Electric hook-up sounds simple: plug the van into the campsite bollard and you have mains power. The reality is that a campervan is a moving metal vehicle, often with 12V electrics, a leisure battery, chargers and sometimes an inverter all sharing the same small space.
That does not make a 230V hook-up a bad idea. It just means it needs to be treated as a proper electrical installation rather than an extension lead with a few sockets on the end.
This guide is about planning and understanding a campervan electric hook-up: what the main parts do, what a campsite supply can realistically run, where the safety devices fit into the picture and what I would do differently if I were building my van again today.
It is deliberately not a wire-by-wire mains installation tutorial. The current UK Wiring Regulations contain specific requirements for caravans and motor caravans, so the fixed 230V side should be designed, installed and tested by somebody competent to apply those requirements to a vehicle.
What does an electric hook-up actually give you?
A campsite electric hook-up gives the van a nominal 230V AC mains supply. People still commonly call it “240V”, which is why you will see both terms used when shopping for campervan parts, but 230V is the modern nominal UK supply voltage.
Once that supply reaches the van it can power suitable 230V sockets and fixed equipment, and it can also feed a battery charger or combined charger/power-supply so the 12V system and leisure battery are supported while you are on site.
That is separate from the van’s normal 12V circuits. Your lights, water pump, USB outlets and other low-voltage equipment can still run from the leisure-battery side even though the battery charger itself may be using the mains hook-up.
If you are still deciding how much battery, solar and inverter capacity you need away from a campsite, our campervan electrical calculator is the better place to start.
The hook-up system from the campsite to the sockets
A basic system can be thought of as a chain:
- the campsite supply bollard;
- the orange hook-up lead;
- the weather-resistant inlet on the van;
- the van’s consumer/distribution unit and protective devices;
- the fixed wiring and sockets or other mains loads.
Some vans then add a mains battery charger. More complex systems may include an inverter/charger that can power the same sockets when the campsite lead is unplugged.
Each extra feature changes the design. That is why copying a diagram from another van without understanding its earthing, switching and protective arrangements is a poor shortcut.
The RCD and MCB do different jobs
You will often see a campervan consumer unit described simply as an “RCD box”, but there are usually two different types of protection involved.
An MCB protects a circuit against excessive current. If you overload the circuit, or a fault causes a large current to flow, the breaker should disconnect it.
An RCD looks for an imbalance between the current flowing out and the current returning. That is part of the protection against electric shock if current starts taking an unintended route.
The campsite bollard normally has its own protection, but that does not mean the van can dispense with properly designed protection of its own. Camping clubs specifically advise that the unit should have its own RCD, and the IET Wiring Regulations include particular requirements for caravans and motor caravans.
The current national standard is BS 7671. Section 721 deals specifically with caravans and motor caravans, including matters such as RCD protection and protective bonding. This is one of the main reasons I would have the finished mains system inspected and tested rather than assuming a consumer unit bought online makes the installation safe.
Choose the hook-up lead carefully
The lead between the campsite bollard and the van is one part you can choose without designing the internal wiring, and it is worth buying the right thing.
The Camping and Caravanning Club’s current guidance describes a purpose-made hook-up lead with BS EN 60309-2 blue connectors, three conductors of 2.5mm² and a maximum length of 25m for a typical 16A connection. The Caravan and Motorhome Club gives very similar advice.
That bright orange colour is not just for decoration. It makes the cable much easier to see across grass and around the pitch.
Some of the product links in this article are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one of them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
A current example is this 25m, 16A, 2.5mm² orange caravan and motorhome hook-up lead. Those are the important things I would check on the specification rather than just buying the cheapest blue-ended cable.
Whatever lead you use, fully uncoil it when it is carrying power. A loaded cable left tightly wound on a reel can build up far more heat than the same cable laid out across the pitch.
I would also avoid planning around joined leads and splitters. Campsite rules vary, but major UK clubs restrict or prohibit splitters and cable joiners on their sites. One suitable lead from bollard to van is a much cleaner arrangement.
How much power do you really get on a campsite?
Do not assume every pitch gives you 16A. Depending on the site, you may get 6A, 10A or 16A, and occasionally something different.
At a nominal 230V supply, the rough theoretical limits are:
| Pitch supply | Approximate maximum power | What that means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| 6A | 1.38kW | A high-power kettle or heater can use most or all of the available supply. |
| 10A | 2.30kW | More comfortable, but two large heating/cooking loads can still trip the pitch. |
| 16A | 3.68kW | Good capacity for a campervan, but still not the same as unlimited domestic mains. |
Those are simple voltage-times-current figures, not a guarantee. Some appliances draw more at start-up, the van’s own circuits may be protected at lower ratings, and campsite supplies are designed around sensible shared use.
A 2kW fan heater plus a kettle is an obvious way to discover the pitch breaker. The same applies to microwaves, hotplates, hairdryers and other high-power appliances used together.
It is much better to know the pitch rating when you arrive and manage loads than to keep resetting breakers and wondering what is wrong.
Plan the inlet and consumer unit before cutting the van
This is the part of my original build that is still useful as real-world experience.
I fitted the external inlet while the interior was stripped out. That made it much easier to check both sides of the bodywork before drilling anything. I made a template, drilled the corners, cut the aperture and sealed the inlet into the side of the van.
You can see the photos in the original campervan electric hook-up build diary.
If I did that bodywork job again, I would pay even more attention to protecting every freshly cut metal edge against corrosion before the inlet was sealed in.
If you are only choosing the physical inlet at this stage, a product such as this 16A IP44 flush-fit campervan/caravan mains inlet shows the type of body-mounted fitting I mean. Check the exact inlet with whoever is designing and testing the 230V system before cutting the van around it.
The important planning questions come before the jigsaw:
- Can you reach the back of the inlet after the furniture is built?
- Is the consumer unit somewhere accessible for isolation, testing and inspection?
- Can the mains cable route be kept sensible and protected from sharp metal edges, heat and moving parts?
- Where will the sockets actually be useful once the bed, kitchen and seating are in place?
- Are you leaving room for a charger or inverter/charger if the system grows later?
Getting those decisions right early is far easier than redesigning the 230V system after the furniture is finished.
Do not copy old cable sizes from somebody else’s build
My original build diary shows how I wired the van at the time. I have deliberately stopped treating those old cable sizes and connections as a current how-to.
Cable selection is not just “16A supply equals this size of cable”. The designer has to consider the protective device, installation method, length, temperature, mechanical protection, grouping, the type of cable and how the circuit will be tested.
The same applies to protective bonding and the connection between the electrical system and the metal vehicle structure. These are not details I would choose from a forum diagram.
So by all means do the layout planning, furniture preparation and accessible mounting work yourself if you are comfortable with it. But let the person responsible for the mains installation specify the fixed wiring and protective arrangements before you bury cables behind finished panels.
Shore power plus an inverter needs more thought
A simple hook-up system only has one source of 230V: the campsite.
Things become more complicated when an inverter or inverter/charger can feed the same mains sockets while you are off-grid.
At that point the system needs a safe way of changing source without allowing one supply to feed back into the other. The neutral/earth relationship and the way the RCD operates can also change depending on whether the inverter is supplying the sockets or external mains is present.
For example, Victron’s documentation for its MultiPlus-II describes an internal ground relay that changes state when external AC is connected so downstream earth-leakage protection can work correctly. That is a good illustration of why an inverter/charger is not simply another box to splice into an existing socket cable.
If you are planning a combined shore-power and inverter system, work out the whole architecture before buying parts. Our campervan inverter guide covers inverter sizing, while the campervan electrics guide explains the leisure-battery side.
Connecting to the campsite supply
Once the van itself has been properly installed and tested, using the hook-up is straightforward.
- Switch off or isolate the van’s mains supply as appropriate.
- Fully uncoil the hook-up lead.
- Connect the lead to the van first.
- Connect the other end to the campsite bollard.
- Switch the van supply on and test the RCD using its test button.
That vehicle-first order is recommended by both major UK camping clubs because you are not carrying a live connector back towards the van.
A simple plug-in polarity tester can be a useful additional check. The Caravan and Motorhome Club specifically advises checking polarity after connection and not using a supply if the polarity is wrong.
One dedicated caravan/motorhome example is the W4 mains polarity tester.
That little tester is not an electrical inspection certificate. It is an extra campsite check, not proof that the consumer unit, earthing, RCD operation or fixed wiring are correct.
Look after the lead and test the installation
The hook-up lead spends its life being dragged across pitches, coiled into cupboards and exposed to rain, mud and vehicle doors. Give it a proper look before each trip.
If the outer sheath, plug or connector is damaged, do not turn a mains lead into a permanent repair project with insulating tape. Replace it or have it properly repaired and tested.
Use the RCD test button regularly as instructed by the equipment manufacturer. If it does not trip, stop using the mains system until it has been checked.
Regular inspection of the fixed installation matters too. Both major clubs recommend periodic professional checks; the Caravan and Motorhome Club says an inspection and written report is ideally carried out about every three years by an appropriately qualified contractor.
A campervan vibrates, moves and lives in a damp environment. “It worked when I built it” is not a maintenance plan.
Common electric hook-up mistakes
- Using a coiled lead under heavy load. Unwind it fully.
- Assuming every pitch is 16A. Check before running heaters, kettles and cooking equipment together.
- Using ordinary household extension leads outside. Use purpose-made campsite hook-up equipment.
- Relying on the campsite RCD alone. The van still needs correctly designed protection.
- Hiding the consumer unit behind furniture. Isolation and testing need to remain accessible.
- Copying someone else’s internal cable sizes. Fixed circuit design depends on the complete installation.
- Adding an inverter later without considering changeover and earthing. Treat shore power and inverter supply as one coordinated 230V system.
- Thinking a plug-in tester proves everything is safe. It does not replace proper inspection and testing.
Do you actually need an electric hook-up?
If you spend most of your time on campsites, I still think hook-up is one of the most useful additions you can make. It lets you run suitable mains appliances without flattening the leisure battery and gives you a straightforward way to keep the battery charged.
But it is not compulsory for every conversion.
If you mainly stay off-grid and your loads are modest, solar, a sensible leisure-battery system and perhaps a small inverter may be more useful. A portable power station can also make sense for somebody who wants occasional mains sockets without building a large fixed AC system.
The right answer depends on how you actually camp. A van that spends every weekend on serviced pitches has a very different electrical job from one used mainly for one-night off-grid stops.
What I would do on a new conversion
I would still fit electric hook-up to a general-purpose campervan, but I would separate the job into two parts.
I would happily plan the inlet position, make sure there was a sensible protected route through the furniture and leave good access to the consumer unit and equipment. The bodywork side of fitting an inlet is exactly the sort of practical conversion job I am comfortable doing.
For the fixed 230V design, terminations, protective bonding, RCD/MCB arrangement, testing and any inverter changeover, I would involve somebody competent with the current motor-caravan requirements of BS 7671.
That is not because electric hook-up is unusually mysterious. It is because the consequences of getting 230V protection wrong in a small metal vehicle are far more serious than having a 12V light fail.
Done properly, hook-up should be boring in the best possible way: plug in, test the protection, use the available power sensibly and get on with enjoying the van.