The 400 is about the size of a crew cab short bed pickup truck. It's somewhat narrower than a dually, and shorter than a crew cab long bed. Based on that, and how popular pickup trucks are, I'd expect it to work in most commercial parking lots. The surround camera view should help with parking.

The other questions (city metered parking and insurance) are pretty specific to your area. $250/month doesn't sound horrible to me, depending on the coverage levels.

 

There may also be insurance differences depending upon wether the GVWR is over or under 10,000lbs. There are two varients of the 400, the C5F and the C7E, which vary in GVWR.

 

insurance has been a big issue for me lately too. Think GM needs to do something and lean on insurance companies.

 

Mirrors do not retract.

 

Perhaps the old ones don't, but the 2025 owner's manual says (taken from Windows; Power Mirrors; Folding Mirrors; Heated Mirrors - BrightDrop Zevo 400 2025 Owner's Manual [Page 25]):

Folding Mirrors
Fold the mirrors inward to prevent damage
when necessary, such as when going through
an automatic car wash. To fold, push the back of
the mirror toward the vehicle. Push the mirror
outward to return to its original position.
For tighter spaces, the mirror can fold closer to
the vehicle.
To fold mirrors to the shipping position:
1. Rotate the mirror housing toward
the vehicle.
2. Push the mirror arm until the mirror is flush
with the side of the vehicle.
Reverse these steps to unfold the mirror.

 

Hmm, so just tested this on my 2025 600. The top mirror part rotates easily enough on the arm, but the arm does NOT move. Unless it requires a very high amount of force, I was already shaking the vehicle trying to move the arm and it didn't budge.

 

Progressive Casualty Insurance as a broker for GOOD SAM insurance gave me a great deal on an RV policy, but then canceled after 2 months with advanced warning giving me almost 3 months covered. They said "body type not appropriate". BUMMER, I have 3 weeks to find new options.

 

I wonder how the folks at GroundedRV are dealing with this.

 

After a fair bit a digging, I found that we were able to get our Brightdrop covered on a personal auto policy from Allstate. Allstate and their subsidiary National General both list the various Chevy- and Brightdrop-badged models as options in their online auto policy quote tools. (Maybe/possibly because they have a roadside assistance partnership with GM?) The Allstate policy ended up being a better fit for us, not least because they offer additional coverage for custom equipment added to the vehicle.

We were initially with Progressive, but had a similar experience as @2dogs: Progressive sold us an RV policy, and then cancelled it after just a couple weeks, now claiming that they won't cover converted cargo vans under any circumstances. (Their web marketing materials and initial policy issuance notwithstanding, apparently.)

After a frustrating morning dealing with Progressive, I was very happy to finally track down a viable non-commerical option. Hat tip to the folks at Roamly, who said they are unable to cover the Brightdrop through any of their carriers, but were good enough to point me toward National General (and subsequently Allstate).

 

After a fair bit a digging, I found that we were able to get our Brightdrop covered on a personal auto policy from Allstate. Allstate and their subsidiary National General both list the various Chevy- and Brightdrop-badged models as options in their online auto policy quote tools. (Maybe/possibly because they have a roadside assistance partnership with GM?) The Allstate policy ended up being a better fit for us, not least because they offer additional coverage for custom equipment added to the vehicle.

State Farm took care of me

 

I've got a Grounded RV, and (so far, anyway) Progressive has been happy to cover it. Thanks for pointing out Allstate/National General in case they ever reneg.

Also as per a few posts before that, the mirrors on my 2025 do fold in. I turn the mirror in first, then just push the arm. It took enough force that I worried I was missing a release button somewhere at first, but there's nothing. You just push. Too bad the arm is thick enough that you don't really make the van a lot smaller by folding them in.

 

Nice! How do you like it? Any tips or insights on the build for people building their own RV?

 

That's our Grounded camper van at Sloway campground in Montana.

We drove our Grounded G3 van home to the Seattle area from Detroit a couple of weeks ago; we definitely like it but it was their first "G3" and there are some adjustments that need to be made (not just with the conversion; there were some minor things wrong with the van too). They initially were going to send a tech to us, but eventually decided to ship us a loaner (their G2 marketing van) and ship our G3 back to Detroit so they can work on it - they are taking point on fixing the van issues as well as conversion issues. It's a bummer to give back our new van so soon, but they have been extremely accommodating and communicative and they are paying for it all - and we still have a nice van to use - so we can't complain. They are good people to work with (which is a real relief at this price point).

I think everything that I can take away from looking at it have already been covered in these forums (and in videos that Grounded has released on their web site and youtube). They build a base for an upgraded passenger seat. They add a little bit of sound and noise insulation to the cab. They replace the rolling rear door with a regular 4' door. They used to offer a heat pump; now they have a smart resistance heater by the floor and AC on the roof. They put the gray tank under the passenger seat, but it drains under the driver's seat. They can charge the house batteries from a TT30, solar, trickle while driving, and they have a new way that pulls quite a bit more DC power while the vehicle is on, but I don't know the details of where they get it.

Their newer "G3" interior (rice husk walls with the mounting hardware hidden, aluminum-frame cabinets with various types of recycled plastic surfaces) looks MUCH better than the G2. The interior campervan photos on their website with white cabinets and green seats are of our van. (We had ordered before G3 plans were public and expected a G2, but we're glad we got a G3).

Here's the G2 Marketing van that we just received (I love that paint job):

 

Can you post some pics of the 4' rear dooR? Thanks!

 

 

My State Farm policy is less than my Ram Promaster.