What does a roof tent really cost?

By the Overlanding.info team · Updated 21 October 2026 · Sources checked 21 October 2026

The short answer

A roof tent costs more than its price tag. Budget for the tent or the hire, roof bars rated for it, any fitting, the accessories you'd actually use, somewhere dry to store it, cleaning and reproofing, and spare parts over time. Ask your insurer too. Check the current price of each item, then put your own figures into the hire vs buy calculator.

What you need to check: what's in the box, whether your bars are suitable, who fits it, where it lives between trips, and what your insurer says.

Purchase or hire

Start with what the quoted price includes. TentBox, for example, says the Classic 2.0 comes with a mattress, a telescopic ladder, an LED light bar and the mounting kit to fix it to your roof bars, and that all the tools and parts are in the box apart from the roof bars. TentBox Classic 2.0. Other makers sell the mounting hardware separately, so compare like with like before comparing prices.

Hire is a different set of costs. Adventure Equipped fits the tent at its base, shows you how to set it up and pack it down, and removes it at the end; you supply the roof bars. It also says some or all of the hire cost may be refunded if you buy a TentBox from it within 12 weeks. Adventure Equipped roof tent hire. Roof Venture offers weekend and full-week hire and lists a minimum dynamic roof load for each tent. Roof Venture hire. Check the current price, the deposit and the damage terms with each hirer.

Buying used can lower the purchase cost but may remove the warranty and leave you buying missing parts. Work through buying a used roof tent before you count on a second-hand saving.

Bars, mounting hardware and fitting

Most roof tents need roof bars, and these are a separate cost unless your car already has suitable ones. Thule describes a rack system as three parts: the load bar, feet that suit your roof type, and a fit kit for your vehicle. It also says not every bar suits a rooftop tent and that the vehicle sets the system's maximum weight. Thule: what a roof rack system is. Check that the bars you price are rated for a tent on your car, using the roof fit guide.

Then check how the tent fixes to the bars. Thule sells its lockable mounting brackets as a separate accessory, and says some of its tents also need separately bought mounting rails. Thule mounting brackets. Lockable fixings or security nuts may be an extra too.

Fitting can be free if you do it yourself, but it isn't effortless. TentBox says you'll need an extra pair of hands to lift the tent onto your bars. TentBox install guide. If you'll pay a retailer or fitter, ask for the current price and whether removal at the end of the season is included. See how to fit a roof tent for what the job involves.

Optional accessories

Accessories are where a budget tends to grow. Common add-ons include an annex or awning, a ventilation or anti-condensation mat, ladder steps, a protective cover, security fixings and a camp kitchen. TentBox sells its ventilation mat separately, to improve airflow under the mattress and reduce condensation. TentBox ventilation mat.

Leave most accessories until after a trip or two. Our trip debrief checklist helps you decide what you were actually missing.

Storage and maintenance

If you take the tent off between trips, you need a dry space with room for it and a way to lift it. TentBox's storage guide lists keeping it flat on a pallet, leaning it against a wall, hoisting it from the ceiling, or a storage trolley, and says to keep it off bare ground. TentBox storage guide. Moby Mountain's tent lift, for example, raises a tent towards a garage or carport ceiling and lowers it for fitting or drying. Moby Mountain tent lift. Check the current price of whichever option fits your space.

Ongoing care has small but regular costs. The same TentBox guide recommends cleaning with mild soap and warm water and reproofing the fabric once a year, and, if the tent stays on the car, re-tightening the fixings every few weeks. Parts wear out too: TentBox sells replacement ladders, ladder mounts, fixing brackets, covers and mattresses, several of them specific to a model. TentBox spare parts. See condensation, drying and storage for the care routine.

Insurance questions

Tell your insurer before you fit the tent, and ask whether it changes your premium. The Financial Ombudsman Service says you should tell your insurer about changes to your car, that modifications can mean higher premiums, and that undisclosed changes can lead to refused claims or a voided policy. Financial Ombudsman Service: car modifications.

Ask two separate questions: whether the car is covered with the tent and bars fitted, and whether the tent itself is covered against theft or damage, on the car or in storage. If the tent will be stored at home, ask your home insurer whether it's covered there. Our guide to insurance and declaring modifications lists the questions to ask.

A worked example

This example lists what to price rather than giving figures, because prices change. Fill in each line with the current price from the retailer, hirer or insurer you'd actually use.

Assumptions for this example:

• One car with no roof bars yet.
• A new hardshell tent that includes its mattress, ladder and mounting kit.
• You fit it yourself with a helper.
• You store it in a garage between trips.
• You expect a few weekends a year.

Costs to price (check the current price of each):

• The tent: the tent itself, plus delivery if charged.
• Roof bars: bars, feet and fit kit rated for a roof tent on your car.
• Mounting: any brackets, rails or locking fixings not included with the tent.
• Fitting: zero if you fit it yourself; otherwise the fitter's quote, including removal.
• Accessories: only the ones you'd use on your first trips.
• Storage: a trolley, wall supports, a hoist or a lift, if you need one.
• Care: cleaner and reproofer each year.
• Spare parts: allow for wear items such as a ladder or cover over the years you'll own it.
• Insurance: any change to your car premium, and cover for the tent itself.
• Resale: a cautious estimate of what you'd get back, taken off the total.

For hire, the list is shorter: the hire cost for your dates, any deposit, roof bars if you don't have them, and travel to collect and return the tent.

Work out your own figures

Add up your list. Then enter the total of your buying costs as the purchase price, along with any fitting cost, the years you expect to use it, a cautious resale value, a hire quote per night and your nights per year, into the hire vs buy calculator. It shows which costs less on your figures and how many nights a year it takes for buying to break even. Our guide to hiring or buying a roof tent explains how to read the result.

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