The KNAUS – Dog-friendly 4-berth Knaus BoxLife with hot shower and heating

Parks like a van, lives like a motorhome. The BoxLife 630 is Knaus's clever panel-van conversion on the Fiat Ducato: easy to drive and park, but with space that surprises everyone who steps inside.

At the back is the party piece, a huge fixed double bed (200 x 180cm) with windows on three sides and masses of storage underneath for bikes, boards and muddy boots. Up front the cab seats swivel to make a proper lounge around the dinette table, and a full-size drop-down double (194 x 130cm) lowers over the cab, so the van genuinely sleeps four adults in two real beds. No cushion-shuffling required.

The kitchen runs a two-burner gas hob, a sink and a big 90-litre fridge with freezer at eye level. Behind it there is a real bathroom: hot shower, basin and cassette toilet. Truma Combi heating and hot water keep it warm and comfortable in any season, with a leisure battery, LED lighting and plenty of 12V and 230V sockets. Fresh and waste water tanks are generous (110L and 90L) so you can pitch up off grid for a night or two.

It is 6.36m long, drives on a standard car licence, and the manual diesel Ducato base is easy going: if you can drive a car, you can drive this. First time in a campervan? Perfect. Every hire starts with a full in-person walkthrough, and there are video guides for every switch and dial so you are never stuck.

Dogs are genuinely welcome at no extra charge. We hire from just south of Birmingham with quick routes to Wales, the Peak District and the Cotswolds, and we look after this van like it is one of the family, because it is.