Caravan payload
ATM minus tare, and everything you load counts.
Tare is the empty weight as the van left the factory. ATM, Aggregate Trailer Mass, is the legal loaded maximum.
Water, gas, food, tools and the annexe all come out of the gap, and both figures are on the compliance plate.
Updated . 8 min read • Technical Guide
Payload is ATM minus tare: everything a caravan is rated to carry, water, gas and gear included, once it leaves the factory.
Both figures are on the van's compliance plate, so the subtraction takes seconds.
- The sum - ATM minus tare, both on the compliance plate (tare is the empty weight, ATM the legal loaded maximum)
- Typical payload - around 630kg (across checked ranges publishing both figures)
- Water - one kilogram per litre, out of the same allowance (full tanks can spend a big share before packing starts)
One subtraction, two plated numbers
Payload is ATM minus tare. Tare is the van's weight as it left the factory, with empty tanks and nothing packed. ATM, Aggregate Trailer Mass, is the maximum the loaded van is rated to weigh, set by the manufacturer. The difference between them is your entire allowance for everything you add.
Water in the tanks, gas in the bottles, food, bedding, tools, chairs, the bikes on the rack and the annexe in the boot all come out of the one figure. Brochures often lead with tare.
Both figures are stamped on the van's compliance plate, which means the subtraction takes seconds. Some older vans show tare on a separate label. Do it on every van you inspect. The plated figures for that exact van govern. Anything a dealer fits later still comes out of the payload.
Your car can cap the load before the van does. If the car's tow rating, the towbar's rating or GCM minus the loaded car is below the ATM, the van's usable payload is smaller.
New to the weight terms?
ATM, tare, ball weight, GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) and GCM (Gross Combination Mass) each have a precise meaning, and the sums between them are short.Caravan weights explained walks through all of them with real numbers from real vans.
What payload looks like across the catalogue
Across checked ranges publishing both figures, the typical payload sits around 630kg. Half of those allowances sit between about 520kg and about 750kg.
Since August 2026, the national trailer guide says a van's load capacity should cover full water and gas, fitted extras and personal effects. Personal effects are 50kg for each of the first two berths and 10kg for each extra berth. That is guidance for makers on what a van should carry. Some in the trade quote about 300kg for a couple, and 400kg or more for a family or off-grid kit. Your own packing list is the test.
Held against those benchmarks, about 6% of checked ranges publishing both figures carry less than 400kg of payload, and about 2% carry less than 300kg. A lower figure is not a fault in the van. Check it before the water goes in.
How payload differs by van type
Payload follows the build. Heavier chassis and suspension usually come with a bigger ATM, and how much of that extra headroom survives the heavier structure varies type by type.
These are the typical figures per type on checked ranges publishing both weights, computed live from the catalogue, so they move as the catalogue moves. What the type labels themselves mean is covered in off-road vs semi off-road caravans.
| Van type | Typical payload |
|---|---|
| Semi Off-Road | 740kg |
| Full Off-Road | 650kg |
| Hybrid | 640kg |
| Camper Trailer | 620kg |
| On-Road | 600kg |
| Pop-Top | 600kg |
Each figure is the median for that type, so half the type's ranges sit above it and half below. A median is a feel for the group, never a substitute for the plate on the van in front of you.
Where the allowance goes
Water is often the biggest single item.
- Water: one kilogram per litre, so a pair of full 95L tanks is 190kg gone before a bag is packed.
- Gas: two full bottles and their hardware take tens of kilograms.
- Batteries: a second or third battery adds capacity and kilograms together.
- The annexe: walls, poles, mats and pegs travel in the boot and count like everything else.
- Tools and recovery gear: an off-road kit list can weigh as much as the water.
- Food, clothes and bedding: the everyday load adds up faster than any single item suggests.
- Dealer-fitted accessories: anything added after the factory comes out of the payload.
Factory options work from the other direction. They raise what the van weighs empty above the base-spec brochure figure, which shrinks the payload before delivery day. The plated figures for the van you take home govern, so read the plate rather than the brochure. Anything a dealer fits later still comes out of the payload. Weigh the empty van alone once, jockey wheel on the plate, before you load it. That reading is your real starting weight.
Where you pack it matters too. Heavy gear behind the axles lowers the ball weight. That can make the van sway, and it can push the axles past the GTM (Gross Trailer Mass). Pack heavy items low and over the axles.
What a van typically brings along before you add anything, solar, water tanks and battery included, is covered in what Australian caravans come with.
Run the sum on a real van
The payload calculator comes prefilled with published ATM and tare figures for any checked range. A public weighbridge turns the estimate into a ticket once the van is loaded the way you travel. The weighbridge finder lists the public ones in each state.
Payload questions, answered
What is a caravan's payload?
Payload is ATM minus tare, the allowance for everything you add once the van leaves the factory. Water, gas, food, bedding, tools and the annexe all come out of it, and both figures are on the compliance plate.
How much payload does a caravan need?
Work from your own packing list. Since August 2026, the national trailer guide says a van's load capacity should cover full water and gas, fitted extras and personal effects. Personal effects are 50kg for each of the first two berths and 10kg for each extra berth. Industry rules of thumb are around 300kg for a travelling couple. Allow 400kg or more once family gear, full water or off-grid kit is aboard.
Does water count toward the payload?
Yes, all of it: every litre weighs one kilogram, so a pair of full 95L tanks spends 190kg before a bag goes in. A van with bigger tanks commits more of its allowance the moment you fill them.
Do dealer-fitted accessories and options count toward payload?
Yes. Anything added after the factory, such as a second battery, a bike rack or an awning wall kit, comes out of the payload. Factory options raise what the van weighs empty above the brochure figure, so read the plate on the van you take home.
Can a caravan's payload be increased?
Sometimes. Some makers offer an ATM upgrade on particular ranges, and changing a plated rating after registration goes through your state's road authority. Until the plate is changed, the stamped figures apply. A higher ATM does not raise your car's tow rating, towball limit or GCM.
Check the allowance on any van
Run ATM minus tare on any checked range with the figures prefilled, or read the weight terms end to end first.