Going camping with an electric car in Belgium works — if you plan ahead. With 400 km WLTP range, V2L to power your fridge on-site, and a charging stop mapped out, a weekend in the Ardennes is no range anxiety drama. The real challenge is fitting the tent, sleeping bags, and cooler in the boot.
Can you go camping in an EV in Belgium?
Yes. A Brussels–Durbuy roundtrip is 300 km. Brussels–La Roche-en-Ardenne is 240 km. With an EV rated at 400 km WLTP or above, both trips work without any mid-route charging.
Belgium is a small country, and that's an advantage for EV campers. Distances stay short. The catch is elevation: Ardennes roads between Marche-en-Famenne and La Roche climb and drop 600–700 m on a one-way trip. Expect 15–20% higher consumption than WLTP on this kind of route with a loaded boot. An Ioniq 5 77 kWh rated at 481 km WLTP will do 380–410 km in practice on hilly terrain.
Last time I drove from Brussels to a campsite near Barvaux (140 km via the N4, a national road running south through Namur province), I arrived with 55% battery left. Return included, no charger needed.
What if the campsite has no charger?
That's most Walloon campsites in 2026. Two options: charge in town before arriving (Marche-en-Famenne, Rochefort, and Durbuy all have Allego or Virya chargers available 24/7), or ask the campsite if they allow charging from the pitch's 16A outlet. At 2.3 kW, one overnight session recovers about 23 kWh — enough for 120 km.
Which EVs work best for camping?
For camping, three things matter more than horsepower: boot space (tent + sleeping bags + cooler = 300 litres minimum), real-world range for the roundtrip, and V2L if you want to power appliances on-site.
| Model | Boot | WLTP | V2L | Price (BE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW ID. Buzz Pro S | 1,121 L | 461 km | No | €59,990 |
| Tesla Model Y LR | 854 L + 117 L frunk | 533 km | No | €44,990 |
| Škoda Enyaq 85 | 585 L | 567 km | No | €42,990 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 77 kWh | 527 L | 481 km | Yes, 3.6 kW | €44,900 |
| Kia EV6 77 kWh | 490 L | 528 km | Yes, 3.6 kW | €46,990 |
The ID. Buzz wins on boot space — 1,121 litres with seats in place makes it a camping mini-van. But at €60,000, it's a stretch. The Škoda Enyaq is the most rational pick: 585 L, 567 km WLTP, and the lowest price here. For a full boot-space comparison, see our guide to the biggest EV boots in Belgium.
The Ioniq 5 and EV6 stand out thanks to V2L. Plugging a fridge and coffee maker directly into the car, without needing a campsite hookup, is a genuine comfort upgrade for a nature weekend. The Ioniq 5's 527 L boot is tight for a family of four with full gear, but the flat floor helps.
Le verdict de christophe-f
For family camping, I'd pick the Ioniq 5 if V2L matters, or the Škoda Enyaq for the best boot-to-price ratio.
How does V2L work at a campsite?
V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) turns the car battery into a silent generator. On the Ioniq 5 and EV6, an adapter (~€350, sold separately) plugs into the charging port and delivers 230V through a standard Schuko socket. For the full technical breakdown, see our V2L guide.
What you actually plug in at a campsite: a portable 12V fridge (40–60 W continuous), LED string lights (10 W), phone and tablet charging, and a filter coffee maker in the morning (600–900 W for 5 minutes). Total per night: 2–5 kWh.
On a 77 kWh battery, 5 kWh per night is 6.5%. Two nights: 13%. Your return range stays comfortable.
Running the fridge and making coffee in the middle of the forest, with no generator noise or fumes — that's the moment where electric makes total sense.
How much battery does one night use?
Over a two-night weekend near La Roche-en-Ardenne in May 2026, I measured: 12V fridge running continuously, LED lights in the evening, coffee maker in the morning, three phones charging. Total: 7 kWh over 48 hours — 9% of the battery.
What drains it faster: a space heater (1,500 W continuous). A cold October night in the Ardennes can cost 10–12 kWh in heating alone. In summer, V2L is a no-brainer. In autumn, a quality sleeping bag beats a radiator plugged into the car.
Where can you charge in the Ardennes?
This is the weak point. The Belgian Ardennes have about 120 public chargers on Chargemap (May 2026), clustered in Marche-en-Famenne, Bastogne, Durbuy, La Roche, Rochefort, and Dinant. Outside these towns, coverage is thin. Wallonia's public charging network lags behind Flanders: 3,200 public chargers versus 8,900 (SPW, the Walloon public service, and VREG, the Flemish energy regulator — Q1 2026 data).
Most of these are AC 22 kW stations (Allego, Virya, TotalEnergies). For a top-up during a hike or while browsing Durbuy's Saturday market: 1 hour = 22 kWh recovered, roughly 120 km of range.
DC fast-charging is rare in the Ardennes. The E411 corridor (Belgium's main north-south motorway from Namur to Luxembourg) has Ionity and Fastned stations at the Wanlin and Tellin rest areas. But that's a detour if your campsite is in the Ourthe valley.
My advice: leave with at least 80% battery, plan an AC stop in town on day one if needed, and don't count on finding a DC charger within 30 km of most Ardennes campsites.
What does a weekend camping trip cost in an EV?
A two-night Ardennes camping trip costs less by EV than by diesel. The Brussels–La Roche roundtrip (~240 km) uses about 45 kWh. Charged at home at the average Wallonia-Brussels rate (€0.30/kWh, June 2026 — CREG, Belgium's federal energy regulator), fuel for the weekend is €13.50. By diesel: €26–32 (6.5–8 L/100 km at €1.85/L).
Add the pitch fee (€15–30/night in Wallonia), 7 kWh of V2L power (€2.10 at the home rate), and food. The only EV-specific extra is the V2L adapter (€350 upfront, paid back in 10–15 weekends). Fuel alone is roughly 50% cheaper than diesel.
One caveat: if you charge only at public stations (€0.45–0.65/kWh), the savings shrink. On DC fast-chargers, they nearly vanish.
