Overlanding Vehicle Guide: How to Choose the Best Vehicle for Your Adventures

Choosing the best vehicle for overlanding can be great fun but can also be a daunting task. Many factors come into play when picking an SUV, truck, or van, and you have to balance your aspirations with your limitations. 

You may dream of taking six months off to drive a pricey, tricked-out rig across South America. Meanwhile, your bank account and life circumstances may dictate a few nights in the back of an old truck in a nearby national forest.

If you are just starting out, we’d recommend you give overlanding a try with whatever vehicle you have before spending a lot of money and time on an exotic rig. Take some short trips that your vehicle can handle. Do some basic car camping.

Eventually, you might want to get something more capable or comfortable, but give yourself some time to figure out what you need before you make too many assumptions. 

It’s easy to become enamored with shiny objects, and when it comes to overlanding, those shiny objects can be quite expensive. The buyer’s remorse can be as epic as the trips you are imagining.

How to Choose an Overlanding Vehicle

This guide isn’t about selling you on a specific make and model of overlanding vehicle. While we’ll highlight some specific options, the goal is to give you a framework for choosing the best vehicle for your circumstances and budget. Below are several criteria to keep in mind as you size up the various options.

Reliability

Can you trust the SUV or truck to hold up when you are off the beaten track? Some makes and models have stronger reliability ratings — Toyota trucks, for instance, are known for their reliability.

Also, you want to make sure your overlanding vehicle has been well-maintained with regular service and is in good running condition. Some brands of cars are more expensive to service than others -Mercedes and Land Rover, we’re looking at you.

Capability

What kinds of road/off-road conditions can the vehicle handle? If you are planning to traverse rugged off-road terrain, you’ll need to make sure you have adequate clearance and traction. It’s also worth doing your research on a vehicle’s approach, departure and breakthrough angles.

If you are carrying a heavy load, such as multiple people and lots of gear, you must ensure the engine and suspension are up to the job.

If you are planning to tow a trailer or carry a truck camper, make sure you are getting a vehicle that can handle the weight. On the flip side, don’t needlessly spend money on capabilities that you’ll never use.

If you'll be driving on relatively mellow dirt roads, you probably don’t need locking differentials. Maybe all-wheel drive is fine, and you don’t need a four-wheel drive.

Check out our article on what makes vehicles capable off-road for a deeper dive on this topic.

Capacity

Is the vehicle big enough and does it have the payload capacity to carry the people and equipment you need?

One crucial factor to remember when overlanding is that you’re in it for the long haul. Four people may be perfectly happy cramming in a 2-door Jeep for an afternoon of off-roading, but that same space will feel awfully tight five days into an overlanding trip.

Make sure you’ll have enough room to carry everything comfortably. But don’t buy more vehicle than you need, as you’ll incur extra costs and fuel needs for no reason.

Repairability

Not sure this is even a word, but it’s an important factor when considering longer overland trips. Wear and tear when driving offroad is to be expected, and chances are that something will break eventually.

Some vehicles are easier to work on than others (the internet is full of debates on this subject). Some brands and models are more common worldwide, making it easier to find knowledgeable mechanics and parts (again, Toyotas get high marks on this front).

Do some research on what vehicles are easy to maintain where you’ll spend your time, especially if you are headed abroad.

Ride Quality

Overlanding often involves covering long distances, both on and off-road. At first blush, it may seem like you’ll need the burliest off-road vehicle capable of scaling the roughest terrain.

The male of the species seems particularly susceptible to this thinking. But overlanding more often is about taking the middle road, balancing off-road capability with passenger comfort and cargo space.

It’s important to consider not only where you’ll be traveling but also who you’ll be traveling with and how to make the experience comfortable enough for them tos enjoy themselves. 

Versatility and After-Market Options

Some vehicle makes and models offer a wide range of aftermarket products and modifications that allow you to adapt your vehicle to your circumstances.

For instance, there is a vast aftermarket for off-road and overlanding products for Jeep Wranglers and Toyota Tacomas. Some vehicles, particularly trucks, are inherently versatile. Larger trucks can pull bigger overlanding trailers. Trucks with beds can carry roof-top tents AND truck campers.

Without driving yourself crazy, it’s worth thinking ahead to what you might need or want in the future when making your vehicle choice. Then again, versatility could mean the ability to use your overlanding vehicle to commute to work during the week.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the various types of overlanding vehicles, with a few examples of popular makes and models. It’s not a complete list by any means, but will hopefully will help point you in the right direction.

Types of Overlanding Vehicles

All-wheel-drive SUVs

For many people, an all-wheel-drive SUV is the gateway vehicle to overlanding. It can also be all you ever need, as long as you stick to manageable terrain. SUVs can have some advantages over larger trucks and vans. These include better gas mileage (for smaller models), better on-road performance and comfort on long drives, easier access to roof racks, and lower prices.

If you already own an SUV and are just getting into overlanding, we recommend taking a few overland trips on routes appropriate to your vehicle. Many dirt-road routes in the world are doable in an SUV.

Popular All-wheel-drive SUVs:

Four-wheel-Drive SUVs

Four-wheel drive SUVs offer more off-road capability than all-wheel-drive models, due to the traction advantages of four-wheel drive and more ground clearance. Some models also come with differential lockers that allow you to lock the axles for additional traction improvement.

If your planning to tackle rugged and unpredictable terrain, you may need a vehicle with true four-wheel drive. In contrast to trucks, SUVs typically offer more cabin space for passengers and gear, which has its advantages. That said, pickup trucks offer the opportunity to carry truck campers and other types of truck bed accessories.

Popular 4×4 SUVs:

Pickup Trucks

Pickup trucks have become more popular for overlanding in recent years, as a growing range of aftermarket modifications for truck beds have come on the market. There is a wide range of truck campers and specialize bed racks for cargo and roof-top-tents now on the market.

Pickup manufacturers tend to offer four-wheel-drive models of their trucks, and they are often highly capable of doing so off-road. The downsides include poor gas mileage, smaller passenger compartments, and needing to get out of the vehicle to access cargo stored in the bed.

Popular Trucks for Overlanding:

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Cargo and Passenger Vans

The primary attraction of vans for overlanding is the large internal passenger and cargo space.

A number of companies, such as Sportsmobile, Wayfair, and Alumness, offer van conversions and modifications specifically focused on the overlanding market, turning cargo and passenger vans into off-road capable RVs.

Then there’s the whole van-life movement of people buying various kinds of vans and doing DYI conversions for travel, including folks focus on exploring remote regions.

While vans offer lots of internal space, that has to be balanced against their limitations in off-road-capability. This can be offset by four-wheel-drive and other off-roading modifications such as big tires and suspension lifts, but a big van will never be as capable off-road as a Jeep Wrangler or TRD Tacoma.

Popular Vans for Overlanding:

Also Read

Overlanding 101: How to Start Overlanding for Beginners

Essential Overlanding Gear Guide

Best Overlanding Storage Containers