Carbon monoxide alarm for caravans
Updated: 20 October 2026
You are opening a touring caravan, or airing a static holiday home, and the only carbon monoxide alarm you own is the one beside the boiler. A carbon monoxide alarm for caravans is a separate decision from that home unit. For a tourer or motorhome, look for EN 50291-2 on the listing and leave a home alarm in place. A caravan holiday home used as a dwelling is the other case: the British Standards Institution note puts it under EN 50291-1. The twelve amazon.co.uk listings and the 19 October 2026 prices stay on the [CO detector comparison](/hub/fire-protection/co-detector). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are opening a touring caravan, or airing a static holiday home, and the only carbon monoxide alarm you own is the one beside the boiler.
You are opening a touring caravan, or airing a static holiday home, and the only carbon monoxide alarm you own is the one beside the boiler. A carbon monoxide alarm for caravans is a separate decision from that home unit. For a tourer or motorhome, look for EN 50291-2 on the listing and leave a home alarm in place. A caravan holiday home used as a dwelling is the other case: the British Standards Institution note puts it under EN 50291-1. The twelve amazon.co.uk listings and the 19 October 2026 prices stay on the CO detector comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | EN 50291-2 | Battery | Domestic part | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  FireAngel FireAngel FA6813 | EN 50291-2:2019 | 2 × AA | BS EN 50291-1:2008 | 8.7 | about £13.98 | View offer |
 FireAngel FireAngel FA3820 | EN 50291-2:2019 | Sealed 10 years | BS EN 50291-1:2018, Kitemark | 9.4 | about £22 | View offer |
On this page
Two journeys, two standards
The mix-up is one alarm asked to do two jobs. The unit beside the boiler is for a fixed appliance that stays in the house. The van moves, the gas locker sits outside the living space, and a barbecue or a generator can stand by the awning. Those extra sources do not turn the house alarm into a leisure-vehicle alarm.
BS EN 50291-1:2018 is the domestic standard, and its scope sends recreational vehicles to EN 50291-2. A catalogue summary of BS EN 50291-2:2019 names extra tests, including vibration and shock, for apparatus fixed in recreational vehicles and craft. We have not bought the paid standard and we have not run those tests. The part number on the listing is the check.
Holiday home or tourer
The BSI note on BS EN 50291-1:2018 says caravan holiday homes use EN 50291-1. BS EN 50292:2023 draws the same line: a static caravan used as a permanent dwelling follows part 1, and other caravans follow part 2. Towing for a week, or using a motorhome that is not that dwelling, is part 2.
Treat a short let as part 2 unless you are sure the permanent dwelling note fits. Part 2 on a listing is the check for a tourer. It is not a claim that every older private caravan is illegal without one.
What the NCC line does not cover
Kidde's NCC holiday page says new touring caravans and motor caravans approved by the NCC must be fitted with a carbon monoxide alarm to BS EN 50291-2:2019, or with a combined alarm that also meets BS EN 14604:2005. That condition covers those new vehicles. It does not make a ten-year-old private tourer unlawful.
In this set only two listings print EN 50291-2. EN 50291 on an X-Sense line, with no part and no year, does not count. The Kidde 7DCOC listing shows the standard as n/a.
FA3820 and FA6813, and nothing else in this set
The FireAngel FA3820 prints BS EN 50291-1:2018 and EN 50291-2:2019. On 19 October 2026 it is a sealed 10-year alarm with a Kitemark, at about £22, rated 4.6 from 3,466 reviews. FireAngel lists it for leisure vehicles, and the datasheet allows free-standing or wall fitting, so you can stand it on a shelf. You cannot change the cell in year six. When the life ends you replace the unit. It is the only Kitemark in this set.
The FireAngel FA6813 prints EN 50291-2:2019 beside BS EN 50291-1:2008. It takes two AA cells, costs about £13.98, and shows 4.7 from 8,616 reviews. The 2008 year is older than 2018 on the FA3820. It is the lower price if you want cells you can change, with that older domestic year on the label. Not for Scottish homes is a home exclusion, not a caravan ban. The 1–3 m, 150 mm and 300 mm distances are on the how to fit a CO detector page.
Common questions
Is my house alarm enough for the caravan?
No, when the listing only meets the domestic part of EN 50291. A touring caravan or motorhome falls under EN 50291-2. Take a portable alarm that cites that part, and leave an alarm at home for the boiler. A caravan holiday home used as a permanent dwelling is the BSI exception, and that case stays on part 1. Moving the hallway unit into the van does not change the scope.
What is EN 50291-2 for?
EN 50291-2 is the additional standard for carbon monoxide alarms in recreational vehicles and similar premises, including recreational craft. BS EN 50291-1:2018 points those extra requirements there. A catalogue summary of the 2019 edition mentions further tests, including vibration and shock. We have not read the paid standard and we have not run those tests. Part 2 printed on a listing is the check this page uses.
Does a static caravan holiday home use part 1 or part 2?
A caravan holiday home uses EN 50291-1, according to the note on BS EN 50291-1:2018. BS EN 50292:2023 says the same when the static caravan is a permanent dwelling. Other caravans, including a tourer, follow part 2. A short holiday let is not automatically that dwelling. The listing still has to print the part you are relying on.
Does the NCC rule apply to a caravan I already own?
The NCC line, as Kidde UK states it, applies to new touring caravans and motor caravans submitted for NCC approval. They need an alarm to BS EN 50291-2:2019, or a combined alarm that also meets BS EN 14604:2005. It does not say every older private caravan is illegal without that alarm. You can still look for part 2, because the BSI split is about the type of vehicle.
Where do I put a carbon monoxide alarm in a one-room van?
FireAngel's caravan article says one alarm can cover a single living space that includes the beds. A separate sleeping room needs its own alarm. The distances they repeat are the 1–3 m, 150 mm and 300 mm figures on the how-to page. A barbecue, a generator or another vehicle's exhaust does not change those positions.
What do I do if the alarm sounds while we are away?
Get everyone out, including anyone asleep in a bunk. Shut the gas off at the locker if you can do that on the way, and do not hunt for the source. If anyone has symptoms, get medical help. Do not go back in, and do not use the appliance again, until a competent person has checked it. A test button the next morning is not a reason to stay inside.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the FireAngel FAQ, last checked on 19 October 2026.
- The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK smoke and carbon monoxide alarm Q&A for landlords (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Approved Document J divisional circular on alarm amendments (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Scottish Government tolerable standard, fire and carbon monoxide detection (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- mygov.scot home fire safety (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Renting Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) (Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 5 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- NHS carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- FireAngel homeowner FAQs (retrieved 19 October 2026)