Car Awnings

What a car awning is

A car awning is a fabric roof off the side or back of a vehicle, giving shade and rain cover where you sit, eat or keep your kit. It goes up in minutes and needs no tent of its own. Some roll out from a case fixed to the roof rack, some are a sheet you fix to the roof rails and peg out, and some stretch from the open boot. The biggest fit the side of a caravan or motorhome.

The kinds in this range

• 180 and 270 degree awnings roll out from a case on the roof rack and swing round the side, or the side and back, of the car. The 180 degree one here comes with a 2m or 2.5m radius, and one 270 degree awning in 190cm and 230cm sizes. See roof tents, which they often sit beside.
• Wing sunshades are bat or butterfly shaped sheets that fix to the roof rails. The bat-shaped one here gives up to 8 square metres of shade.
• Rear awnings stretch from the open boot of an SUV, some with mesh walls. See SUV and tailgate tents.
• Caravan and motorhome awnings roll out from the side of the van, with zip-on rooms and privacy screens to close them in. See trailer tents.

How it fixes, and how it stays up in wind

Check what your vehicle has before you choose. A roll-out awning bolts to a roof rack or side rail with brackets, a wing sunshade needs roof rails, a rear awning fixes round the open boot, and a caravan awning fits the van's own side. An awning catches the wind like a sail, so peg it and guy it out every time, even on a still day. Several here come with pegs and wind ropes, and the 270 degree awning with a wall uses a ratchet to keep its fabric tight. Wind it in if a strong wind gets up, and never drive with it out.

Shade and rain ratings

A car awning is for sun as much as rain. Several here give a sun protection rating of UPF50+, and silver or black coatings block most of the sunlight and keep the space underneath cooler. For rain, the ratings here run from PU2000mm to PU 8000mm, the best with taped seams. The number is the height of a column of water the fabric holds back, tested to ISO 811. See rated 5,000mm and over and sun shelters.

Questions people ask about car awnings

Can I sleep under a car awning?

An awning on its own is a roof, not a room. Some take a zip-on room or a side wall: one 270 degree awning here offers a change room, a mesh room and an extension panel. To sleep, the dual-use SUV rear tent here is a one-bedroom tent that joins the back of the car.

Will it fit my caravan's awning?

Check the size first. The caravan screen room here comes in 2.5m, 3m, 3.5m and 4m to match the awning, works with Fiamma and Thule awnings among others, and the privacy screen is 4m by 1.95m.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• SUV and tailgate tents
• Roof tents
• Caravan and motorhome awnings
• Sun shelters
• Tarps and tarp shelters
• Guy lines
• Guide: Roof tents and car awnings