Best roof boxes 2026
Which is the best way to boost your luggage capacity?
When you’re off on holiday in the car, you can be a ninja at packing but there’s a good chance you will still find yourself short of boot space. Do you leave behind a family member or risk the wrath of teenagers by not taking a hairdryer?
The problem is even more acute if you are going camping and need to take enough equipment to keep everyone warm, dry and fed. The most popular solution is to fit a roof box. These can more than double the amount of space you have for luggage, in addition to giving you the flexibility to take long and awkward items.
They vary in cost, size and complexity, with features which make them easier to fit, more secure and safer. Which of the eight we tested was top of the box?
How we tested
We were looking for a box suitable for a family going camping for a week, fitting onto a Nissan Qashqai. Ease of fitment and removal, security features and loading capacity were what we wanted. We also looked at the quality, style and – as always – scored the value for money.
We then checked how easy and safe it is to open and close the lid, with extra points if there are indicators to show the clasp is secure. Boxes with double hinges, allowing them to be opened from either side, were also given credit.
Hapro Traxer 5.6
- Rating: 5.0 stars
- Price: around £348
- Capacity: 370 litres
- Contact: roofbox.co.uk
Used - available now
2022 Ford
S-Max
36,511 milesAutomaticPetrol2.5L
Cash £21,500
2020 Hyundai
Kona Electric
23,468 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £13,197
2026 Peugeot
208
15,275 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £13,176
2022 Land Rover
Range Rover Sport
56,100 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L
Cash £30,995Dutch company Hapro is the world’s second biggest roof box manufacturer, behind Thule.
Products like this Traxer are the reason for its success. While it doesn’t have any stand-out features, it has all the essentials at a price usefully below similar-spec rivals’. This 370-litre version will be big enough for most, but there are also 410 and 530-litre models in a variety of finishes.
The claws fit easily to bars and the box can be opened from either side, with a ‘central locking’ system which means you can’t remove the key unless the box is closed.
Atera Casar XL
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: around £524
- Size: 540 litres
- Contact: roofbox.co.uk
If your budget is more than £500, our choice would be Atera’s flagship Casar XL. It has a huge 540-litre capacity – that’s the same as the entire boot on a Kia Sportage.
What we liked most was the locking system. There is a classy-looking latch that resembles a car’s interior door handle and makes opening and closing easy. You don’t have to use the key to open or close the box - you only need to lock up when you want to secure it fully.
Fitting is with a claw, but the box can sit lower on the bars, giving a sleeker look and causing less drag.
Cruz Paddock 470
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Price: around £387
- Capacity: 470 litres
- Contact: roofbox.co.uk
The Cruz features a lid design that maximises the space inside while keeping the footprint compact, and we think it looks more modern, too.
It has a three-point central-locking system for extra security, although the key operation can feel a little stiff compared to the Hapro’s. It’s fixed to bars using U-bolts, but this isn’t as fiddly as most because it uses large plastic knobs to secure inside the box, so no spanner is required.
The main reason for it taking a place on the podium is the value – it’s a big, well finished box for less than £400.
Halfords 420L Roof Box – Grey
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Price: around £229
- Capacity: 420 litres
- Contact: halfords.com
The prices of some of the boxes here might make you think it would be cheaper to book a week in Benidorm instead of your camping trip. But there are budget options like this 420L from Halfords that do a decent job for just £229, as long as you are prepared to accept some limitations.
For a start, the Halfords product opens on one side only, and it uses the fiddly U-bolt fixings. It looks a little dated too and is restricted to a 50kg weight limit. But at this price, those factors could be easy to forgive.
KAMEI Husky 510
- Rating: 4.0 stars
- Price: around £531
- Capacity: 510 litres
- Contact: roofbox.co.uk
The high-quality feel of the KAMEI is backed up by its six-year guarantee – the longest of any box in this test.
The Husky 510 has the best flexibility here too, with a choice of two fittings. U-bolts are never our first choice of ways to attach a roof box to a car, but on the KAMEI the fixings slide to allow them to be fitted to unusually spaced bars on big or small cars.
The Husky is also supplied with T-Track bolts, which mean the box can be fitted closer to the edge of bars, allowing a bike carrier to be fitted alongside.
Halfords Advanced 580L Roof Box – Black
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: around £520
- Capacity: 580 litres
- Contact: halfords.com
The Advanced range from Halfords offers greater quality than the company’s more basic roof boxes – but you should be aware that the price rises, too.
This model looks and feels very much like a Thule box that we tested several years ago. That means it has a slightly dated look compared with some newer rivals, but it still has the features you’d expect. It uses the ‘claw’-type mounting system, opens on either side and won’t lock unless the latches are properly engaged. It does everything well, but others at this price level offer more.
Thule Motion 3 L
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: around £667
- Capacity: 440 litres
- Contact: roofbox.co.uk
This sleek-looking box from the best-known brand is a seriously high-quality act – as you would expect at this elevated price level.
Opening from either side is easy and a SlideLock system indicates clearly when the box is closed securely. Fitting is easy too, using a claw attachment with knobs that click when they are tight enough. T-Track bolts are available as an extra if you want a sleeker mount.
But although desirable, it loses out on value – it’s almost twice the price of the similar-sized Cruz Paddock.
Twistbox
- Rating: 3.0 stars
- Price: around £895
- Capacity: 520 litres
- Contact: uk.twistboxes.com
The Twistbox is unique here because it folds up, while offering some of the security and aerodynamic advantages of a solid box. It has a thin stainless-steel plate on the base and plastic panels on the sides and roof that give it rigidity. Access is by large zips on both sides.
Once you are at your destination, it takes about five minutes to fold into a roll about the same size as a couple of big sleeping bags. Whether it’s worth the huge price will depend on how much you value your storage space.
Verdict
There are a lot of variables when choosing the best roof box for your needs, but we reckon the Hapro Traxer 5.6 offers the best balance of style, value and features. If you need to go bigger, the Atera Casar XL has some great features, and the price is still reasonable. The final place on the podium goes to the Cruz Paddock 470, which is almost half the price of some rivals.
With thanks to roofbox.co.uk for their help with this feature. You can view a huge range of roof bars, boxes and bike racks at their Bolton HQ, and have them fitted for £25.
What to check and how to fit a roof box
There are three general ways of fitting a roof box to your vehicle, and while most will generally work with any type of bars, it’s worth double checking before you buy – these are tricky to return once they’ve been delivered!
The most basic of the three fixings is a U-bolt, which reaches underneath the bars and is then secured by nuts inside the box. These work well but take a lot longer to secure and are fiddly, especially if you have a tall car.
The next most common is the claw type, which grabs on to the bar like a hand. These are tightened using a large knob, which clicks when it is tight enough, making them quick, easy and largely foolproof.
The third type are T-Track, which slot into a channel on the top of most aero-style roof bars. These are a little fiddly compared with the claws, but are neater, more aerodynamic, and allow the box to be moved further over to one side on the bars. This could be essential if you want to also load the bars with something like a bike or kayak alongside the roof box.
Once the box is fitted, check you are still able to open the car’s boot. Be wary of the load limits too, and try to put heavier items in the car, keeping the box for lighter items such as bedding and clothes. You might want to put them in plastic bags though – these boxes are waterproof but they won’t keep all the dust out.
Finally, don’t be worried about the boxes opening while you are on the move. If they are properly locked, they will be secure. Adding extra straps could damage them and could make it more likely they will open. Talking of damage, add a little reminder note on the driver’s sunvisor about the height of the car with the box. You don’t want to be reminded it is too tall for a car park when you are wedged in the entrance.
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