WHAT IS THE BEST SOLAR KIT FOR MY CAMPER OR MOTORHOME?

Small solar kits used to make sense, for a light, a phone charge, maybe a small fan. But modern life has changed. Our devices, expectations, and energy needs have grown massively, while the tiny panels people still buy on Amazon or from bargain shops simply haven’t kept up.

Here’s the reality:

LEDs and phones are efficient, but people now want to run fridges, pumps, routers, laptops, Starlink, TVs, diesel heaters, induction hobs, and even e-bike chargers off-grid. A 10W–80W “starter kit” simply cannot supply that. At best it charges a phone slower than a £10 power bank would.

A “50W” cheap panel might deliver 15–25W in the UK. Cloud cover, winter sun angles, and shading drop output even further. So someone thinking they’ll run a fridge on a small kit ends up disappointed, stuck, or buying twice.

A decent AGM or lithium battery needs solid, consistent charging to stay healthy.
A tiny panel trickling in 0.5–2 amps in the summer will never fully charge a modern leisure battery.
Under-charging kills batteries quickly, which costs more than buying a proper kit in the first place.

We’re not in Spain. Winter and autumn see very low peak sun hours. Small solar simply cannot replace daily usage unless it’s massively oversized. Modern 300–450W panels finally give enough input to cope with British weather.

Modern camping and van life isn’t just a lantern, a radio, and a propane stove.
People want:

• phone charging
   
• power banks
   
• cameras
   
• tablets
   
• laptops
   
• drone chargers
   
• fridge/freezers
   
• WiFi routers
   
• fans
   
• CPAP machines

Small kits never accounted for this lifestyle shift.
 

Most people buy a small kit… then realise they still don’t have enough power. So they upgrade, spending more overall. A single 300–450W kit + proper MPPT controller solves power issues from day one and protects battery health, saving money long-term.

Cheap controllers, thin cables, poor connectors and “one-size-fits-all” systems are a fire hazard in vans.
Modern kits use proper MC4 connectors, fused cabling, and reliable MPPT controllers designed for lithium and AGM batteries.

Small solar kits simply don’t match modern expectations, devices, or UK weather.
They’re fine for a garden light or trickle-charging a small battery, but they cannot support today’s off-grid lifestyle.

This is why serious off-grid setups now start at 150W minimum, and most real-world campers choose 300W–450W to stay powered, protected, and independent.

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Many online suppliers still promote 100 W–120 W panels as “standard camper kits.” While they’ll only trickle-charge a leisure battery, possibly power a few lights or a USB socket, they simply don’t keep up with real-world van life. It’s like comparing your fast phone charger at home with that painfully slow airport USB socket, it’ll work eventually, but why wait when you could have all the power you need, right now?

Our single-panel 325 W Solar Kit or dual panel 300 watt is the ideal solar setup or solar upgrade for most campervans, motorhomes:

✅ Enough power for a 12 V fridge, lighting, TV, water pumps, phones, laptops and internet.
✅ Clean design – one high-output panel, no cluttered roof.
✅ Compact & efficient – fits neatly on most van roofs.
✅ Future-proof – no need to upgrade later.

Fitted prices for our 325 w solar package start from £629 including parts, labour and taxes.