If you’ve never used to hired a campervan or motorhome then one of the first questions you might have is whether campervans have electricity.

Even if you plan to ditch the phones and social media while travelling to truly escape, lights and even the sink tap rely on electricity to power them. So how does power/charging work when hiring our VW Campervan?  Do you need to charge the van to use everything in it? ‍

The good news is that you don’t always need to be ‘plugged in’….. ‍

What is a Campervan Leisure Battery?

A leisure battery is a power cell that provides back-up power when your campervan isn’t connected to the mains i.e what we van owners call ‘off-grid’ or ‘wild-camping’.

While the bottled gas provides cooking facilities (oven, grill and two hobs), the leisure battery means you can run the fridge/freezer, usb ports and lights without being ‘plugged in’. (Basically everything bar the plug socket!) ‍

How Does the Campervan Leisure Battery ‘Charge’?

So you’ll spot that we have a large cable which you can plug in at most campsites (and we have a plug adaptor) so you can plug into any plug socket too – we use this to charge up Harley before you set off and get the fridge acclimatised to the right temp for you too. ‍

However, the leisure battery also charges every time you drive! After around 40 mins of driving, it will start to charge itself again so perfect if your planning to do a little touring! ‍

How Long Will The Power/Charge Last?

We always ‘charge’ Harley before he sets off, though reality is that most people tend to do enough mileage to charge on the first day too.

Assuming you are using the fridge/freezer, which is the biggest consumer of power, and not travelling/charging in-between you can expect to get around 48hrs to 72hrs use. ‍

So, Can I Avoid Using Campsites When Hiring a Campervan?

We always have so a big YES!

Just consider the time of year you are travelling and access to facilities (water, toilets and showers along with washing if required too). ‍

Personally, when travelling in winter, I def like to get a hot shower every other day but some campsites do close over this period and will charge you a small fee for access to facilities if not staying overnight too. ‍

Ready to Hire A Dog Friendly VW Campervan?

Paws up – who fancies an adventure? They are always better with furiends right?

Want to find out more about Harley – check out our website HERE for everything you need to know!

​

​