The car in these photos is small, boxy, yellow, and electric: an iCAR V23, the compact SUV that looks like it was designed with a ruler and a sense of humour. On its roof sits one of our Yanghui triangle hard shell tents — the same triangle family we fit to Land Cruisers and pickups. The owner's question, and probably yours, is fair: does a tent built for big off-roaders make any sense on a small electric SUV?
We fitted it, photographed it closed and open, and the answer is in the two pictures. Here is what we would want to know if the little yellow car were ours.
Closed: the whole argument in one profile
Start with the side view of the tent closed. On a small car, proportion is everything — a tall tent makes a compact SUV look like it is carrying a wardrobe. Our triangle shell sits low and flat along the roof, closer to a roof box in silhouette than to a mattress. The advanced version of this line, the Pascal-Pro, closes to just 14.5 cm.
That thinness is not a styling preference on a car like this. A small electric SUV lives in the city during the week: underground car parks, low barriers, charged-by-the-hour parking. Every centimetre of closed height is a place you either fit into, or don't.
Open: it stops being a small car
Now the same car with the tent up. The triangle rises at one end, the big window faces the trees, and suddenly the smallest car in the car park has a bedroom with a view. The bed inside the Pascal-Pro is 211 × 130 cm — the same honest two-adult measure we quote on our largest fitments, because the tent does not shrink just because the car did.
This is the quiet advantage of a rooftop tent on a compact SUV: the car's footprint limits its cabin, but it does not limit the bed above it. The V23 stays easy to park, easy to charge and easy to live with — and sleeps two adults flat on the nights it leaves town.
The honest list for small-car owners
- The roof rating is the first conversation, not the last. The Pascal-Pro weighs 72 kg. A compact SUV's dynamic roof rating is lower than a body-on-frame 4x4's, and the rack counts toward it. We check the exact model's numbers before we agree to fit one — and if the numbers say no, we say no.
- Weight is a bigger share of a small car. Seventy-two kilos on a large off-roader is a detail; on a compact SUV you will feel it in how the car drives. Plan for that honestly instead of being surprised by it.
- Electric range notices drag and weight. A 14.5 cm closed shell is about as kind to range as a rooftop tent can be, but no roof load is free. For daily driving with no trip planned, some small-car owners take the tent off — ask us about mounting and removal before you buy, not after.
- The triangle has a tall end and a low end. You sit up at the wide end; you do not stand. On a small car that trade is usually worth it for the closed profile, but go in knowing it.
Who this fitment suits
If your car is small because your life is urban — and your weekends are not — a thin triangle tent is the version of rooftop camping that asks the least of the car. The V23 owner in these photos did not trade up to a bigger vehicle to go camping. The car already in the driveway simply got a second job, one it does with the tent closed down to 14.5 cm all week and a bed open above the trees on Saturday.
Thinking about a tent for a compact SUV of your own? Read our broader notes on EV camping with rooftop tents, then send us your exact model. Small cars are where fitment homework matters most, and we would rather do it on paper with you than on your roof without you.
Helpful Resources & Next Steps
- The tent line in these photos: Pascal-Pro and Pascal-Lite.
- More on electric camping cars: EV camping with rooftop tents.
- Still choosing? Our beginner's buying guide covers shapes and weights.
About SMARCAMP
SMARCAMP — Innovate For Camping. SMARCAMP is a leading rooftop tent brand in the RTT industry. Our strengths: a strong R&D team, semi-automatic production lines and a complete product testing system.
We supply & wholesale rooftop tents, hard shell rooftop tents, pop-up car top tents, caravan tents, awnings and shower tents. As a professional manufacturer in China, we deliver premium-quality products at competitive prices. Custom service available. Welcome your inquiries!
👉 Visit us at: www.smarcamp.com
📧 Email: info@smarcamp.com
📞 Phone: +86-0755-2359-1201
💬 WhatsApp: +86-181-2395-9761
💬 WeChat: +86-181-2651-4680
📍 Head Office: 3 Floor, No. 3 Factory, Minsheng 4th Road, Baoyuan Community, Shiyan Street, Baoan District, Shenzhen City, China
For wholesale inquiries, OEM/ODM partnerships, or international distribution, feel free to reach out — we are here to support your outdoor ambitions.
Follow SMARCAMP Online
- 📷 Instagram: @smarcamp_official
- 🎬 YouTube: @smarcamp-true
- 📘 Facebook: SMARCAMP
- 🎵 TikTok: @smarcamp
- 🎥 Douyin: @SMARCAMP 专业户外装备
- 📕 Xiaohongshu: @SMARCAMP 专业户外装备
