nv200 hero 2 - Nissan NV200 Camper: camping conversion review

Nissan NV200 Camper: camping conversion review

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nv200 camper review

This is the definitive Nissan NV200 car camping review. Continue reading if you want to know:

  • NV200 size & measurements for car camping – both van and passenger versions
  • It’s comfort & driving rating
  • How good is NV200 for sleeping in
  • What type of person is a NV200 camper best suited for
  • How it compares to other car camping / microcamper cars – our rating & overall cars table
  • Meet the all-electric e-NV200 camper

Nissan NV200 Camper Review Summary

Nissan NV200 car camping / microcamper review

Lukas Cech – Nimblecamper.com

nv200 hero 2 - Nissan NV200 Camper: camping conversion review
Boot length 204cm
Boot height 136cm
Storage
Comfort (interior)
Comfort (driving)
Consumption

Summary

The Nissan NV200 is a very spacious car for its size. It is one of the tallest and offers a lot of headroom for a DIY camping conversion. Where it lacks behind is drive and interior comfort. It’s not a vehicle you would choose for long journeys – but of course, if you are not used to the comfort of higher class MPVs like a Sharan or your previous car, this won’t be a problem. It will get you there and you’ll be happily camping in its big boot, especially if you want to do your own DIY camper conversion or buy a camping box. For a simple conversion (not putting many storage options in) it doesn’t offer many built-in storage compartments in the back, you better come up with some good solutions yourself.
Nissan NV200 camper still ranks quite high in our 30+ cars for car camping table – mainly because of its boot height.

3.4
PROs
  • it is very spaciouslong and tall, easy to sit in even when converted to a camping car at the back – it’s one of the biggest small cars you can find out there if you want size
  • boot floor is flat + lower than most MPVs
  • good price on models from 2016 – around 13,000 GBP
  • sliding middle doors + tailgate (why is this important)
  • front passenger back rest can be folded down horizontally to form a table
  • 7 seater offers many seat configurations – you can either take them all, or fold them individually (good for temporary camping or 1 person)
  • good for DIY conversions (doesn’t come with too many built in compartments, therefore offers more room for your own, without having to take the original ones out)
CONs
  • not the most comfortable for long journeys, motorways (loud wind noise)
  • limited built-in storage options at the back
  • not a 4×4 – ok for some off-road, but not too much
  • many reviews mention good consumption, but actual reports on fuelly.com report worse actual consumption than other MPVs Caddy, Berlingo or Sharan. I have found other claims of 40+ MPG (UK) from some users and or HonestJohn.co.uk, so there’s some mixed info out there.

How does the NV200 compare to other everyday campers?

It places closer to the top of our list, so not bad! Although its electric version e-NV200 takes the lead, the combustion engine NV200 is still a good size camper.

Not sure if you should get a van or the MPV / passenger version?

This post will help you decide:

Is Nissan NV200 a good car for car camping?

This section focuses on assessing how this car performs in a car camping setting – space, storage, features useful for camping, and extendability (how easy it is to add car camping gear).


Key information

  • Car type: MPV/Minivan
  • Make: Nissan
  • Folded seats boot length (cm): 204 (van or passenger with seats removed, 156 with seats folded & lifted up)
  • Boot height (cm): 136
  • Boot width (cm): 150 (2nd row doors) / 122 (trunk / wheel arches)
  • avg MPG (UK): 30 – (but different sources say different things (I’ve found 40+mpg too))
  • avg l/100km consumption: 10 (real world data suggests a range between 6 and 11)
  • EURO NCAP safety rating (2014) – 3/5
  • ADAC rating (lower = better) – 2.8/5

External rating (not focused on car camping):

Whatcar.com rating (Electric version): 4/5 • Autoexpress.co.uk rating (Electric version): 2.5/5
Autoexpress.co.uk (standard version): 3/5 • Carbuyer.co.uk rating (Electric version): 3/5 • TheAA.com rating: 3.5/5

Average external rating: 3.2/5

So to answer your question:

🏆Best cars for camping 🏆

1.
4.0/5⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
2.
Honda Odyssey 🇺🇸
4.0/5⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
3.
3.9/5⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
4.
3.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
  1. Fiat Doblò camper XL, High Roof 🇪🇺 4.0/5
  2. Honda Odyssey 🇺🇸 4.0/5
  3. Volkswagen Sharan 🇪🇺 3.9/5
  4. Caddy Maxi Camper (Life) 🇪🇺 3.8/5

See all cars in our database, their boot dimensions and more ➡️

Ancestry US CA UK AU

Can you sleep in the back of a Nissan NV200?

You can indeed stretch your legs even if you’re 190cm tall. Nissan NV200 is a very good car for car camping – it’s not the most comfortable one for driving, but it’s spacious and offers a good level of DIY camping conversion options. The biggest advantage is its boot height – at 136cm it’s the tallest boot out of all MPVs we’ve looked at. You will have plenty of headroom even with a bigger storage + bed conversion. This is achieved in part by a lower load of the boot floor – 52cm vs 58cm in a Sharan or 59cm in a Caddy and by the overall height of 186cm vs 172cm of a Sharan or 183cm Caddy). Or you can just fold down all seats and chuck a bed on top of them – no need for a hardcore DIY conversion. This makes it a good entry-level camping car, but also a good option for DIY enthusiasts (the seats can be easily taken out, see below). It’s also well priced – 2016 models go for around 13,000 GBP. It’s not an offroad car so don’t expect a thrilling offroad ride, but it does offer a slightly higher ground clearance compared to say a Sharan (158 vs 152cm).

The middle row of seats can be folded down (only the backrests) or lifted up towards the front. I wouldn’t recommend lifting them up as it will make the entire length of the sleeping area much shorter (about 1.56m vs the full 2.04m). But folding them down is akin to many other MPVs – you can’t store much there but you can put the car bed on top of them. This makes the Nissan a good camper – it’s ok for the occasional camping enthusiast (the seats all fold with enough room for sleeping). A reversible camper if you’d like. But once the seats are removed, a serious DIY camper can do a lot with the space. Although you might want to get the van version for this anyway.

Once the seats are removed, there’s lots of room – you can fit two euro pallets next to each other, no problem! (Although this is confirmed for the van version, not sure if it’s the same in the passenger version).

You can fold the backrests of all 5 seats at the back (if you have a 7-seater) – which will create a good flat surface for a car bed. But – there won’t be much storage space.

The passenger’s front seat backrest folds down flat and can be used as a table or for a single bed in a 1 person DIY conversion.

Dimensions, boot size & Storage

  • Folded seats boot length (cm): 204 (van or passenger with seats removed, 156 with seats folded & lifted up)
  • Boot height (cm): 136
  • Boot width (cm): 124 (wheel arches) 150 between middle doors
  • Overall height (cm): 186
  • Overall length (cm): 456 (440 older models)
  • Overall width (cm): 176
  • Ground clearance (cm): 158

It’s a very big booth considering the exterior length and width is smaller than some other MPVs (Sharan, Caddy). The height is great – one of the tallest boots in the MPV world. Plenty of headroom even if you put a bed with storage in :).

The boot size easily beats its rival MPVs like the Berlingo (and its copies – Partner, Combo, Kangoo), Sharan, Caddy (but not Caddy Maxi). For a standard MPV, it offers a great amount of space in the boot and is a great candidate for sleeping inside, for a DIY camping conversion or fitting it with a ready-made camping box.

Is the Nissan NV200 reliable?

According to RepairPal, the NV200 is above average reliable – 4/5 points, making it one of the most reliable vans from their database (US). This result is also confirmed by withclutch.com research.

Do they still make the Nissan NV200?

Not anymore, the combustion engine NV200 has been discontinued in 2021. It has been replaced with the Nissan Townstar.

Storage

NV200 has 13 different storage spaces. The centre upper tray and glove box are ideal for paperwork. There are storage trays between the seats and in front of the passenger (when no passenger airbag is fitted). Holders for your drinks, bottles and cans on the dashboard, are easy to reach. The large door pockets can hold an A4 road map. NV200 has concealed storage too, such as the
drawer under the driver’s seat, a secret compartment in the glove box and a convenient central console.

What I like are the driver & passenger’s bottle holders at the windows (as opposed to the usual middle placement). Each has his/her own side, not getting into our way :).

Storage in the back

There’s not that many storage compartments in the back – a small one in the side doors and a couple of small ones in the boot – they are more like bottle holders than anything. On the other hand, if you will do your own DIY camping conversion, the boot is wider (except the wheel arches), so you can fit more compartments in – easily build them on top of the wheel arches whilst still having enough room for a bed.

To get more storage space, you can remove all rear seats completely and replace them with your own storage boxes & car bed.

How to remove NV200 rear seats?

In short – you need to unscrew them manually, therefore it’s a more permanent modification than just finding the backrests down. But you’ll get a lot of space thanks to that 🙂

Electric sockets – 12V outlets

There should be one 12V outlet in the front and (possibly, might be optional in some models) one in the back (back of the centre console) – plus there might be a USB socket but that’s an optional extra.

Nissan official video Nissan NV200 2016 Power outlets.

Is Nissan NV200 a good car for driving?

This can get very subjective – you can see more detailed reviews on these websites:

Whatcar.com rating (Electric version): 4/5 • Autoexpress.co.uk rating (Electric version): 2.5/5
Autoexpress.co.uk (standard version): 3/5 • Carbuyer.co.uk rating (Electric version): 3/5 • TheAA.com rating: 3.5/5

For anyone spoilt by the plush cabins of MPVs from the major players, Nissan’s NV200 Combi is not for them. If, on the other hand, you value low running costs, a durable interior, a versatile cabin and ease of use, Nissan’s alternative people mover should appeal. It might be based on a van, but even vans are much improved now and the long-held perception of them being inferior to other modes of transport is just that.
TheAA.com

Overall, the Nissan NV200 isn’t a car you’d love to take on long journeys. It’s a van that has been kitted out with seats and some interior upgrades, but it’s still a van base. According to the reviews, the ride can be a little more firm than what you’d expect from an MPV, the engine noise does become intrusive when loaded (although not sure at what load weight). If you want space at a low price and (supposedly) low consumption, this is the car for you. But if you want a comfortable drive and interior creature comforts for long journeys, you might be better off with a Sharan.

The NV200 is a very slim, compact van that runs on relatively small wheels for maximum manoeuvrability around town. However, this does mean the ride is a bit bouncy on the open road, while the van isn’t really suited to long motorway journeys.
Autoexpress.co.uk

Here’s something you don’t get with many other MPVs – you can get the NV200 as a fully electric van!

Electric small NV200 camper van – e-NV200

Somehow the chosen music just doesn’t fit the car… the car is too child-like for such pensive music…

Nissan NV200 camper & microcamper conversions gallery

Useful links about Nissan NV200 campers

Lots of images, DIY conversions info and experiences from a fellow Nissan NV200 camping enthusiast – Dinkum

Awesome images – dimensions of pretty much every part of the NV200: https://nv200vanconversion.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/dimensions-for-converting-an-nv200/

Or check out the entire blog – it covers an entire Nissan NV200 camper conversion from A to Z!
https://nv200vanconversion.wordpress.com/



Post author:

Lukas

Founder of NimbleCamper.com, avid traveler and outdoor enthusiast. Car camping and microcamping allows me to keep traveling and exploring with a much greater level of freedom & privacy – to go anywhere and sleep anywhere. I didn’t have 30K to buy a VW Multivan, so found my way to the world of everyday car camping conversions. Here I share my experiences and what I learn.

Check out my thoughts on a balanced life: sensimism.com

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