These are the best cars for camping. From some of the top off-roaders to practical estates, heycar’s experts have outlined some of the best cars for camping on the market.
Whether you’re looking to embrace staycations or have been sleeping under canvas for decades, a suitable car to take camping will make your life a lot easier (and could even make you the envy of the campsite).
These cars need to have plenty of space for not only you, but also your passengers and all your camping kit. We’ve outlined what we think are some of the best camping cars on the market.
Citroen Berlingo
Year launched: 2018
The Citroen Berlingo is a great family car with bags of space and high comfort levels - making it an ideal camping companion.
It’s actually based on a van (also named the Berlingo), so it’s designed to go long distances at low cost (as well as, of course, carrying things). That means it won’t cost a fortune to buy and run, and it’ll have a huge amount of space for all your camping gear. You can even sleep in it if you wish - indeed, many keen campers convert the Berlingo into a microcamper. Chuck in a flat-pack ‘boot jump’, a camping mat and a cooker, and you’re ready to go. The Berlingo also has equivalents in the shape of the Vauxhall Combo Life and the Peugeot Rifter.
The latest Berlingo arrived in 2018 and early examples are now dropping below £13,000. If you’ve got a big family (or just want more space), look for a seven-seat Berlingo XL. Prices start from around £15,000.
MINI Countryman
Year launched: 2017
Ready for a MINI adventure? In 2017, the car maker paired with roof tent specialist Autohome to develop the ultimate car accessory for camping enthusiasts: a pop-up roof tent.
The two-berth roof tent was offered through MINI dealers for around £2400. It was available in black or white, finished in fibreglass and came with an aluminium ladder for easy access.
MINI says the tent will fit any of its models fitted with roof rails, but we reckon the Countryman is the best suited to camping. Most are four-wheel drive, which comes in handy when tackling muddy campsites, plus the Countryman’s big boot will help carry all your luggage.
Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer
Year launched: 2017
There have been a number of attempts at rugged estate cars over the years. None of them have sold in huge numbers in the UK (buyers instead prefer ‘proper’ small SUVs) but, if anything, that makes them even more appealing in our eyes.
The Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer was briefly offered between 2017 and 2019, accounting for less than 1% of Insignia sales. With an increased ride height, a chunky bodykit and optional all-wheel drive, the Country Tourer is about as lifestyle as a Rab jacket.
In typical Insignia wagon form, its boot big will come in useful when camping (it’s big enough to sleep in if your tent gets blown away), while the diesel engines mean it’ll be cheap to run.
Skoda Fabia Estate
Year launched: 2015
There aren’t many small estate cars on the market, but the Skoda Fabia Estate offers tremendous value for money. It’s essentially a Skoda Fabia (one of the best little cars on the market) with a huge boot for not a lot of extra cash. What’s not to like?
Prices for a new Skoda Fabia Estate start in the region of £15,500 but you can pick up a two-year-old example for less than £9000. We’d look for an SE model for desirable features like air conditioning, rear parking sensors and black roof rails - all of which will come in handy during a camping trip.
All Fabia Estate models come with the plucky little 1.0-litre TSI engine, available with 95 or 110PS, and a choice of manual or DSG automatic transmission. If your budget allows, the more powerful engine will cope better with motorway journeys, especially when fully loaded.
Land Rover Defender
Year launched: 2020
Whether you want to cause a scene at the campsite or wish to venture further than anyone else would dare, the new Land Rover Defender could be the expedition vehicle of your dreams.
It provides peerless off-road ability while, like the MINI Countryman, you can buy an official roof tent developed by Autohome. It costs around €3000 (that’s about £2750) and can sleep two adults, with standard kit including a full-size mattress, pillows, an interior LED lights and an aluminium ladder.
The roof tent works in conjunction with the official Land Rover Expedition Roof Rack and Roof Rails, which come fitted as standard with the Adventure Pack. This also includes an exterior side-mounted carrier (perfect for storing a small, wet tent) and a portable rinse system (ideal for washing your boots after a muddy walk).
There’s nothing stopping you sleeping in a car, provided you’re parked up in a suitable place (not on double yellow lines or on a motorway hard shoulder, for example). We’d recommend leaving a window open slightly to allow fresh air in and make sure you’ve got lots of blankets ot keep warm. Resist having a night cap to help you sleep, too - even if you’re not planning on driving anywhere, the police could still argue that you’re drunk in charge of a motor vehicle.
The joy of camping is it’s accessible to anyone and you don’t really need a special vehicle to do it. You might find a practical estate or SUV comes in handy, particularly if you’re going camping as a family and have lots of gear to carry. Four-wheel-drive vehicles might give you some extra peace of mind, too, especially if you’re looking to visit a muddy campsite in winter or plan to go wild camping.
Electric cars make a lot of sense for camping - especially if you plan an early start and don’t want to wake your neighbours. Many campsites offer pitches with electricity, although some may think you’re being a bit cheeky plugging your car in. We’d encourage you to ask first.
