Search this question and every answer you get is written by someone selling one of the two. That is not a conspiracy, it is just how the market is shaped: the pages that rank belong to manufacturers and dealers, and each one draws the line where its own stock sits.
We do not sell caravans. What we hold is the published specification of every range in our catalogue, sorted by type, which means we can skip the vocabulary argument and show you what the numbers actually do.
The short answer, in facts
Every figure below is a median across the checked ranges in our catalogue, computed when this page loaded, from manufacturer published specifications.
- No Australian Design Rule, standard or registration category defines what makes a caravan off-road.
- Every off-road and semi off-road label on the market is the manufacturer's own description of its own product, not a rating anyone audits.
- Semi off-road generally describes a van toughened for well-formed dirt and gravel roads.
- Full off-road generally describes a van built for unformed tracks and sustained corrugations.
- Tare is the plainest measure of how much build has gone in: 2,268kg at the median on-road, 2,541kg semi off-road, 2,700kg full off-road.
- Published solar is where the three groups separate most clearly: a median of 200W on an on-road van, 525W on a semi off-road van, and 800W on a full off-road van.
- Battery follows it: 120Ah, 300Ah and 400Ah at the median.
- Fresh water sits at a median of 190L on semi off-road ranges and 190L on full off-road ranges.
- Payload does not follow that pattern, and this is the part the category names hide. The median full off-road range in our catalogue publishes 711kg of payload against 779kg on the median semi off-road range. The heavier chassis and the bigger water and power fit-out are spending part of the ATM before you load a thing.
- Published starting prices sit at a median of $77,490 on-road, $106,640 semi off-road and $134,298 full off-road.
- The label on the brochure is not the thing to buy on. The roads you will actually drive, the ATM against your car, and the payload left once the water tanks are full are.
There is no legal definition, and that matters
Australia regulates caravans thoroughly on the things that can hurt you. Braking, lighting, coupling, weights and the compliance plate are all governed by Australian Design Rules and state road law. None of them define an off-road caravan.
So there is no test to pass and no register to check. A manufacturer calling a van semi off-road is telling you what it built the van to do, in its own words, which is genuinely useful information from the people who made it. It is just not a category that can be compared across brands, and that is why this page compares published numbers instead.
What the compliance plate does tell you
ATM, GTM, tare and the maximum ball loading. Those are the legally meaningful numbers on any caravan, they are the same measurements on every van in the country, and they are the ones your tow car has to satisfy. If you only check one thing before you sign, check those against your car rather than the description on the sales banner.
How we sort them, and what that is worth
We put every checked range into one group, using the maker's own published description and specification of that range. This is our sorting, not an industry standard and not a rating. It exists for one reason: so that published figures can be lined up side by side and read as a group.
On-road
Road-going suspension and running gear, road-biased tyres, and the lowest ground clearance of the four.
Built for: Sealed roads, caravan parks, and the formed gravel that gets you into most of them.
Semi off-road
Upgraded suspension, more ground clearance, tougher tyres, and more protection under the van than a road-going build carries.
Built for: Well-formed dirt and gravel: station tracks, national park access roads, the run into most free camps.
Full off-road
Heavy-duty chassis, long-travel independent suspension, the most ground clearance, and plumbing, wiring and tanks tucked up and shielded.
Built for: Unformed tracks and sustained corrugations, where the loads are constant rather than occasional.
Hybrid
A compact hard-walled van, usually with outdoor-facing cooking and a smaller footprint, kept deliberately light.
Built for: Remote touring behind a wider choice of tow cars, trading interior space for weight and towing manners.
Where a maker describes a van differently to us
Theirs is the description of their product, and they built it. Our grouping is a tool for reading the catalogue, nothing more, and a van does not become more or less capable because of which column we filed it in. Buy on the published figures and on a look underneath the van, not on our label or anyone else's.
What the published figures do across each group
Medians, not averages, so one very heavy or very expensive range cannot drag a column. Computed from our checked catalogue as of August 2026.
| Median | On-road | Semi off-road | Full off-road | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranges of this typeHow many sit in this group in our checked catalogue | 54 | 53 | 62 | 14 |
| ATMLoaded legal maximum, the figure your tow rating must cover | 2,900kg | 3,300kg | 3,408kg | 2,800kg |
| TareWeight as it leaves the factory, before you load anything | 2,268kg | 2,541kg | 2,700kg | 2,018kg |
| PayloadATM minus tare, the weight of water, gas, food, tools and gear | 600kg | 779kg | 711kg | 682kg |
| Fresh waterPublished tank capacity | 190L | 190L | 190L | 200L |
| SolarPublished roof solar | 200W | 525W | 800W | 720W |
| BatteryPublished battery capacity | 120Ah | 300Ah | 400Ah | 300Ah |
| Ball weightComes out of your car's payload, not the van's | 187kg | 190kg | 203kg | 195kg |
| Price fromManufacturer base-spec starting price | $77,490 | $106,640 | $134,298 | $119,990 |
Prices are manufacturer base-spec starting figures before options and on-road costs. Weights are manufacturer specifications. Confirm both against the compliance plate and a drive-away quote.
The number the category names hide
Payload does not follow that pattern, and this is the part the category names hide. The median full off-road range in our catalogue publishes 711kg of payload against 779kg on the median semi off-road range. The heavier chassis and the bigger water and power fit-out are spending part of the ATM before you load a thing.
Payload is what you have left for water, gas, food, tools, recovery gear and the annexe. A full water tank alone is a kilogram a litre. So the tougher van is not automatically the one that can carry more out to a remote camp, and that is a question worth asking on the two specific vans in front of you rather than on the category.
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Which one do you actually need
Start from the trips, not the van. Write down the roughest road you genuinely expect to tow on more than once a year, then buy for that road.
Sealed roads and caravan parks
An on-road van is lighter, cheaper and easier to tow, and it is what most Australian caravanning actually is. The clearance and the chassis you are not paying for are clearance and chassis you are not carrying either.
Formed dirt, station tracks, free camps
This is the semi off-road case, and it is where most buyers who think they need full off-road actually land. More clearance and better suspension turn a nervous hour on gravel into an ordinary one.
Unformed tracks and long corrugations
Corrugations are a fatigue problem, not a clearance problem. They work on every joint, fitting and cabinet screw for hours at a time, which is what the full off-road build is for. If this is a real part of your plan, it is the honest buy.
Remote, but with a mid-size tow car
Look at hybrids before you conclude you need a bigger car. They carry remote-touring power and water in a lighter package, and they give up interior space to do it.
Three questions that beat the label every time
What is the ATM, and does my car's braked towing capacity and GCM cover it with the family and the gear aboard? What is the payload once the water tanks are full? And what is actually under the van: the suspension type, the chassis, and whether the plumbing and wiring are shielded? Ask those three on any van, in any category, and the badge stops mattering.
Common questions about off-road and semi off-road caravans
What is the difference between an off-road and a semi off-road caravan?
In practice, how much build has gone into the chassis, the suspension, the clearance and the underbody protection, and how much water and power the van carries so it can stay out longer. There is no Australian standard behind either label, so the words mean what each manufacturer intends them to mean. What can be measured is what the vans publish. Tare is the plainest measure of how much build has gone in: 2,268kg at the median on-road, 2,541kg semi off-road, 2,700kg full off-road. Published solar is where the three groups separate most clearly: a median of 200W on an on-road van, 525W on a semi off-road van, and 800W on a full off-road van.
Is there an official definition of an off-road caravan in Australia?
No. No Australian Design Rule, no standard and no registration category defines an off-road caravan, and nothing on a compliance plate records one. Every off-road, semi off-road and all-terrain label in the market is the manufacturer describing its own product. That is why two vans wearing the same label can be built very differently, and why the published weights and capacities are worth more than the badge.
How does Caravan Compare decide which caravans are off-road?
We sort every checked range into one group from the maker's own published description and specification of that range: on-road, semi off-road, full off-road, hybrid, pop-top or motorhome. It is our own sorting, done so published figures can be lined up side by side, and it is not a rating or an industry standard. Where a maker describes a van differently to how we have grouped it, theirs is the description of their product. As of August 2026 the catalogue holds 54 on-road, 53 semi off-road, 62 full off-road and 14 hybrid ranges.
Do I need a full off-road caravan?
It depends on the roads, not on the badge. If your trips are sealed highways and caravan parks with the occasional formed gravel road, an on-road van covers it. If they include station tracks, national park access roads and the run into free camps, that is semi off-road territory. Full off-road earns its money on unformed tracks and sustained corrugations, where the loads are constant rather than occasional. Buying more capability than your trips need costs you weight and money every single tow, and buying less costs you repairs.
Do off-road caravans carry more payload than semi off-road caravans?
Payload does not follow that pattern, and this is the part the category names hide. The median full off-road range in our catalogue publishes 711kg of payload against 779kg on the median semi off-road range. The heavier chassis and the bigger water and power fit-out are spending part of the ATM before you load a thing.
Are off-road caravans heavier to tow?
Tare is the plainest measure of how much build has gone in: 2,268kg at the median on-road, 2,541kg semi off-road, 2,700kg full off-road. That extra build has to be carried on every kilometre of sealed road as well as the rough stuff, and it comes out of what your car can legally tow. Check the ATM of the specific van against your car's braked towing capacity and its GCM before you get attached to a layout.
What is a hybrid caravan, and where does it sit?
A hybrid is a compact hard-walled van that sits between a camper trailer and a full caravan, kept light enough to suit a wider choice of tow cars. In our catalogue the median hybrid range publishes a tare of 2,018kg and 720W of solar, so it is generally carrying remote-touring power in a lighter package and giving up interior space to do it.
Does an off-road caravan cost more?
Published starting prices sit at a median of $77,490 on-road, $106,640 semi off-road and $134,298 full off-road.
The medians on this page are computed from manufacturer published specifications across the checked ranges in our catalogue, at the moment the page loads. They describe what this catalogue holds, not a survey of the whole Australian market. Confirm any specific van's weights against its compliance plate before you buy or tow.