Van Life Power Setup UK: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Updated: Oct 9
Getting power right is the difference between van life feeling like freedom and feeling like you're constantly rationing phone charge. Here's the honest answer: you don't need an electrician or a four-figure budget. This guide walks UK van lifers through the two main approaches, how to size your system for actual use (not marketing claims), and why a portable power station has become the simplest route for many people converting a van in 2025 — especially if you're starting out or not ready to drill holes.
The two ways to power a campervan
Fixed leisure battery system — a permanently installed leisure battery (increasingly LiFePO4), charged by a split-charge relay or DC-DC charger, mains hook-up or roof-mounted solar. Powerful, seamless and invisible once fitted, but it involves wiring runs, fuse boxes, possibly a battery monitor, and usually a professional install unless you're confident with 12V systems.
Portable power station — an all-in-one unit with battery, inverter, charge controller and sockets built in. No wiring, no permanent installation: charge it from the van's 12V socket while driving, from a campsite hook-up, or from a fold-out solar panel. You can lift it out for festivals, use it in a tent, or bring it inside for a power cut. The trade-off: it takes up visible floor or cupboard space and won't integrate with a fixed fridge or lighting circuit.
Which is right for you?
Choose a portable power station if you want a no-installation, flexible setup, you're renting or borrowing the van, you're new to van life and want to start simple, or you use the same power source for camping trips outside the van.
Choose a fixed system if you live in the van full time, run a compressor fridge 24/7, want everything hard-wired and invisible, and you're confident drilling through panels or paying a converter to do it properly.
Work out your energy needs
Add up the watt-hours (Wh) you actually use per day. Here's a rough daily picture for a typical weekend van setup in the UK:
Phone charging ×2: ~40Wh
Laptop (remote working or evening film): ~60Wh
LED lights (evening): ~30Wh
12V compressor cool box (running intermittently): ~200–400Wh
Occasional kettle or small induction hob: 100Wh+ per use (high draw, short duration)
For most weekenders that adds up to roughly 400–700Wh a day, so a 1000Wh power station gives comfortable headroom and room for a rainy day. Full-timers running a fridge around the clock, charging camera batteries or powering a 12V diesel heater should look at 1500Wh+ and dedicated solar — or accept they'll be charging from the alternator every day.
Charging on the road
The best van life setups use three charging sources: drive charging from the 12V socket (or a DC-DC charger if you've fitted one) while you travel, mains hook-up on campsites, and solar for free top-ups when you're parked up wild camping or on a farm pitch. Combining all three means you rarely run flat. In the UK, plan for solar to underperform from October to March — overcast skies and low sun angles mean you'll lean heavily on driving and hook-up charging through winter.
A simple recommended starter setup
For most UK van lifers starting out, an EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic or Jackery Explorer 1000 (both around 1000Wh) plus a 200–220W foldable solar panel and the car-charging cable covers the essentials: fridge, devices, lights and the occasional kettle, with zero installation required. As your needs grow — longer trips, more kit, a partner moving in — you can add expandable battery capacity or move to a fixed system later. This is the bit most buyers miss: you're not locked in.
Who this guide is NOT for
If you live in your vehicle full-time — a permanent split-charge system with a leisure battery bank will almost certainly serve you better than a portable power station; this guide targets weekend campervanners.
If you need to run high-draw appliances continuously — air conditioning, induction hobs or electric heaters draw far more than a portable station can sustain; size up significantly or consider a fixed system.
If you’re on a very tight budget — even budget portable stations start around £150–200; if that’s a stretch, a 12V leisure battery and inverter can sometimes be assembled more cheaply.
Not sure how much power you need for your setup? The Fred & Ellis Power Calculator helps you match the right capacity to your actual appliances and usage habits.
Where to Buy
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic Portable Power Station
Bluetti AC200L Portable Power Station
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro Portable Power Station
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2
Jackery Explorer 240 v2
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