🇫🇮 Finland — OpenVan.camp

In Helsinki on 2 October, a motorhome belonging to Matias Petäistö, known as a special forces instructor, was towed. The vehicle, registered with Traficom as a motorhome, had been parked in a bus parking area in Katajanokka since late spring. According to Traficom, the periodic inspection was not completed or approved. The towing took several hours due to the need to lift the heavy vehicle. Petäistö has previously received multiple parking fines.

Finnish company Karoo presented at Caravan Salon 2026 a prototype caravan with an aerodynamic design that reduces air resistance by about 50% compared to conventional caravans. When towed by an electric car, consumption is around 30 kWh per 100 km; during a test drive from Helsinki through Lapland to Norway, charging stops were made every 250 km. The caravan is 5.30 m long and 2.09 m wide, with sleeping places for four. Unladen weight is 1050 kg, fully equipped 1300 kg; the team aims to save another 100 kg. The base price is approximately 37,000 euros, with typical options bringing it to around 45,000 euros. Production starts early next year, with first deliveries before the summer season 2027.

Top Camping in Vaasa closes on Sunday, ending a season that began on 15 May. Kenneth Johansson and his partner parked their caravan and pitched a tent on Vasklot; after the closure they return to Kvevlax.

On Thursday at about 9:30 on Joensuuntie north of Sotkuma village in Polvijärvi, a motorhome collided with a full-trailer truck. No further details were provided.

In Finland, owners of motorhomes and caravans are staying longer in one place due to rising costs. From 1 January 2026, the fuel tax rate for diesel motorhomes increased from 0.9 to 5.5 cents per day per each 100 kg of total weight. For caravanner Harri Laisi, the total tax amount rose from about 600 euros last year to 1,400 euros this year. In July 2026, a litre of diesel in Finland cost an average of about 2.10 euros, up 25.1% year-on-year. In Czechia, fuel price increases also raised costs: in August 2026, a litre of diesel averaged 44.98 korunas, and in early September it reached 47.79 korunas. Despite this, over 1,200 new motorhomes were registered in Czechia in the first half of 2026, a quarter more than a year earlier.

Early on Sunday morning, a fire broke out in Lohja, destroying a caravan and a 30-square-metre yard shed. The Western Uusimaa rescue department was called to extinguish the blaze. One person was taken for further examination by emergency services.

On Saturday, Vanlife Day was held at the Caravan fair in Lahti. Jarmo Annunen and Mari Birling converted a truck into a motorhome and plan a round-the-world trip with their dog Penny.

Motorhome owners in Finland are reducing mileage due to higher fuel and usage tax costs. Since the start of the year, a change in the usage tax has increased annual vehicle costs by hundreds of euros, and diesel prices have risen. According to the Association of Motorhome Importers, about 900 motorhomes were first registered in January–August 2025, down 3% from the same period last year. Finland has approximately 130,000 registered motorhomes and caravans.

The autumn Caravan show opens in Lahti on 24–27 September amid a stabilising market for new motorhomes and a continued decline in first registrations of caravans. From January to August, Finland registered 896 new motorhomes and 385 caravans, a total of 1,281 vehicles, down 7.6% from 1,387 a year earlier. Motorhome registrations fell by only 3.4% (from 928), while factory-built motorhomes dropped by 1.1% (783 versus 792). According to Mika Jokinen, executive director of the Association of Recreational Vehicle Importers, the motorhome market is at or near the bottom.

On Sunday shortly before 4 p.m., a motorhome that had just been parked caught fire in Etelänkylä, Kalajoki. According to the North Ostrobothnia rescue service, there was a risk the fire would spread to a nearby detached house and other buildings.

On Sunday in Janakkala, a motorhome caught fire. The driver and passenger were unharmed, but the vehicle was completely destroyed by fire.

The Kaukkila family from Pori and the Laihinen couple made separate motorhome trips to northern Finland. The family of four (parents and children aged 13 and 4) spent two weeks in the North Calotte region, where the sun did not set. Both trips were affected by injuries: Kari Kaukkila was hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing in Pori in early June, breaking his collarbone, while his wife used crutches. The Laihinen couple also faced injuries. Despite this, both trips were successful.

Caravan 2026 will be held from 24 to 27 September at the Lahti Exhibition Centre. The theme of the year is “For all roads”. The programme includes Vanlife Day and DogFest.

The third season of the Finnish documentary series Van Life premieres on September 20, 2026, on Yle TV2. The series follows a woman named Aino who has lived in an orange van for several years. In the new season, she decides to renovate the vehicle because daily use has revealed impractical solutions. Filming takes place in Norway, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Portugal. In the sixth episode, Aino ends her journey by the Atlantic Ocean.

At the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, the Finnish Karoo caravan prototype was presented, featuring an aerodynamic design that reduces drag by 50% compared to conventional models. When towed by an electric vehicle, consumption is about 30 kWh per 100 km, and a test trip from Helsinki through Lapland to Norway required a charging stop every 250 km. The caravan features a fully opening side wall, a pull-out kitchen module, a bathroom with shower, and smart home systems. The base price is €37,000, with optional equipment bringing the total to around €45,000. Production is set to begin early next year, with first deliveries before the summer season.

Rural associations in Finnish Lapland are building paid parking areas for motorhomes at former wild camping spots to manage uncontrolled overnight stays. In Madetkoski, a former wild parking area was upgraded with Leader programme support, including waste water tanks and a locked firewood store. The renovation cost less than 30,000 euros; last season the association earned about 1,000 euros from overnight fees. A similar site in Tennilä, Rovaniemi, saw visitor numbers rise from 14 to over 30 in a year.

Rural associations in Finnish Lapland are building paid camper parking areas to regulate uncontrolled overnight stays. In Sodankylä, the former informal parking area at Madetkoski has been upgraded with waste tanks and a locked firewood shed. The renovation cost less than €30,000. Last season, the association earned about €1,000 from overnight fees. A similar parking area in Tennilä village attracted over 30 visitors this year.

On Thursday morning, a homemade camper parked just one meter from a garage and storage building on Virvanvägen in Nagu caught fire. The fire started around 7:30 a.m., and the owner, who was inside, managed to escape. The flames also damaged the adjacent building; no injuries were reported.

In Parainen, Finland, a motorhome parked next to a building caught fire on Thursday morning. A person sleeping inside woke up and escaped, sustaining minor injuries. The fire started from a heater connected to the mains. It was extinguished before rescue units arrived.

Finnish startup Karoo presented an almost finished version of its compact caravan at the Caravan Salon 2026 in Düsseldorf. Series production is planned to start in early 2027. Thanks to an aerodynamically optimized design and low weight, Karoo claims energy consumption of the towing vehicle drops by 23% compared with a conventional caravan of similar size, while air resistance is 51% lower. The 5.30-meter caravan features a flexible interior: a folding sofa converts into a 208×140 cm bed, a large side opening, a pull-out kitchen, and a bathroom. The fully equipped version costs around 38,000 euros.