What is tare mass on a caravan?
The weight of the van as it left the factory, with empty tanks and nothing packed.
Tare is the caravan's weight as approved, with factory options fitted and its water tanks empty. Anything fitted later adds to it. Plan your towing against the ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass).
Also called tare mass.
- Includes - the van as approved, with its options fitted and its water tanks empty
- Leaves out - water, gas, food, bedding, gear and anything fitted later
- Sets - your payload, because ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass) minus tare is what you may add
What tare includes
Tare is the van as approved for the road, with its factory options and empty water tanks.
Water, gas, food, bedding and everything you pack go on top of it.
Anything fitted after the van left the factory adds to what the empty van weighs.
A dealer-fitted solar panel, a second battery or a heavier awning all count, and each one comes out of your payload.
Tare across the caravans we list
Among the caravan ranges we list, using each range's published figure, the middle tare is about 2,290kg.
Half are above that figure and half below it.
The middle payload, worked out as ATM minus tare for each van, is about 630kg.
Why tare is the lightest the van will be
A van on the road carries at least water, gas and food, so you never tow it at tare.
Use tare as the starting point for the sums.
Plan your car and your load against the ATM.
Where to find the tare
Current builds show the tare on the van's compliance plate, next to the ATM and the GTM (Gross Trailer Mass).
Some older vans print it on a separate weight label.
The plate figure is the van as built.
Weigh the empty van on a weighbridge. An empty weigh shows what your van weighs empty today, add-ons included.
How add-ons raise the tare
These figures are made up and rounded to keep the sums simple.
Take a van with a 2,300kg tare and a 2,800kg ATM.
Its payload is 500kg.
Now the dealer fits a 30kg battery and a 20kg solar panel.
The van now weighs 2,350kg empty, and the payload drops to 450kg before you pack a thing.
Common mistakes with tare
- Shopping on tare - a light tare with a low ATM can still leave little payload
- Towing sums at tare - your car tows the loaded van, so use the ATM
- Forgetting add-ons - every dealer or owner fit-out comes out of payload