If you’re camping, traveling frequently, moving, or simply want to make a single long journey more comfortable, you may wonder if a queen-sized mattress will fit in your vehicle.
Queen mattresses can’t be transported in a regular car, but they can sometimes fit into a minivan or SUV, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.
How big is a queen mattress?
A queen mattress is 80 inches long and 60 inches wide.
These mattresses, which are spacious enough for two people to sleep on together, are the most common mattress size.
Queen mattresses are also available in the Olympic Queen size, which has a width of 66 inches, but this mattress type is not very common.
Common Cargo Space Dimensions
How much cargo space an SUV or minivan has depends on the brand and particular model.
In general, most SUVs are about 196 inches long and 77 inches wide. Minivans are, on average, about 63 inches wide and have a length of 84 inches from the driver’s seat to the rear door.
Of course, in SUVs, part of the length of the vehicle will be taken up by the engine, front end, front seat, and possibly back seats, all of which subtract from the cargo space.
In general, minivans actually have more cubic feet of cargo space than SUVs, but they’re often more narrow and have narrower door openings, making it hard to pack something like a mattress.
Minivans usually have about 30 cubic feet of space, while SUVs tend to have about 20 cubic feet of storage space before the seats are folded down.
This storage space can quadruple, however, with the seats folded flat.
When you’re considering what will fit in your vehicle, it’s important to look at your particular car.
A Dodge Caravan, for example, which is one of the most well-known minivans, has a cargo space of 33 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down. This vehicle has a total length of 202.8 inches and a width of 78.7 inches, but this is measured from the outside of the vehicle, so there’s no guarantee a queen mattress will fit in the car.
The Ford Explorer, an SUV, has a cargo space of 18.2 cubic feet before the seats are folded down. The space between the wheel wells measures 48 inches and the vehicle has a cargo space depth of 68.5 inches. The Toyota Highlander, on the other hand, which is a popular off-roading or camping vehicle, has 16 cubic feet of cargo space before the seats are folded down. This vehicle has a width of 45.5 inches at the wheel well.
Common Door Opening Dimensions
It’s often easier to get a queen mattress into an SUV than a minivan because SUVs tend to have larger rear door opening dimensions, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule.
The Ford Explorer, for example, has a rear door opening width of 46.7 inches and a door opening height of 31 inches. This means that you can place a queen mattress in the back of an Explorer at an angle.
Dodge Caravans generally have a rear door opening that’s about 36 inches wide and 37 inches tall. The door width at the very back is 48 inches wide so it may be possible to fit a queen mattress in a vehicle with these sorts of openings, but it will be a tight squeeze and will need to rest at an angle. A Dodge Durango, on the other hand, which is a popular SUV, has a rear opening that’s about 32 inches tall and a width of about 42 inches.
This video shows the exact dimensions of the Dodge Caravan cargo area. A full sheet of plywood will fit laying flat but a mattress will need to be at an angle.
Will a queen mattress fit in a minivan?
In general, a queen mattress will only fit in a minivan if it is put in diagonally as the Dodge Caravan mentioned above. Some minivans, however, won’t have a hatch or rear door opening that’s large enough to fit the mattress through.
Will a queen mattress fit in an SUV?
Queen mattresses will often fit in SUVs, particularly in the Ford Explorer and Expedition and the Toyota Highlander. However, the mattress won’t always be able to lie flat. You may need to put the mattress in sideways and angle it for transportation.
This video shows how a queen-size mattress will fit in an SUV. Although it’s a bit of a struggle.
Other Mattress Options
If your goal is not to simply transport a mattress from place to place but to use it as a bed for camping or travel, a queen-sized mattress may not work for you.
In most vehicles except for very large SUVs and vans, a queen mattress won’t be able to lie flat, so it won’t work for sleeping on.
However, a full-sized mattress, which is slightly smaller than a queen at 75 inches long and 54 inches wide, might be just smaller enough to fit.
Mattresses that are specifically designed to fit in the back of minivans or SUVs are also a good option.
These mattresses can sometimes be custom fit to a particular car, and they’re designed to be easy to place and transport.