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What makes a caravan right for a first time buyer
The answer changes with the car in your driveway and the trips you have planned, which is why a shortlist somebody else wrote cannot give it to you.
Four checks decide it. Three of them are published figures you can read off a spec sheet before you speak to a single salesperson. The last is a judgement only you can make, and it is the one people skip.
1ATM against what your car is rated to tow
ATM is the most your caravan is allowed to weigh when it is fully loaded and standing on its own wheels, unhitched from the car. The manufacturer sets it and it is stamped on the van's compliance plate. Your loaded van must never go over it, however strong the tow car is.
The heaviest trailer with its own brakes that your car's manufacturer allows it to tow. It is a ceiling rather than a promise: GCM, GVM, the ball weight limit and the towbar's own rating all apply at the same time, and the lowest number wins.
What to do with it: Put the van's ATM beside your car's braked towing capacity, and make sure the ATM is the smaller of the two.
2Payload against the way you pack
Payload is everything you are allowed to add to the van: water, gas, food, bedding, tools, chairs and the annexe. It is ATM minus Tare. Water is what catches people out, because every litre you carry weighs a kilogram.
Tare is the caravan's weight as it left the factory, with empty tanks, empty cupboards and nothing packed. It is the smallest weight on any spec sheet, and it is not a weight you will ever tow at.
What to do with it: Write the list before you shop: water, gas, food, bedding, clothes, tools, chairs and the annexe. Add it up honestly, then treat that total as the smallest payload you are willing to consider. A van you cannot legally load is a van you cannot use.
3Ball weight against your car's limit
Ball weight is the downward force the van's coupling puts on your tow ball, commonly quoted as around 8 to 12 per cent of the loaded van. It is carried by the car, so it comes out of the car's payload rather than the van's. Too little of it and the van sways, too much and you overload the car's rear axle.
What to do with it: Read the van's ball weight, then check it against your car's ball weight limit and your towbar's rating. Subtract it from what the car can still carry once the passengers, the fuel and the gear are aboard.
4Layout against the trips you take
What to do with it: This is the check no spec sheet makes for you. Walk through the van the way you will live in it. Make a cup of tea. Get past someone standing at the sink. Work out how you get out of bed at two in the morning without climbing over anyone.
Do the first check now
We built a free tool that checks your car against 720+ Australian caravan ranges instantly.
Use Towing CalculatorBudget past the sticker price
The sticker price is just the beginning. When planning your budget, remember to factor in:
- On-road costs: dealer delivery and registration.
- Insurance: an annual premium that scales with the value of the van.
- Towing gear: a brake controller, towing mirrors, and the hoses and cords you cannot camp without.
- Servicing: an annual bearing and brake service.
None of these is optional. Budget for them before you settle on what you can spend on the van itself.
Work out the repayments
Calculate your weekly repayments to see what fits your budget.
Open Finance CalculatorOn road, semi off road or full off road
Australian manufacturers use these terms loosely, so read them as a rough ladder rather than a standard. The usual meanings:
On road / touring
Built for bitumen and maintained caravan parks.
Semi off road
Built for dirt roads, national parks and gravel highways.
Full off road
Built for corrugations and remote camping.
Buy the level your trips actually need. Every step up the ladder costs money and adds weight, and weight is the thing your car has to tow. If you plan on sealed highways and caravan parks, an on road van is the right tool for the job.
Compare warranties and support
A warranty is the part of the purchase you cannot inspect on the day, so read it before you sign. Look for:
- Structural warranty: covers the chassis, frame and walls. Check the term and what voids it.
- Manufacturer warranty: covers appliances and the fit-out, usually for a shorter term than the structure.
- Service network: if you buy in Melbourne and break down in Broome, is there a service agent there?
Our warranty comparison puts structural and fit-out warranty terms side by side.
Common questions from first time buyers
Which caravan brands are best for a first time buyer?
Brand is the last thing to settle. Vans from different makers can carry the same ATM, the same ball weight and the same payload. The one that suits you is the one whose numbers fit your car and whose layout fits your trips. Sort the numbers first, then compare the vans that are left.
Is an on road caravan a good first caravan?
An on road van is built for sealed roads and maintained parks. If that is what your next couple of years of trips look like, it is the lighter way in, and lighter is what your car has to tow. If gravel and remote camping are already on the list, price the semi off road step before you commit.
What size caravan should a first time buyer get?
Your car sets the size. Work out your car's braked towing capacity, its ball weight limit and what is left of its payload once passengers and gear are aboard. Then look only at vans whose ATM and ball weight fit underneath those figures. Length follows from that.
How much payload does a first caravan need?
Enough to carry everything you load, with room to spare. Add up the water, gas, food, bedding, tools, chairs and annexe you plan to travel with, and treat that total as the smallest payload you will consider. Water is the item that surprises people, because every litre weighs a kilogram.
Should I buy the tow car or the caravan first?
Whichever you already own sets the limit for the other. If you have the car, its braked towing capacity, ball weight limit and payload decide the ceiling for the van. If you have neither, start with the van that suits your trips, then buy a car rated to tow it loaded.