Camper van dimensions compared: 15 conversion bases, inside and out
· 8 min read
Brochures quote exterior length and cargo volume. Neither number designs a camper. What designs a camper is the space between the walls — and one figure sorts the whole market before you look at anything else: the Fiat Ducato body is 1.87 m wide inside, and it is the only large panel van that takes a standard 1.86 m mattress across. The Sprinter (1.79 m), Transit (1.78 m) and Master (1.76 m) all need the bed lengthwise or wheel-box flares. That one centimetre war decides more layouts than any other spec.
Below is every common conversion base with its interior dimensions — measured between the walls and floor-to-headliner, derived from manufacturer specs and calibrated against published cargo dimensions. Lengths span the shortest to the longest body; payload is gross weight minus kerb weight, a planning guide that varies with engine and options.
The table
| Van | Interior length | Width | Interior height | Payload ≈ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat Ducato (= Boxer, Relay, ProMaster) | 2.67–4.07 m | 1.87 m | 1.66–2.17 m | 1,230–1,560 kg |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | 2.61–4.71 m | 1.79 m | 1.65–2.13 m | 1,020–1,395 kg |
| Ford Transit | 3.04–4.22 m | 1.78 m | 1.90–2.14 m | 1,107–1,405 kg |
| VW Crafter (= MAN TGE) | 3.45–4.86 m | 1.83 m | 1.73–2.17 m | 984–1,324 kg |
| Renault Master (= Movano, NV400) | 2.58–4.38 m | 1.76 m | 1.69–2.20 m | 945–1,462 kg |
| Iveco Daily | 2.64–5.12 m | 1.80 m | 1.55–2.10 m | 820–1,430 kg |
| Ford Transit Custom | 2.56–2.92 m | 1.77 m | 1.41–1.70 m | 1,044–1,137 kg |
| Renault Trafic (= Vivaro, NV300, Talento) | 2.54–2.94 m | 1.66 m | 1.38–1.91 m | 1,175–1,334 kg |
| VW Transporter | 2.45–2.85 m | 1.70 m | 1.42–1.90 m | 1,075–1,196 kg |
| Mercedes-Benz Vito (= Metris) | 2.59–3.06 m | 1.67 m | 1.38 m | 1,100–1,170 kg |
| Peugeot Expert (= ProAce, Scudo) | 2.16–2.86 m | 1.63 m | 1.40–1.44 m | 1,270–1,356 kg |
| Toyota HiAce | 2.53–3.18 m | 1.77 m | 1.34–1.63 m | 1,025–1,200 kg |
| Ford Transit Connect | 1.79–2.19 m | 1.53 m | 1.27 m | 719–748 kg |
| VW Caddy Cargo | 1.80–2.15 m | 1.61 m | 1.27–1.28 m | 659–704 kg |
| Citroën Berlingo Van | 1.82–2.17 m | 1.53 m | 1.24–1.26 m | 815–891 kg |
Vans in brackets are rebadges — the same body sold under another badge, identical dimensions. Each link goes to a per-van page with every length/height variant broken out.
Reading the width column
A standard double mattress is 1.86 m long. Put it across the van and the bed occupies ~1.4 m of length instead of ~2 m — that half metre is a kitchen. The width column says who gets to make that trade: the Ducato family, full stop. On a Crafter (1.83 m) or Daily (1.80 m) builders add wheel-box flares that recover ~10 cm; on a Sprinter or Transit most people either sleep diagonally, cut the mattress, or go longitudinal. The full decision is in the bed layout guide.
Reading the height column
Subtract roughly 7 cm from the interior height for a finished floor and ceiling before you compare against your own height. That puts the standing bar at about 1.90 m of raw interior height for a 1.80 m person: every H2-or-taller large van clears it, a high-roof Trafic (1.91 m) just barely, and every mid roof below that is a sit-down-or-pop-top van. The three compacts at the bottom of the table are seat-height vans — different vehicle class, different layouts entirely.
Reading the payload column
The spread inside one van family is as large as the spread between families — a long RWD Master carries ~500 kg more than expected kerb differences would suggest, and a maxed-out Daily L5H3 has less margin than a short one. A typical full conversion weighs 400–700 kg before you pack, so the difference between a 950 kg and a 1,450 kg payload is the difference between weighing anxiously and not thinking about it. Run your own plan through the payload guide or the payload calculator.
The three size classes, in one sentence each
- Large (Ducato, Sprinter, Transit, Crafter, Master, Daily): stand up, fixed bed, real kitchen — the full-time layouts.
- Mid (Custom, Trafic, Transporter, Vito, Expert, HiAce): parking-garage height (most stay under 2.0 m outside), convertible-bed layouts, the weekender class.
- Compact (Connect, Caddy, Berlingo): a bed platform and boxes — micro campers, not conversions in the structural sense.
Every van in the table is in the planner with its real wheel arches, wall taper and door openings — pick one and try your layout against the actual geometry before you buy the van.
