Lower the rear seats, lay out a mattress, turn on the screen and play a movie 鈥?in less than ten minutes, an ordinary family car transforms into a "mobile bedroom." With the National Day holiday just behind us, netizens have been sharing their "car-bed travel" expense reports on social media: a family of three spending only around 1,600 yuan over six days, another traveler paying just 500 yuan for six nights of accommodation, and so on. From Sichuan to Fujian, from Gannan to the Qinghai-Gansu loop, over the past two years, a growing number of tourists are choosing to sleep in their vehicles, saving thousands of yuan on lodging. Many automakers have seized the moment, promoting "one-touch bed conversion" and "camping mode" as core selling points, further fueling the car-bed travel boom.
Netizens share their "car-bed travel" expense reports (Image source: internet). However, behind the cost savings and convenience lie safety risks of lying down while driving, the strain on public resources, and even the legal consequences of illegal modifications. Is car-bed travel a savvy new way to see the world, or a resource-straining practice riddled with hidden dangers? On October 8, reporters interviewed tourists and experts.
A Family of Three Spends Just Over 1,600 Yuan in Six Days; Some Carmakers Roll Out "One-Touch Bed" Mode
Right after the National Day holiday, netizens flooded social media with their "car-bed" expense reports, sparking widespread discussion. Many said that with hotels fully booked during the holiday rush, they simply folded down the rear seats and laid out a mattress to spend the night, avoiding "booking anxiety" and saving thousands of yuan in accommodation costs over a single trip.
Ms. Zhou from Mianyang, Sichuan, drove with her family to the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture during the National Day holiday, using car-bed mode throughout the journey 鈥?traveling by day and sleeping at service areas by night. "We saved at least three thousand yuan on accommodation for the entire trip," she said. Ms. Zhou lying in her "car bed" (Photo provided by Ms. Zhou). Ms. Zhou told reporters that before setting out, she searched for hotels at her destination and found that quality ones were not only expensive but often fully booked, while budget options were uncomfortable. So she chose to bring an air mattress and sleeping bag to sleep in the car. "At night, find a well-equipped service area or a licensed campground 鈥?about 20 yuan gets you a night's stay." She noted that not only can you use restrooms and water, but some campgrounds even offer showers, and they are safer than wild camping spots.
Unlike Ms. Zhou, Mr. Jiang from Chengdu, Sichuan, said that since buying an electric vehicle, he has leaned more toward car-bed travel. "But we don't do it the entire trip 鈥?when passing through less popular areas, we stay at hotels to shower and recharge." Mr. Jiang's "car bed" setup (Photo provided by Mr. Jiang). He noted that while car-bed travel saves money and is convenient, it comes with problems such as cramped, enclosed spaces, noisy service areas at night, and inconvenient bathing. It is fine for a few days, but a hotel break is a must along the way.
Many netizens have also shared their experiences on social media. Ms. Zhao (pseudonym) from Chengdu took a family road trip from Chengdu to Xichang during the National Day holiday, combining car-bed sleeping with tent camping, spending a total of 1,689 yuan on all expenses. "Ours is a gas car, but even with fuel costs, it was still very economical." "Car-bed travel is truly amazing," shared Ms. Zhu (pseudonym) from Fujian, who drove across Fujian and Zhejiang during the holiday. With tolls waived, she spent only 500 yuan on accommodation over six nights 鈥?two nights in hotels and the remaining four nights sleeping in the car. Charging costs totaled just 200 yuan, tickets for two adults and one child came to 1,500 yuan, and food and supplies along the way cost another 1,500 yuan. "The whole trip was nearly 2,000 kilometers. If it were a gas car, fuel alone would have cost over 1,200 yuan." She added that the biggest advantage of an electric vehicle is being able to safely park and sleep with the air circulation on. "You wouldn't dare sleep overnight in a gas car 鈥?open the windows and mosquitoes get in, close them and you risk suffocation. Electric vehicles solve this problem perfectly."
Automaker marketing has added fuel to this trend. In recent years, multiple car manufacturers have made "one-touch bed conversion" and "camping mode" core selling points. Some models claim to fold the rear seats flat in mere seconds, creating a nearly 2-meter-long, 1.4-meter-wide double bed while still retaining some trunk space. Other models combine roof tents and tailgate extension platforms with in-car bedding, promoting an integrated "camp outside, sleep inside" solution. Electric vehicles' flatter undercarriages, batteries that support extended parking with air conditioning, and external discharge capabilities for cooking and boiling water have turned "sleeping in the car" from a last resort into a deliberate choice for some consumers.
Behind the Transformation of Ordinary Cars into "Mobile Bedrooms": Safety Risks of Lying Down While Driving, Strain on Public Resources, and Potential Legal Consequences
Car-bed travel continues to gain traction on social media. Unlike RVs, car beds are typically ordinary SUVs, MPVs, or even vans 鈥?fold down the rear seats, lay out an inflatable mattress, plug in a portable power source, and a family car becomes a "mobile bedroom" on the road. Low barriers and minimal costs have made this travel style take off quickly, but it also comes with considerable hidden dangers.
Netizens share their "car beds" (Image source: internet). Shanxi highway police have explicitly warned that lying down while a vehicle is traveling at high speed poses extreme risks 鈥?in sudden braking or a collision, a person would be thrown directly, causing severe injury or death. A senior vehicle engineer explained that all safety protection designs in family cars are intended only for passengers sitting upright with seatbelts fastened. When a seat is reclined, the three-point seatbelt cannot properly fit across the chest and hip bones, leaving the body like an unprotected heavy object in sudden braking or collision. Airbags deploying in the wrong position can also cause secondary fatal injuries.
More commonplace than driving safety is the strain car-bed travel places on public resources. Since car beds lack complete water supply, sewage, and electrical systems, washing up, cooking, and disposing of wastewater all depend on public restrooms and street facilities. According to media reports, many car owners chop firewood and cook directly on sidewalks, crowd into public restrooms to wash up and do laundry, and dump domestic wastewater and food waste into green belts at will.
The economic conflict is equally sharp. According to media reports, along the Qinghai-Gansu loop, many car-bed travelers park in front of hotels or nearby parking areas overnight to conveniently use hotel restrooms and access water, while hotels can only turn a blind eye.
The legal consequences are also clear. Under the Road Traffic Safety Law, unauthorized removal of seats or modification of bedding constitutes illegal modification. Small passenger vehicles face a 500-yuan fine and an order to restore the vehicle to its original state. If an accident is caused by such illegal conditions, insurance companies have the right to refuse compensation in accordance with the law.
Expert: The Main Reason Car-Bed Travel Has Taken Off Is Price; Sustainability Requires Addressing Safety and Infrastructure Issues
On October 8, Hu Penghui, associate professor and master's supervisor at the School of Sociology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said in an interview that car-bed travel is not a new phenomenon this year, but this National Day holiday it truly reached a tipping point. The most direct reason is the sharp increase in new energy vehicle ownership. As of the end of June this year, the total number of motor vehicles nationwide reached 476 million, of which 48.97 million were new energy vehicles. This means many ordinary families already own a "potential car bed."
"The real reason car-bed travel has taken off is mainly price," he pointed out. During the National Day holiday, hotel prices in popular cities surged severely 鈥?chain hotels that normally cost three to four hundred yuan could rise to over a thousand yuan per night during the holiday, without any corresponding upgrade in service. Young people can afford it, but they feel it is not worth it, and car-bed travel happens to offer an alternative.
Regarding the transformation of ordinary cars into "mobile bedrooms" and the associated safety hazards and legal risks, Hu Penghui said that in the short term it saves money, but in the long term it is not sustainable. If "freeloading on resources" becomes a widespread phenomenon, resentment from hotels and communities will grow, ultimately forcing stricter restrictive measures.
Hu Penghui believes the "underlying demand" for car-bed travel is promising, but its current "rough and unregulated state" is not. Car-bed travel essentially reflects the desire of road-trip enthusiasts for flexibility and cost-effectiveness 鈥?a demand that is real and long-term. But for it to move from "wild mode" to sustainability, two issues must be resolved: first, safety regulations 鈥?lying down while driving must be explicitly prohibited, and automakers promoting "one-touch bed conversion" should simultaneously indicate proper usage scenarios; second, supporting infrastructure 鈥?licensed campgrounds, reasonably priced parking and water-refill points, and bathing facilities need to catch up.
Source: Sichuan Daily Cover News. Editor: Yang Xiaonan. Responsible Editor: Huang Qing.