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 156K 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 41K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Car, Living, and Car Living. Product recommendations often mention car, vehicle, and solar.
Community Topics
Community Features
This community has a forum
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchMember 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: 24K members
Past year (monthly)
- 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: 3K members
- Aug: 3K members
- Sep: 727 members
Topics
- Car51 posts in the past month#151Car
- Living27 posts in the past month#227Living
- Car Living15 posts in the past month#315Car Living
- Sleep13 posts in the past month#413Sleep
- Dinner9 posts in the past month#59Dinner
Flair
- Question?35 posts in the past month
- Food prices have double since the pandemic
- It looks like the number of people living in the car is getting higher
- How to be an ally to a car dweller?
#135Question?Food prices have double since the pandemic · It looks like the number of people living in the car is getting higher · How to be an ally to a car dweller? - Story25 posts in the past month
- Something nice
- Same car, same parking lot, one year later — and I’m scared and okay at the same time
- Reminder that we sleep in our cars, we live outside of them..
#225StorySomething nice · Same car, same parking lot, one year later — and I’m scared and okay at the same time · Reminder that we sleep in our cars, we live outside of them.. - Summer Heat20 posts in the past month
- I wish people gave homeless people an eighth of the sympathy they give to homeless dogs.
- Toyota WC
- First night
#320Summer HeatI wish people gave homeless people an eighth of the sympathy they give to homeless dogs. · Toyota WC · First night - Newbie, treat with kindness16 posts in the past month
- Newly homeless but so relieved to have my car
- Moving into my Kia soul next week
- First night, first knock😵💫
#416Newbie, treat with kindnessNewly homeless but so relieved to have my car · Moving into my Kia soul next week · First night, first knock😵💫 - Sleeping16 posts in the past month
- So many car dwellers
- Sleeping upright in car - a further warning.
- What $3k monthly rent does to an individual
#516SleepingSo many car dwellers · Sleeping upright in car - a further warning. · What $3k monthly rent does to an individual
Product recommendations
- car8 posts in the past month
- 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!
#18carWhat 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! - vehicle5 posts in the past month
- 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!
#25vehicleWhat 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! - solar3 posts in the past month
- Does anyone have any good recommendations for a good quality solar power generator?
- Recommended solar battery bank?
- Lets talk solar. How much is recommended?
#33solarDoes anyone have any good recommendations for a good quality solar power generator? · Recommended solar battery bank? · Lets talk solar. How much is recommended? - fan2 posts in the past month
- 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
#42fanCan 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 - cooler2 posts in the past month
- 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?
#52coolercurious 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?
Community Reviews
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 156K 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.
Monthly Stats
- 4
- Views /mo (-69%)
- 4
- Visitors /mo (-56%)
- 0
- Referrals /mo
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