Will a roof tent fit my car?
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The short answer
It will if the tent, your roof bars and anything else on the roof come in under your car's limit for driving, and the bars are rated for the load too. The Highway Code says you must not overload your vehicle (rule 98), so check the numbers before you buy, not after.
Your car has two roof limits. Volvo Cars UK puts it simply: one is dynamic, for while you're driving, and one is static, for when you're parked. You need your own car's figures for both.
Dynamic roof load
The dynamic load is the most your car's roof can carry on the move. The tent, the bars and anything else up there all count towards it.
Handbook
Start with your car's handbook. Volvo, for example, tells owners to check the roof load limits in their model's information, and says figures differ between its models. Use the figure for your exact model, not one for a similar car.
Maker or dealer
If the handbook doesn't give a figure, or you no longer have it, ask the car maker or a dealer for your model, and get it in writing if you can. Don't guess, and don't use a figure for another model.
Static load, and why it's often unpublished
The static load is what the roof can hold while the car is parked, which is what matters once you're in the tent. Some car makers publish one: Volvo gives a static guidance figure for its own roof tent on its cars, and says to check the exact number for your model.
If your car's maker doesn't publish a static figure, don't try to work one out from the dynamic figure. Ask the maker or dealer for it before you sleep in a roof tent on that car.
Adding it up
To check the dynamic load, add the tent's published weight, your roof bars and anything else on the roof, and compare the total with your car's dynamic limit. You'll find tent weights in roof tents compared on published specs, and how shell type changes them in hardshell vs softshell roof tents.
Use the roof load checker to do the sums with your own figures.
Roof bar and rail limits
Your roof bars have their own load rating, set by the bar maker: Thule, for example, rates its WingBar Evo for loads up to 100 kg. The bars also need to suit your car's roof. Halfords' roof bar finder shows bars for your car from your registration: find roof bars for your car on Halfords. For the different ways bars attach, see roof bar fitting types.
Check the bar rating as well as the car's limit, and work to whichever stops you first.
What to ask your maker
- What's the dynamic roof load for my exact model and year?
- Is there a static roof load, and what is it?
- Does either figure include the roof bars?
- Which roof bars or rails are approved for a roof tent on this car?
If you're still choosing a car, these questions are worth asking before you buy: see choosing a car for roof tent camping.
More in Roof bars and boxes
Sources
- Highway Code rule 98: you MUST NOT overload your vehicle; you MUST secure your load (checked )
- Volvo Cars UK: roof load limits are dynamic while driving and static when parked; check them in your model info or manual; Volvo's 300 kg static figure is guidance for its tent on its own cars and varies by model; re-check fixings after the first drive (checked )
- Thule UK roof racks: WingBar Evo carries loads up to 100 kg (checked )
- Halfords roof bar finder: enter your registration and it shows only bars for your vehicle (checked )