r/urbancarliving

Community Overview

About r/urbancarliving

Are you living in a vehicle that wasn't designed to be lived in, such as a car or SUV? Or do you need to move into your vehicle soon? Or just interested in this unconventional way of living? Here, you can learn and share experiences and tips with others who live in cars and other non-residential vehicles. This community includes those who live in vehicles by choice or by necessity, full time or part time, and who generally live in cities and other populated areas.

The community at a glance

r/urbancarliving is a Subreddit for Travelers and Van Lifers with roughly 150K members. It has been around since 2014. It uses a forum format for communication. It is the 8th largest community in the Van Life topic page.

Roughly 40K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Car, Living, and Car Living. Product recommendations often mention car, vehicle, and solar.

On Reddit
Established 2014
150K Members

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +40K members
Growth: +36.8% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2013: 38 members
  • 2014: 161 members
  • 2015: 105 members
  • 2016: 230 members
  • 2017: 355 members
  • 2018: 1K members
  • 2019: 3K members
  • 2020: 7K members
  • 2021: 8K members
  • 2022: 9K members
  • 2024: 61K members
  • 2025: 41K members
  • 2026: 18K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Aug: 3K members
  • Sep: 2K members
  • Oct: 4K members
  • Nov: 5K members
  • Dec: 7K members
  • Jan: 3K members
  • Feb: 2K members
  • Mar: 3K members
  • Apr: 3K members
  • May: 4K members
  • Jun: 3K members
  • Jul: 1K members

Topics

  • Car
    51 posts in the past month
    #1
    Car
    51
  • Living
    27 posts in the past month
    #2
    Living
    27
  • Car Living
    15 posts in the past month
    #3
    Car Living
    15
  • Sleep
    13 posts in the past month
    #4
    Sleep
    13
  • Dinner
    9 posts in the past month
    #5
    Dinner
    9

Flair

  • Summer Heat
    17 posts in the past month
    1. Can a cop legally pull down my car window covers through the little crack?
    2. Try a shower and air-conditioning, maybe a swim too
    3. Thank you for the gray days!
    #1
    Summer Heat
    Can a cop legally pull down my car window covers through the little crack? · Try a shower and air-conditioning, maybe a swim too · Thank you for the gray days!
    17
  •  Advice
    14 posts in the past month
    1. Person Parks Next to Our House
    2. Thinking of packing up and living in my car
    3. What can I hang here for more privacy?
    #2
     Advice
    Person Parks Next to Our House · Thinking of packing up and living in my car · What can I hang here for more privacy?
    14
  • Question?
    13 posts in the past month
    1. How does everyone survive the heat?!
    2. Anyone living in an electric car?
    3. Dating While Living In Your Car?
    #3
    Question?
    How does everyone survive the heat?! · Anyone living in an electric car? · Dating While Living In Your Car?
    13
  • Story
    12 posts in the past month
    1. i guess i look homeless today
    2. Hotel night
    3. I did it! Hopfully!
    #4
    Story
    i guess i look homeless today · Hotel night · I did it! Hopfully!
    12
  • Newbie, treat with kindness
    7 posts in the past month
    1. I fucking hate capitalism. I'm going to live in a tent on public forest land with my cat because living with my family literally makes me want to kill myself.
    2. I’m not really cut out for this modern world
    3. 18F Intro instead of Lurking
    #5
    Newbie, treat with kindness
    I fucking hate capitalism. I'm going to live in a tent on public forest land with my cat because living with my family literally makes me want to kill myself. · I’m not really cut out for this modern world · 18F Intro instead of Lurking
    7

Product recommendations

  • car
    8 posts in the past month
    1. What are best vehicles for car living?
    2. Best Car For This Lifestyle
    3. Wanted to give emergency suggestions (Uhaul & Turo) in case car starts having mechanical issues. Saw a few posts today with accidents or mechanical failure. Wish you all the best!
    #1
    car
    What are best vehicles for car living? · Best Car For This Lifestyle · Wanted to give emergency suggestions (Uhaul & Turo) in case car starts having mechanical issues. Saw a few posts today with accidents or mechanical failure. Wish you all the best!
    8
  • vehicle
    5 posts in the past month
    1. What are best vehicles for car living?
    2. Best Car For This Lifestyle
    3. Wanted to give emergency suggestions (Uhaul & Turo) in case car starts having mechanical issues. Saw a few posts today with accidents or mechanical failure. Wish you all the best!
    #2
    vehicle
    What are best vehicles for car living? · Best Car For This Lifestyle · Wanted to give emergency suggestions (Uhaul & Turo) in case car starts having mechanical issues. Saw a few posts today with accidents or mechanical failure. Wish you all the best!
    5
  • solar
    3 posts in the past month
    1. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a good quality solar power generator?
    2. Recommended solar battery bank?
    3. Lets talk solar. How much is recommended?
    #3
    solar
    Does anyone have any good recommendations for a good quality solar power generator? · Recommended solar battery bank? · Lets talk solar. How much is recommended?
    3
  • fan
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Can anyone please recommend a rechargeable fan that isn’t a junky piece of brittle plastic?
    2. Dual fan was only $20, highly recommended link in comments
    #4
    fan
    Can anyone please recommend a rechargeable fan that isn’t a junky piece of brittle plastic? · Dual fan was only $20, highly recommended link in comments
    2
  • cooler
    2 posts in the past month
    1. curious what coolers yall would recommend. What size fits your needs?
    2. Can you guys recommend a sub $120 cooler that will keep ice for several days and will fit inside of a Prius?
    #5
    cooler
    curious what coolers yall would recommend. What size fits your needs? · Can you guys recommend a sub $120 cooler that will keep ice for several days and will fit inside of a Prius?
    2

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/urbancarliving for?
Best for Travelers and Van Lifers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/urbancarliving free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/urbancarliving have?
Roughly 150K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/urbancarliving on?
r/urbancarliving runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/urbancarliving cover?
On the Hive Index, r/urbancarliving is organized under Travelers, Van Lifers.
How do I join r/urbancarliving?
You can join r/urbancarliving by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Travel communities like?
Communities for travelers planning trips, sharing itineraries, and swapping tips on everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel. You will find subreddits for specific regions and travel styles, Discord servers for nomads and expats, and Facebook groups for niches like solo female travel and budget flights. Active communities for both trip planning and general inspiration.