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 157K members. It has been around since 2014. It uses a forum format for communication. On the Hive Index it ranks #6 in the Van Life communities list.

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.

On Reddit
Established 2014
157K Members

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +41K members
Growth: +35.7% / 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: 25K members

Past year (monthly)

  • 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: 2K members
  • Oct: 92 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

  • Question?
    22 posts in the past month
    1. Has homelessness turned anyone else into a clean freak?
    2. How many of you rent a storage unit?
    3. Ladies , how are we storing our clothes ?
    #1
    Question?
    Has homelessness turned anyone else into a clean freak? · How many of you rent a storage unit? · Ladies , how are we storing our clothes ?
    22
  •  Advice
    14 posts in the past month
    1. Rear windshield broke, creative alternatives to replacement?
    2. having your vehicle take a crap on you is absolutely devastating…
    3. Homeless for the foreseeable future.
    #2
     Advice
    Rear windshield broke, creative alternatives to replacement? · having your vehicle take a crap on you is absolutely devastating… · Homeless for the foreseeable future.
    14
  • Story
    13 posts in the past month
    1. What a wild life…
    2. Cost of living is a joke. Going mobile.
    3. First night last night
    #3
    Story
    What a wild life… · Cost of living is a joke. Going mobile. · First night last night
    13
  • Newbie, treat with kindness
    10 posts in the past month
    1. Taco Bell always come through for the right price!
    2. What would you do if you had 3 months to prepare your car before living in it?
    3. If a stranger owned a house, what resource help could they provide you?
    #4
    Newbie, treat with kindness
    Taco Bell always come through for the right price! · What would you do if you had 3 months to prepare your car before living in it? · If a stranger owned a house, what resource help could they provide you?
    10
  • Winter Cold
    5 posts in the past month
    1. How to work a Mr buddy heater?
    2. Has anyone done this before?
    3. Brutally cold weather tips
    #5
    Winter Cold
    How to work a Mr buddy heater? · Has anyone done this before? · Brutally cold weather tips
    5

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 157K 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.