Choosing Your Campervan
Power & Electrics
How much power do you actually need?
You don't need to understand electrical engineering to choose a campervan. But you do need to think about what you want to power, where you'll camp and how long you want to stay away from electric hook-up.
Enough power for your adventures — without paying for a system you don't need.
Power & electrics: the quick answer
Keep it simple if…
you mainly use campsites with electric hook-up, take shorter trips and only need power for lights, a fridge, phones and USB devices.
Consider more battery + solar if…
you regularly camp without electric hook-up, stay in one place for several days or want greater independence.
Consider an inverter if…
you genuinely need to run 230V mains equipment when you're away from hook-up.
But…
don't start by asking “how big a battery should I buy?” Start with “What do I actually want to power — and for how long?”
It's about how you camp, not the specification
Before getting into Ah, watts, lithium batteries and solar panels, think about a normal trip. Your answers to these questions will determine the electrical system far more usefully than simply buying the biggest battery you can afford.
- Will you mostly stay on campsites with electric hook-up?
- Spend nights without hook-up?
- Stay in one place for several days?
- Drive most days?
- Camp mainly in summer or throughout the year?
- Need to charge laptops, cameras or e-bikes?
- Use an electric kettle, coffee machine or hairdryer?
- Run a compressor fridge continuously?
The four parts of campervan power
Power in
- Driving
- Solar
- Hook-up
Store it
battery
Power out
- 12V equipmentLights, fridge, water pump etc.
- USB / USB-CPhones, tablets, cameras etc.
- 230V via inverterLaptops, coffee machines etc.
Charging while driving
A DC-DC charger can use the vehicle's electrical system to recharge your leisure battery while you travel.
Worth thinking about:
If you move most days, driving can be an important part of your charging strategy.
Solar
Solar panels can put energy back into the leisure battery whenever conditions allow.
Worth thinking about:
Solar generation varies with weather, season, panel size and shading. Don't assume the headline wattage is what you'll always get.
Electric hook-up
A campsite hook-up provides nominal 230V AC and, where the van has an appropriate charger, can recharge the leisure battery as well as supplying mains equipment.
Worth thinking about:
It's a convenient way to keep your battery topped up.
Leisure battery
This is where the energy you use when you're not connected to mains is stored.
Worth thinking about:
The important question isn’t simply “How big is the battery?” It’s “How much usable energy does it give me for the way I camp?”
What will you actually power?
Different equipment uses different amounts of power. It's often the things that produce heat that completely change the electrical system you need.
| What you want to use | Think about |
|---|---|
| LED lights | Relatively small demand |
| Phone / USB charging | Usually small |
| Water pump | Usually intermittent |
| Compressor fridge | Runs regularly |
| Diesel heater | Needs electrical power as well as fuel |
| Laptop | Moderate requirement |
| Camera / drone batteries | Depends how often you recharge |
| E-bike | Potentially significant |
| Coffee machine | High short-term demand |
| Electric kettle | High demand |
| Hairdryer | Very high demand |
| Induction cooking | Potentially very high demand |
12V or 230V — what's the difference?
12V
Your leisure battery supplies DC electricity directly. Typically used for:
- Lighting
- Fridge
- Water pump
- USB outlets
- Heater controls / fans
- Other campervan equipment
230V
This is essentially the type of supply you have at home. In the van it normally comes from either electric hook-up or an inverter converting battery power to 230V AC.
Having 230V sockets doesn't necessarily mean they work when you're not plugged into a campsite.
Do you need an inverter?
Probably not if…
Everything you use can operate from 12V or USB/USB-C.
Possibly if…
You occasionally need to run laptops, chargers or other mains-only equipment.
More likely if…
You want to run equipment such as coffee machines, hairdryers, domestic kitchen equipment or other higher-powered 230V appliances.
But remember…
An inverter doesn't give you more energy. It simply converts the energy stored in your battery into 230V AC. The higher the appliance power, the faster you'll use that stored energy.
AGM or lithium leisure battery?
AGM
Advantages
- Lower initial cost
- Established technology
Trade-offs
- Heavier
- Less usable capacity for a given nominal Ah
- Typically slower charging
Lithium (usually LiFePO₄)
Advantages
- More usable capacity
- Lighter for equivalent useful energy
- Can accept higher charging rates
Trade-offs
- Higher initial cost
- Charging system must be compatible
- Battery management and low-temperature charging protection matter
What about solar?
Solar makes more sense if…
- You regularly camp without hook-up
- You stay parked for several days
- You camp predominantly during brighter months
- Your daily electricity consumption is modest
Solar becomes less dependable if…
- You camp extensively in winter
- You're parked in shade
- You have large electrical loads
- You're expecting the panel's rated output all day
Solar is a charging source, not an unlimited power supply.
Put it into real life
These aren't specifications — they're prompts to help you work out what you actually need.
| If this sounds like you… | Think about… |
|---|---|
| Weekend campsite user | Simple system may be enough |
| Usually use EHU | Battery capacity may matter less |
| Regularly drive between sites | Good DC-DC charging |
| 2–3 days without hook-up | Battery capacity + solar |
| Longer off-grid stays | Larger battery + multiple charging sources |
| Laptop / camera-heavy travel | Higher daily consumption |
| Electric cooking | Much higher electrical requirement |
| Winter touring | Don't rely heavily on solar |
| E-bike charging | Include it in your power calculation |
The Campervan Considered view
Start with what you use, not what you can install.
It's easy to get drawn into lithium batteries, huge solar panels and powerful inverters. But a bigger electrical system costs more, takes up space and adds weight.
I'd list everything I genuinely expect to use, work out how often I'll be away from hook-up, and only then choose a system capable of supporting that.
The best electrical system isn't necessarily the biggest one. It's the one that lets you use your campervan the way you want to.
Five questions I'd ask before buying
- 1What will I actually plug in?
- 2How often will I have electric hook-up?
- 3How long do I want the van to last without hook-up?
- 4How will I recharge the battery?
- 5Do I genuinely need 230V away from hook-up?
Don't forget to check this when viewing a campervan
- Leisure battery type and capacity
- Age of the battery
- DC-DC / alternator charging fitted?
- Solar fitted — and how many watts?
- Solar controller type
- Electric hook-up fitted?
- Does hook-up charge the leisure battery?
- Inverter fitted — what wattage?
- Which sockets work away from hook-up?
- USB-C / USB charging available?
- Battery monitor fitted?
- Evidence of professional installation?
- Unplug the hook-up and see what still works
Watch or listen
Campervan Power & Electrics: batteries, solar, hook-up and inverters, explained without the electrical-engineering rabbit hole.
Next guide
Solar & charging
You've worked out how much power you need. Now let's look at how you're going to keep the battery charged.
Campervan Considered checklist
Download the full checklist to help you compare different campervans.
