Types of caravans
The towed kinds, the driven kinds, and the words for each.
You tow a caravan behind your car. A campervan or motorhome has its own engine and drives itself.
This page defines full-height caravans, pop-tops, hybrids, camper trailers, fifth wheelers, campervans and motorhomes.
Published . 7 min read • Buying Guide
You tow a caravan behind your car, while a campervan or motorhome has its own engine and drives itself.
Australia's towed types are full-height caravans, pop-tops, hybrids, camper trailers and fifth wheelers; RV is the umbrella word for all of them, towed or driven.
- Towed - caravans, pop-tops, hybrids, camper trailers, fifth wheelers (your car's braked towing capacity decides which)
- Driven - campervans and motorhomes (the vehicle and the accommodation are one machine)
- The umbrella word - RV, recreational vehicle (covers every type here, towed or driven)
Every type, one line each
The standard tourer. Solid walls, full standing height, ready to live in the moment you unhitch.
A caravan whose roof lowers for towing and storage, and lifts at camp.
Caravan comfort in a smaller, tougher shell built for rough tracks.
A trailer that folds out into its living shape when you set up camp.
A large van that hitches to a pin in a ute's tray instead of a towball.
A van conversion you sleep in: bed and kitchen inside a standard van body.
A purpose-built home on a truck or bus chassis, with full standing room throughout.
The first split is how the thing moves. Everything towed needs a car that can pull it; everything driven is its own vehicle, number plate and all. Every other difference on this page sits under that one.
Caravans and their cousins
A full-height caravan is what most Australians picture at the word: solid walls, a fixed roof you can stand under, a kitchen, a bed and usually a bathroom. You unhitch, wind down the legs and it is ready to live in. Within the type, makers rate their vans as on-road, semi off-road or full off-road, which describes the chassis, suspension and clearance rather than the body style.Off-road vs semi off-road covers what those ratings actually change.
A pop-top is a caravan whose roof section lowers for towing and lifts at camp. The lower profile cuts wind drag on the highway and lets the van fit under a standard garage door or carport. The trade is a minute of set-up at each stop and soft gusset walls where the roof lifts.
A hybrid keeps a caravan's hard walls and solid roof in a smaller, lighter, tougher package aimed at rough tracks. Many use a lifting roof or fold-out beds to keep travel height and weight down. The word is applied loosely across the market, so treat it as a starting point and read the individual van's specifications.
A camper trailer travels as a low trailer and folds, winds or flips out into its living shape at camp. It is the lightest towed option, which opens it to cars that could not pull a caravan. Set-up and pack-down time at every stop is the price of that.
A fifth wheeler is a large van that hitches to a pin mounted in a ute's tray rather than to a towball. The hitch position puts part of the van's weight over the tow vehicle's rear axle, which is why the type can run bigger than a conventional caravan. They are common in North America and a small niche in Australia.
The number that matters for anything towed
Every towed type carries an ATM, Aggregate Trailer Mass: the maximum the loaded van may legally weigh. Your car's braked towing capacity has to clear it, with ball weight and GCM checked alongside.Caravan weights explained walks through all the terms, and the tow calculator runs the check on any car and van pair.
Campervans and motorhomes
A campervan is a van conversion: a standard van body fitted out with a bed, a small kitchen and sometimes a compact bathroom. It drives like the van it is, parks in a normal space and doubles as an everyday vehicle for some owners. The living space is the trade: cooking, sleeping and storage share one small room.
A motorhome is purpose-built accommodation on a truck or bus chassis. Full standing room, a separate bathroom, a proper kitchen and real storage, at the cost of size, and of taking your accommodation with you every time you drive anywhere. Many motorhome travellers tow a small car behind for exactly that reason.
Because the vehicle and the accommodation are one machine, the towing questions that shape caravan buying do not arise. The buying decision instead runs on the vehicle side: engine, chassis, service network and licensing for the largest sizes, which vary by state.
The pairs people ask about
Caravan vs motorhome
A caravan is towed and a motorhome drives itself, and everything follows from that. A caravan stays at camp while your car does the day trips, and the same car serves at home the other fifty weeks of the year. A motorhome is one machine to buy, insure and service, with the accommodation aboard on every drive.
Caravan vs campervan
Same split, smaller scale. The campervan wins on spontaneity: park anywhere a van parks, sleep where you stop. The caravan wins on living space and on leaving the accommodation behind while you explore.
Hybrid vs camper trailer
Both aim at rough tracks and light towing. The hybrid keeps hard walls and arrives closer to ready; the camper trailer folds flatter, tows lighter and asks for set-up time at every camp. Weight sits between them on a spectrum, so compare actual ATMs rather than assuming the type decides it.
Pop-top vs full-height
The pop-top trades a minute of roof-winding at each stop for lower towing drag and a van that fits under a garage door. The full-height van is ready the moment you stop and seals harder against weather and dust. Storage height inside is the quiet difference: full-height overhead lockers survive the pop-top's lowered roof line only partly.
Comparing the towed kinds?
Every checked range on the site lists its type, published weights and prices side by side.Browse the catalogue and filter by the type that fits, or start from what your car can tow.
Type questions, answered
What does RV stand for?
Recreational vehicle. In Australia it is the umbrella word for anything you travel and sleep in: caravans, pop-tops, hybrids, camper trailers, campervans, motorhomes and fifth wheelers all qualify. The word came from the United States, where it usually means the driven kinds. Australian dealers and parks use it loosely, so when a listing says RV, read on to find which type it actually means.
What is the difference between a campervan and a motorhome?
Size and build. A campervan is a van conversion: the living space fits inside a standard van body, usually a bed, a small kitchen and sometimes a compact bathroom. A motorhome is purpose-built on a larger truck or bus chassis, with full standing room, a separate bathroom and more storage. The line blurs in the middle sizes, and sellers use both words freely, so judge the vehicle rather than the label.
Is a camper trailer a caravan?
They are close cousins rather than the same thing. Both are towed, but a caravan arrives at camp ready to use, while a camper trailer folds or winds out into its living shape after you park. Camper trailers are generally lighter and easier to tow; the trade is set-up time at each stop.
What is a hybrid caravan?
A hybrid sits between a camper trailer and a full caravan. It keeps hard walls and a solid roof like a caravan, in a lower, lighter body aimed at rough tracks, and many use a lifting roof section or fold-out beds to keep the height and weight down. Manufacturers apply the word loosely, so read each van's own specifications rather than relying on the label.
Can my car tow any of these?
Each towed type carries an ATM, Aggregate Trailer Mass, which is the maximum the loaded van may legally weigh, and your car's braked towing capacity has to clear it. The figure varies more within each type than between them, so check the actual van against your actual car. Campervans and motorhomes drive themselves, so the towing question does not arise for them.
Found your type?
See every checked range of that type with published weights and prices, or check what your own car can tow first.