Van interior dimensions decide what your camper layout can be before you draw a single cabinet. The short version: the Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer has the widest floor (187 cm) and the widest gap between the wheel arches (142 cm). The Mercedes Sprinter L3 and the long VW Crafter have the longest floors (430 cm). The Ford Transit and Renault Master sit in between, and the VW T6 and Citroën Jumpy give you about 250–300 cm of floor.
Below are the numbers for 15 common camper bases, plus three comparisons drawn to scale in a floor planner, with each van's real wheel arches and sliding door, so you can see what the differences look like on the floor.
All 15 vans in one table
These are cargo floor dimensions at floor level, from the partition behind the cab seats to the rear doors, before insulation and wall panels. They are the dimensions the LayoutMyVan planner uses for its built-in vans, taken from the manufacturers' technical data.
| Van | Floor length × width (cm) | Floor area | Between wheel arches | Sliding door opening | Exterior length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VW T5 / T6 / T6.1 short | 257 × 170 | 4.4 m² | 124 cm | 101 cm | 490 cm |
| Citroën Jumpy L2 (size M) | 251 × 163 | 4.1 m² | 126 cm | 93 cm | 496 cm |
| VW T5 / T6 / T6.1 long | 297 × 170 | 5.0 m² | 124 cm | 101 cm | 530 cm |
| Renault Master L2H2 | 308 × 176 | 5.4 m² | 138 cm | 127 cm | 557 cm |
| Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer L2H2 | 312 × 187 | 5.8 m² | 142 cm | 125 cm | 541 cm |
| Mercedes Sprinter L2H2 (RWD) | 327 × 179 | 5.9 m² | 135 cm | 126 cm | 593 cm |
| Mercedes Sprinter L2H2 (FWD) | 327 × 179 | 5.9 m² | 141 cm | 126 cm | 593 cm |
| VW Crafter medium (L3H2) | 345 × 183 | 6.3 m² | 138 cm | 131 cm | 599 cm |
| Ford Transit L3H2 | 350 × 178 | 6.2 m² | 139 cm | 130 cm | 598 cm |
| Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer L3H2 | 370 × 187 | 6.9 m² | 142 cm | 125 cm | 599 cm |
| Renault Master L3H2 | 373 × 176 | 6.6 m² | 138 cm | 127 cm | 622 cm |
| Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer L4H2 | 407 × 187 | 7.6 m² | 142 cm | 125 cm | 636 cm |
| Ford Transit L4H3 | 422 × 178 | 7.5 m² | 139 cm | 130 cm | 670 cm |
| Mercedes Sprinter L3H2 (RWD) | 430 × 179 | 7.7 m² | 135 cm | 126 cm | 697 cm |
| VW Crafter long (L4H2) | 430 × 183 | 7.9 m² | 138 cm | 131 cm | 684 cm |
Floor area is length × width, as if the wheel arches weren't there. The Renault Master figures are for the 2010–2024 model, the Sprinter and Crafter for the current generations from 2018 and 2017. Model years and body versions differ by a few centimetres, so measure your own van before you cut wood.
How to read van interior dimensions
Three numbers matter more than the floor area:
- Width decides whether you can sleep across the van. A crosswise bed saves about 50 cm of length compared with a lengthwise one, but only if the van is wide enough for your height.
- The gap between the wheel arches decides what fits low down: a bed frame, a shower tray, a toilet cabinet or a row of drawers that sits on the floor. Anything wider than the gap has to sit on top of the arches or around them.
- Where the arches are splits the floor in two. In front of them you have the full width, which is where most kitchens, benches and the sliding-door entrance go. Behind them is usually the bed or a garage.
Insulation and wall panels take roughly 2–5 cm off each side, depending on how you build. The walls also aren't vertical: most vans are narrower at shoulder height than at the floor. The planner draws the bare floor, so subtract your wall build from the width before you place a bed across the van.
Mid-size vans: Ducato L2 vs Sprinter L2 vs Master L2
This is the most common size for a camper conversion: about 5.5 m long outside, easy to park, and room for a fixed bed and a kitchen.
The three floors are within 19 cm of each other in length, but the Ducato is 8 cm wider than the Sprinter and 11 cm wider than the Master. Its wheel arches are also further apart: 142 cm against 135 cm in the rear-wheel-drive Sprinter.
The Sprinter gives you the longest floor of the three, 15 cm more than the Ducato. It pays for that outside: at 593 cm it is 52 cm longer than the Ducato L2H2, because its bonnet and cab are longer. The Ducato puts the most of its length into the living space.
If you choose a Sprinter, the drive matters too. The front-wheel-drive Sprinter has its arches 24 cm further back and 6 cm further apart (141 cm) than the rear-wheel-drive version. That gives a longer full-width floor in front of the arches for a kitchen, but less room behind them.
Long vans: Sprinter L3 vs Ducato L3 vs Transit L3
If you live in the van or want a fixed lengthwise bed plus a real living area, you are looking at the long versions.
The Sprinter L3 is in a different class here: 60 cm more floor than the Ducato L3 and 80 cm more than the Transit L3. That's enough for a 200 cm lengthwise bed and still 230 cm for a kitchen, wardrobe and bench, as the Sprinter layout in our bed guide shows. The VW Crafter long has the same 430 cm floor and is 4 cm wider.
The extra-long bodies, the Ducato L4 (407 cm) and the Transit L4H3 (422 cm), add length behind the rear axle, not between the axles. The Transit L4 has 138 cm of floor behind its rear arches, against 66 cm in the L3. That's a lot of room for a bed or a garage at the back, but also a long overhang to watch on ferry ramps and steep driveways.
Compact vans: VW T6 and Citroën Jumpy
Smaller vans fit in a normal parking space and work as a daily car, but the floor is short and narrower.
The long T6 gives you 40 cm more floor than the short one, which is the difference between a bench bed with a kitchen beside it and a bench bed with almost nothing else. The Jumpy is 7 cm narrower than the T6, and its sliding door opening is 93 cm against 101 cm.
At 163–170 cm wide, nobody but children sleeps across these vans. The usual layout is a rock and roll bench bed along the van plus a pop-top roof bed, so the floor stays free during the day.
Can you sleep across the van? The width test
Width is the number that changes your layout most, because a crosswise bed is the most floor-efficient way to sleep two people. Here is the same 150 × 183 cm crosswise bed in a Ducato L2H2 and a Sprinter L2H2.
A bed should be at least your height plus about 10 cm. Subtract the wall build from the floor width and you get the tallest sleeper a crosswise bed suits:
| Van | Floor width | With 3 cm walls per side | Sleeper up to about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat Ducato / Peugeot Boxer | 187 cm | 181 cm | 171 cm |
| VW Crafter | 183 cm | 177 cm | 167 cm |
| Mercedes Sprinter | 179 cm | 173 cm | 163 cm |
| Ford Transit | 178 cm | 172 cm | 162 cm |
| Renault Master | 176 cm | 170 cm | 160 cm |
| VW T6 | 170 cm | 164 cm | 154 cm |
If you are taller than that, plan a lengthwise bed, or fit flares: bulged side windows or panels that add a few centimetres at bed height. Many Sprinter and Transit builds use them for exactly this reason.
Outside length: what you park vs what you live in
Every van spends 2.3–2.7 m of its length on the bonnet, cab and bumpers. That's why a longer van doesn't always mean a longer floor.
| Van | Exterior length | Cargo floor | Share of the length you can build in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiat Ducato L2H2 | 541 cm | 312 cm | 58 % |
| Mercedes Sprinter L2H2 | 593 cm | 327 cm | 55 % |
| VW Crafter medium | 599 cm | 345 cm | 58 % |
| Ford Transit L3H2 | 598 cm | 350 cm | 59 % |
| Fiat Ducato L3H2 | 599 cm | 370 cm | 62 % |
| VW Crafter long | 684 cm | 430 cm | 63 % |
| Mercedes Sprinter L3H2 | 697 cm | 430 cm | 62 % |
The Ducato L3H2, the Transit L3H2 and the medium Crafter are all about 6 m long outside, but the Ducato has 20–25 cm more floor. If you have a length limit, such as a parking space, a ferry price band or a garage, compare floors at the same exterior length rather than by the maker's L2/L3 name.
Which van size suits your layout?
- Crosswise bed and a short van: Fiat Ducato or Peugeot Boxer L2H2. It's the widest floor for the shortest exterior.
- Fixed lengthwise bed plus living space: a floor of 370 cm or more, such as the Ducato L3, Master L3, Sprinter L3 or the long Crafter.
- Shower or wet bath: a long van, and check that the shower tray fits between the arches or in front of them.
- Daily driver and weekend camper: a VW T6 long or a Citroën Jumpy with a bench bed and a pop-top.
- Tall sleepers across the van: a Ducato with thin walls, or any van with flares.
- Bikes in a garage under the bed: a van with a long floor behind the rear arches, such as the Sprinter L3 (98 cm) or the Transit L4 (138 cm).
Compare vans in the planner
All three comparisons above were drawn in the free LayoutMyVan floor planner. Pick a van, then use + Compare van in the van menu to lay up to three vans on top of each other, aligned at the rear doors, with their wheel arches and sliding doors. Then add your bed and kitchen and see which van they fit before you buy one.
If you already know which bed you want, the guide to camper van bed types shows six bed layouts to scale in these same vans.
FAQ
Which van has the widest interior?
Among the common large panel vans, the Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer have the widest cargo floor at 187 cm, followed by the VW Crafter at 183 cm. The Mercedes Sprinter (179 cm), Ford Transit (178 cm) and Renault Master (176 cm) are narrower.
Is the Sprinter bigger inside than the Ducato?
Longer, but narrower. The Sprinter L2H2 floor is 327 × 179 cm, the Ducato L2H2 312 × 187 cm, so both have about 5.8 m² of floor. The Sprinter L3H2 (430 cm) is 60 cm longer than the Ducato L3H2 (370 cm).
What is the best van size for a camper conversion?
For two people travelling a few weeks a year, a mid-size van with about 310–350 cm of floor fits a bed, a kitchen and storage. Full-timers usually want 370 cm or more for a fixed bed plus a living area. A VW T6 or Citroën Jumpy works if you want a daily car and can live with a convertible bed.
How wide is the gap between the wheel arches?
It's 142 cm in the Ducato and Boxer, 141 cm in the front-wheel-drive Sprinter, 139 cm in the Transit, 138 cm in the Crafter and Master, and 135 cm in the rear-wheel-drive Sprinter. In the VW T6 it's 124 cm and in the Citroën Jumpy 126 cm.
Are these dimensions the same after insulation?
No. They are bare cargo floor measurements. Insulation and wall panels usually take 2–5 cm off each side, and the walls lean in above the floor, so measure your van at the height where the bed or cabinet will sit.