Can You Take A Roof Box On A Ferry?
Yes, you can generally take a car with a roof box on a ferry. For families driving to France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain or other destinations reached by ferry, a roof box can be a particularly useful way to create more luggage space for the trip.
The important detail is that a fitted roof box changes the overall height of your vehicle. When booking your crossing, you should check the ferry operator's current vehicle-size requirements and make sure you provide the correct dimensions where requested.
In other words, don't book the car as though the Roof Box isn't there.
Does a Roof Box Count Towards My Vehicle Height?
Yes. For practical purposes, your overall travelling height includes the vehicle, its roof bars or mounting system and the fitted roof box.
This can be quite different from the standard height listed for your car by its manufacturer. If a ferry company asks for your vehicle's overall height, the relevant measurement is the complete setup you'll actually be arriving at the port with.
Roof box dimensions and mounting arrangements vary, so don't rely on a generic figure. Know the approximate overall height of your particular fitted vehicle before travelling.
Why Does Vehicle Height Matter When Booking a Ferry?
Ferries have to accommodate vehicles of many different shapes and sizes, from ordinary cars to taller vehicles, motorhomes and commercial vehicles. Operators may therefore ask about vehicle dimensions during the booking process.
A roof box can move an otherwise standard car into a different height category depending on the operator and crossing.
Booking requirements are not identical between every ferry company, so check the current information supplied by the operator you're actually travelling with rather than assuming the rules from a previous crossing will apply.
Should I Include Roof Bars in the Measurement?
Yes. What matters is the complete height of the vehicle after everything has been fitted.
The box sits above the roof using a suitable mounting system, so simply adding the published height of a box to the manufacturer's vehicle height may not give you an exact final measurement.
If you're unfamiliar with how the equipment fits together, How Do Roof Boxes Attach To Cars? explains the basic setup. We can also provide Roof Bar Hire where compatible bars are required for your booking.
What If I Have Already Booked the Ferry?
If you booked your crossing before deciding to hire a roof box, check the vehicle details on your reservation.
If the addition of the roof box changes information you supplied when booking, contact the ferry operator or amend the reservation using its booking system where appropriate. The operator can confirm whether the new overall dimensions affect your vehicle category or fare.
It's much better to sort that out before travelling than to arrive at the port with a vehicle that doesn't match the dimensions on the booking.
Will a Roof Box Cost More on a Ferry?
It can depend on the ferry company, route, vehicle dimensions and fare structure.
Some booking systems distinguish between vehicles according to height or other dimensions. Adding a roof box could therefore affect the category or price applicable to your vehicle, while on another journey it may make no difference to the fare.
Because ferry pricing and vehicle classifications can change, check directly with your chosen operator when booking. Midlands Roof Box Hire cannot determine the ferry fare from the size of the roof box alone.
Can I Leave Luggage in the Roof Box During the Crossing?
Follow the ferry operator's instructions concerning vehicle decks, luggage and access to your car during the crossing.
On services where passengers cannot return to the vehicle deck while the ferry is at sea, anything you want during the crossing should be removed from the car before leaving it.
That makes packing particularly important. Passports, medication, children's essentials, chargers, warm clothing and anything else you may need aboard the ferry should not be buried somewhere inaccessible in the roof box.
Use the roof box for suitable belongings you won't need again until you have access to the vehicle.
Make Sure the Roof Box Is Locked Before Leaving the Car
Before walking away from your vehicle, make sure the roof box is properly closed and locked and that the keys have been removed.
The contents should already have been packed and secured appropriately before you reached the port. Don't treat the ferry terminal as the place to rearrange an overloaded roof box at the last minute.
Our Thule roof boxes provide lockable enclosed storage, but sensible security precautions should still be followed throughout your journey.
What Should Go in the Roof Box for a Ferry Holiday?
A ferry-based driving holiday can involve a lot of luggage, particularly if you're travelling as a family or staying away for a week or more.
Suitable lighter and bulkier belongings can make good use of the additional storage, while particularly heavy items should be positioned appropriately in the vehicle and all applicable load limits must be observed.
Our Large option provides around 470 litres of capacity, while the Extra Large roof box offers around 580 litres.
Don't choose purely on the basis of filling the biggest possible box. Which Is The Best Roof Box? can help if you're deciding which option better suits your vehicle and trip.
Remember the Height After You Leave the Ferry
Getting onto the ship isn't the end of the height issue.
Once you arrive at your destination, the roof box remains fitted. You may encounter underground hotel parking, multi-storey car parks, garages and height barriers during the rest of the holiday.
This is particularly easy to forget after a few days of driving with the box. Keeping your overall vehicle height written somewhere visible to the driver can provide a useful reminder.
Can I Take a Roof Box on a Ferry to France?
Yes, subject to the requirements of the ferry operator and your particular vehicle setup. The same basic approach applies whether you're crossing the Channel or using a longer ferry route: enter the correct vehicle details, account for the fitted roof box and check the operator's current requirements.
If France is only the beginning of a longer driving holiday, our guide Can You Take A Roof Box To Europe? covers some of the wider considerations involved in travelling abroad with a roof box.
What About Ferries to Ireland?
A roof box can also be taken on ferry journeys between Great Britain and Ireland, subject to the individual operator's vehicle requirements.
Again, don't assume that every company uses identical height categories. Check your chosen crossing and enter the complete dimensions requested during booking.
Does the Type of Car Make a Difference?
It can make a substantial difference to your finished vehicle height.
A relatively low car fitted with a roof box won't necessarily end up as tall as an SUV or 4x4 carrying similar equipment. That's why the vehicle itself has to be considered alongside the box and bars.
We provide suitable roof box setups for many popular vehicles, including Toyota, VW, Audi, Kia, Mercedes and Vauxhall, as well as SUV and 4x4 options.
Five Things to Check Before Driving to the Ferry Terminal
- Your ferry booking: make sure the vehicle information reflects the roof box where required.
- Your overall height: know approximately how tall the car is with the box and bars fitted.
- Your luggage: secure the contents and keep anything needed aboard the ferry accessible.
- Your roof box: check that it is correctly closed and locked.
- Your onward journey: remember that the increased vehicle height still matters after leaving the ferry.
If your ferry is part of a longer overseas holiday, it's also sensible to check your insurance position before departure and confirm that you meet the current driving requirements for each country you'll visit.
Hire a Roof Box for Your Ferry Holiday
Midlands Roof Box Hire provides professionally fitted roof storage for holidays in the UK and Europe. We help customers from Hinckley, Sutton Coldfield, Redditch, Coventry and Burton-upon-Trent, with fitting also available from our Tamworth base.
Hiring can be particularly useful for an occasional ferry or European holiday because you get the additional luggage capacity for the period you need it without having to find somewhere to store a large roof box permanently at home.
See Is it cheaper to hire or buy a roof box? for more on that comparison, or visit How much does it cost to hire a roof box? for our current hire prices.
Book the Car You're Actually Taking
That's the easiest rule to remember when taking a roof box on a ferry. Your vehicle is no longer simply the height shown in its original specifications once a roof box and bars are fitted.
Check your complete vehicle height, provide accurate information to the ferry operator where requested and follow its current instructions for your particular crossing. Then remember that the same extra height follows you when you drive off the ferry at the other end.
Browse our Roof Box Range or Contact Us with your vehicle registration, travel dates and requirements to arrange professionally fitted roof box hire for your trip.