitable choice for car camping enthusiasts. It is a luxury large SUV which means it offers a longer than usual SUV boot, better safety features, ample storage and a more comfortable ride.
The Kia Sportage is a typical SUV that offers enough sleeping area when the seats are folded away properly. It doesn’t offer anything in terms of size that any other compact SUV in our database doesn’t offer too. It’s boot is 7 cm narrower and 5 cm lower than it’s closest rival, the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. If you like it’s size, but prefer a more rugged outdoor SUV, I’d suggest Subaru Outback.
It is one of the smallest MPVs out there, but sleeping two people in the Nemo is still possible. Preferably average-height people as anyone taller than 180cm might struggle. The 2-seat van version has a slightly larger boot than the Multispace version, but no huge difference.
The 3008 is a comfortable car that’s good to drive, its boot is on the shorter end of the spectrum, but still good 175cm. With front seats pushed forward or sleeping with the bottom tailgate open (and top closed), you can gain even more room. The boot height is 75cm, so don’t put a very thick mattress in if you want some headroom. Make sure you use the removable boot floor (double floor) for storage.
Models until 2016 were classified as MPV, models since then are SUVs.
What Tesla can you camp in? The Model X for sure! The boot easily turns into a bed. You can sleep comfortably in a Tesla Model X – easily fit a 200x100cm mattress inside. There are some DIY conversions to be found out there too (see images and videos below). The biggest advantage of the Model X is the hidden storage compartments you don’t get in many other cars (two big ones in the boot [or one if you have a 7-seater] and one in the front under the hood). Good to store most of your camping gear. There are two things that might put you off – the price tag of course and the relatively low boot height.
“A spacious electric car with a range of up to 305 kilometres that charges itself through the power of the sun.” – this says it all! It is the cheapest electric car out there and on top of that, it has built-in solar panels that can charge the car and your appliances. Or even other cars and things around you.
There isn’t much information available beyond the prototype specs on Sono Motors, but the Sion is looking very promising as a camping car. It isn’t the biggest – but it’s big enough (about as long as the short version of the Caddy). What sets it apart is its ability to charge itself – if you are driving in a sunny country, you could add 112-245km to your range for free!
The boot length is 163cm – not that much for sleeping, but with the front seats pushed forward, you could get 180cm of actual length.
It won’t dazzle you with comfort – it wouldn’t be able to keep its low price tag, but the comfort and luxury-seeking crowd isn’t Sion’s target audience. It’s the environmentally conscious, practicality over comfort and EV-enthusiastic buyer that will find all this in the car.
As it is still a prototype, its dimensions might change – we’ll keep it updated as much as we can!
Skoda Yeti offers about 10cm shorter boot compared to other SUV Campers but comes with much lower consumption. It has been awarded Family Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine. It’s a good car that you can convert into a camper easily, but don’t expect too much headroom or storage space. It’s best combined with a suitable car tent that will give you plenty of living room when camping, whilst you sleep in the boot.
This little fella wouldn’t be the first car you’d think of when going camping. But it is still possible to sleep in it, albeit not very comfortably.
The 500 is shorter than its uglier brothers, the Punto and the Panda, but it is ~13cm taller inside the boot. For this small difference, it consumes quite a bit more!
This little fella wouldn’t be the first car you’d think of when going camping. But it is still possible to sleep in it. Especially for a single person, the typical conversion extends over the front passenger’s seat. The older models (not sure about newer ones) passenger seat backrest folds down almost flat, allowing your bed area to go over it.
This little fella wouldn’t be the first car you’d think of when going camping. But it is still possible to sleep in it. Especially for a single person, the typical conversion extends over the front passenger’s seat. The older models (not sure about newer ones) passenger seat backrest folds down almost flat, allowing your bed area to go over it.
The Punto is a little bit longer than the Panda, but for this small difference, consumes quite a bit more.
This is a small car and shouldn’t be your first choice for car camping. But it is still possible to sleep in the Chevy Bolt, even more than that, there are several ways to do so. But each has its own limitations – it can either fit a single person only, or two shorter people and it might need more DIY and/or throwing the seats out. Read: Can you sleep in a Chevy Bolt?
