# Caravan Compare

> Independent Australian caravan comparison site covering 720+ caravan ranges with verified specifications (tow weights, dimensions, GCM/ATM/Tare, sleeping capacity and pricing) to help buyers compare models and check what their vehicle can legally tow.

Specifications are sourced from manufacturer and dealer published data; where we do not hold a published figure it is marked POA (price on application) or left blank rather than estimated.

## Who we are and data rights

Caravan Compare (caravancompare.com.au) is an independent Australian website that compares caravans on the specifications their manufacturers publish.
Each figure is checked against the manufacturer's published material, each image is provenance-logged before publication, and superseded specifications are archived rather than overwritten.
Indexing and citation with attribution are welcome; bulk reuse, republication or assembling a competing dataset needs a written licence - see https://caravancompare.com.au/data-licensing.
Our feeds carry identification markers that let us detect wholesale copying, and we monitor for it. Licensing contact: nick@caravancompare.com.au

## Key entry points

- [Browse all caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/browse): filter and compare the full catalogue of 720+ ranges.
- [Full dataset](https://caravancompare.com.au/llms-full.txt): full machine-readable dataset of every checked range (specs, prices, ATM).
- [Caravan detail pages](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravan/[slug]): per-range specs, weights, dimensions and pricing (URL pattern, one page per range).
- [Used caravan reference](https://caravancompare.com.au/used): per-range reference pages for second-hand buyers, covering 29 popular ranges (URL pattern /used/[range-slug]). Each page carries the manufacturer's published tare, ATM, derived payload (ATM minus tare) and tow ball weight, the build facts that decide what is worth inspecting (construction, axle count, water, solar, battery, fridge type, travel length and height), and for some ranges the weights published in earlier model years, each linked to the archived manufacturer page it was read from. These pages carry NO used prices, NO valuations and NO depreciation figures of any kind, and nothing on them is for sale: the only price shown is the manufacturer's current new starting price, labelled as such.
- [Caravan brands](https://caravancompare.com.au/brands): every manufacturer with checked ranges in our catalogue, linking to per-brand pages carrying that brand's current ranges, published prices and specs (URL pattern /brands/[brand]).
- [Caravans for your car](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-for): search car-first: pick a tow vehicle make and model and see the caravans checked against its published braked towing capacity, ball weight and GCM figures (URL pattern /caravans-for/[car-model]).
- [Can I Tow?](https://caravancompare.com.au/can-i-tow): match a caravan against a tow vehicle's legal towing capacity (GCM, GVM, towball limits).
- [Tow calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/tow-calculator): work out towing capacity and weight margins from vehicle and van figures.
- [Caravan Finance Calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/finance-calculator): See the weekly repayment on any caravan price in seconds. Free, no sign-up, no credit check. Or set a weekly budget and see which caravans fit inside it.
- [Motorhome Finance Calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/motorhome-finance-calculator): See the weekly repayment on a motorhome price in seconds. Free, no sign-up, no credit check. Enter the drive-away price, your deposit, a rate and a term.
- [Camper Trailer Finance Calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/camper-trailer-finance-calculator): See the weekly repayment on a camper trailer price in seconds. Free, no sign-up, no credit check. Add a fit-out or rooftop tent to the price if you are financing it too.
- [Payload calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/payload-calculator): work out real carrying capacity (ATM minus tare) with per-range weights prefilled.
- [Towing fuel cost calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/towing-fuel-calculator): estimate what towing a caravan adds to fuel use and cost per 1,000km, from the van's ATM and shape plus the driver's own consumption when not towing. Every assumption is published on the page; it states no consumption figure for any named vehicle.
- [Caravan running cost calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/caravan-running-cost-calculator): build a year of ownership cost line by line. Registration is composed from the state or territory authority's own published schedule against the van's tare weight, with the capture date shown; towing fuel is estimated from the van's ATM and shape and counts only what the van adds on top of the car's own use; insurance, servicing, storage and site fees are entered by the reader, because we publish no figure for them.
- [Power and solar calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/power-calculator): turn the appliances you run into a battery and solar figure, with every assumption published, plus the caravans that already publish that much.
- [Voltage drop and cable size calculator](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/voltage-drop-calculator): work out the voltage lost in a DC cable run at 12V, 24V or 48V from the load, the one-way run length and the conductor cross-section, and get the smallest standard metric size that meets a 3% or 5% target. Shows the volts lost, the volts still reaching the appliance, the power turned into heat, and the same load compared across all three system voltages. Copper resistivity, the round-trip doubling of the run length and the temperature caveat are all published on the page. It sizes on voltage drop only and says so: current rating is a separate check and the page directs that work to a qualified auto electrician.
- [Free tow-checker widget](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/tow-widget): a free embeddable "Can I Tow It?" tool any website can add with one line of code (no signup, no cost). For site owners, dealers, 4WD and caravan sites wanting a towing-capacity checker on their own pages.
- [Interstate border law checker](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/border-laws): pick a route across Australian state borders and see which towing rules change at each crossing (speed limits, L and P plater rules, towing mirrors, modification enforcement).
- [Public weighbridge finder](https://caravancompare.com.au/tools/weighbridge-finder): 196 licensed public weighbridges across Australia, filterable by state and by suburb or postcode, each linking to its location. Sourced from the National Measurement Institute's register of licensed public weighbridges, with the register's own update date and our capture date shown on the page.
- [How much does a caravan cost](https://caravancompare.com.au/how-much-does-a-caravan-cost): live price statistics (minimum, median, by type) computed from published manufacturer prices.
- [About Jade Finance](https://caravancompare.com.au/jade-finance): Jade Finance is the licensed broker we send you to for a free caravan loan quote. What the quote gives you, what it costs, and what asking commits you to.
- [Caravans by budget](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-under-90k): starting-price bracket pages listing every checked range with a published price under $60,000, $90,000 and $120,000 (URL pattern caravans-under-NNk).
- [Luxury caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/luxury-caravans): every checked range with a published starting price over $120,000, compared on the figures each maker publishes, with the bracket's own price, weight and type statistics computed live.
- [Caravans by towing weight](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-under-3500kg): ATM weight-bracket pages listing every range under 2,500kg, 3,000kg and 3,500kg ATM (URL pattern caravans-under-NNNNkg).
- [Cars that can tow a given weight](https://caravancompare.com.au/cars-that-can-tow-3500kg): tow-capacity band pages listing every vehicle make and model with a variant whose published braked towing capacity reaches 2,500kg, 3,000kg or 3,500kg, each linking to the caravans checked against that vehicle (URL pattern cars-that-can-tow-NNNNkg).
- [Best off-road caravans under $60,000](https://caravancompare.com.au/best-offroad-caravans-under-60k): every checked full off-road, semi off-road or hybrid range with a published price under $60,000 and both an ATM and a tare published, ranked on payload (ATM minus tare).
- [Best off-road caravans under $80,000](https://caravancompare.com.au/best-offroad-caravans-under-80k): the same list at an $80,000 cap, where the choice of off-road and hybrid layouts widens considerably, ranked on published payload (ATM minus tare).
- [Best off-road caravans under $100,000](https://caravancompare.com.au/best-offroad-caravans-under-100k): the same list at a $100,000 cap, the widest of the three off-road price brackets, ranked on published payload (ATM minus tare).
- [Australian made off-road caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/offroad-caravans-australian-made): every checked full off-road and semi off-road range from a maker that states on its own website that its caravans are built in Australia, grouped by maker and listed alphabetically, with published price, ATM, payload, sleeping capacity, water and solar per range. Inclusion rests on the maker's own published manufacturing claim, quoted and dated in our records; Australian ownership and Australian design are not treated as manufacturing claims. Ranges built to order show as price on application rather than a price.
- [Caravans with an ensuite under 2,000kg tare](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-with-ensuite-under-2000kg): every checked range with an ensuite (shower and toilet) and a published tare under 2,000kg, ordered lightest tare first, with published ATM, payload, water, solar, battery and ball weight per range. Tare is the empty weight; the page states throughout that ATM, not tare, is the figure a tow rating must cover.
- [Caravans with a washing machine](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-with-washing-machine): every checked range tagged with an onboard washing machine that publishes a tare, ordered lightest tare first, with published ATM, payload, water, solar, battery and ball weight per range. No weight bracket on this one: the list is the feature, not a weight class.
- [Caravans by tow ball weight](https://caravancompare.com.au/caravans-by-ball-weight): every checked range that publishes a tow ball weight, in brackets (under 100kg, 100 to 149kg, 150 to 199kg, 200kg and over), with published ball weight as a share of ATM and a six-step method for checking a real setup. Ball weight counts against the tow VEHICLE's payload, not the caravan's.
- [Head-to-head comparisons](https://caravancompare.com.au/compare/all): ready-made side-by-side pages (URL pattern /compare/[range-a]-vs-[range-b]) covering cross-brand rivals in the same van type and price bracket, and within-brand sibling ranges such as base vs upgraded series in one line-up. Every verdict is derived from published figures only.
- [Hybrid caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/hybrid-caravans): every checked hybrid range compared on published prices and weights, with what the category trades against a full-height van.
- [Caravans for couples](https://caravancompare.com.au/couples-caravans): buying guide for two-person layouts, covering island beds, ensuites, living space and what a couples floorplan trades against a family one.
- [Grey nomad caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/grey-nomad-caravans): buying guide for extended touring and long stints on the road.
- [Lightweight caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/lightweight-caravans): buying guide for the under 2,000kg ATM end of the market and what the weight saving trades away.
- [Family caravans with bunks](https://caravancompare.com.au/family-caravans-bunks): buying guide for bunk layouts and travelling with kids.
- [Helping your parents choose a caravan](https://caravancompare.com.au/helping-your-parents-choose): for the adult son or daughter asked to do the online research, covering how to sanity-check a shortlist against manufacturer-published specs, what POA means, the three towing checks to run on the parents' car, comparing vans side by side and sending the shortlist back.
- [Caravan accessories](https://caravancompare.com.au/accessories): caravan accessories and upgrades by category, from solar power to water systems.
- [Caravan glossary](https://caravancompare.com.au/glossary): plain-English definitions of 70 caravan, towing and buying terms used in Australia, each at its own anchor (URL pattern /glossary#term-slug), with a handful of terms carrying a full page of their own (URL pattern /glossary/term-slug, listed below), covering weights and legality (ATM, GTM, GVM, GCM, tare, payload, ball weight), towing hardware, construction, layouts, off-grid power and buying terms.
- [Caravan Coupling Explained: Ball Hitches and Off-Road Pins](https://caravancompare.com.au/glossary/coupling): What a caravan coupling does, how a 50mm ball hitch differs from an articulating off-road coupling, where its rating is marked, and what an off-road hitch costs you.
- [Caravan Chassis Explained: Rails, Galvanising and What to Check](https://caravancompare.com.au/glossary/chassis): What a caravan chassis is, how hot-dip galvanising differs from a painted frame, why a heavier chassis costs you payload, and what to look at on an inspection.
- [Caravan Water Ingress: Where It Gets In and How to Spot It](https://caravancompare.com.au/glossary/water-ingress): What water ingress is, the seams and fittings it comes through, the early signs you can find on an inspection, and why sealant is a maintenance item.
- [FAQ](https://caravancompare.com.au/faq): answers to common questions about buying a caravan, towing weights and how our free comparison service works.
- [Guides](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides): buying and towing explainers; the full list follows.

## Guides

- [Off-road vs semi off-road caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/off-road-vs-semi-off-road-caravans): no Australian design rule, standard or registration category defines an off-road caravan, so every off-road and semi off-road label is the manufacturer's own description of its own product. Sets out our own editorial criteria for sorting ranges into on-road, semi off-road, full off-road and hybrid, then publishes the medians per group for ATM, tare, payload, fresh water, solar, battery, ball weight and starting price, all computed at render from manufacturer published specifications.
- [Electric brake controllers explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/brake-controllers): proportional vs time-delayed controllers, how to check whether a tow vehicle already has a factory-integrated controller, what installation involves, and the Australian trailer weight thresholds where brakes on the trailer and a breakaway system become legally required.
- [Your first 30 days with a new caravan](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/first-30-days-with-your-caravan): what a new caravan owner does between handover day and the first real trip, covering the pre-delivery inspection, registration, insurance and warranty registration, a practice tow and shakedown night, the first pack and weighbridge check, the running-in checks after the first 500 to 1,000km (wheel nut re-torque, wheel bearing play, gas and water connections), and the first service booking.
- [Car first or caravan first](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/car-first-or-caravan-first): how the buying order plays out when a tow car and a caravan are both being bought, covering what the van's ATM fixes about the car shortlist, what a car's braked towing capacity and GCM fix about the van shortlist, trade-in and handover timing overlap, and what a tight tow margin costs later.
- [Towing a caravan with an EV](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/towing-a-caravan-with-an-ev): what towing costs an electric car's range (published real-world tests, roughly a halving, with the spread), why aerodynamic drag dominates at highway speed, how published EV tow ratings vary by variant, why towball download and payload usually bind before the braked rating does, charging with a van still hitched, and a worked range estimate with every assumption shown.
- [Buying a caravan on Facebook Marketplace](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/buying-a-caravan-on-facebook-marketplace): how to vet a Marketplace caravan listing, recognise deposit and fake-listing scam patterns, check the VIN and PPSR, and pay safely at handover.
- [Printable caravan checklists](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/printable-checklists): printable A4 checklists covering pre-departure hitching, the public weighbridge three-weigh method, sway recovery, a flat or blown tyre on the van at the roadside, and a breakdown or unplanned stop.
- [How to buy a caravan (start-to-finish)](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/how-to-buy-a-caravan): chronological walkthrough for a first or next van, in the order that saves the most money and stress, from what to work out before shopping through finance, new vs used, inspection and handover.
- [First time caravan buyers](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/first-time-buyers): the decisions a first van turns on, covering towing weights, budget, van type and what to inspect before buying.
- [Compliance plate guide](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/compliance-plate): where the compliance plate sits on a caravan (drawbar, door frame, front wall, front boot) and on a car or ute (driver's door jamb, firewall, B-pillar), and a field-by-field read of both: VIN, date of manufacture, ATM, GTM, Tare, towball download, tyre and axle ratings on the van; VIN, build and compliance dates, GVM, GCM, kerb mass, axle load ratings, tyre placard and tow ratings on the car. Includes the three sums that connect them and what to do when a plate is missing, unreadable or altered.
- [Caravan wall construction compared](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/construction-comparison): stucco aluminium, alucomp composite cladding, full composite sandwich panel, timber frame and fully welded frame, compared on weight, insulation, water ingress and repairability, with an eight-point walk-up checklist and how to read construction off a spec sheet.
- [Electric caravans in Australia](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/electric-caravans): how 48V electrical systems and electric caravan platforms work, what they change about off-grid capability, and the ranges built around them.
- [Essential caravan accessories](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/essential-accessories): what to fit and carry, grouped by towing and safety, power, water, interior, kitchen and navigation, with a priority order for buying.
- [Accessories owners wish they had bought sooner](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/game-changers): the gear Australian caravanners most often name as worth buying earlier, and what each one solves.
- [Pre-delivery inspection checklist](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/pdi-checklist): what to check before signing for a new caravan, covering exterior, interior, electrics, plumbing, gas, safety and documentation.
- [Rent before you buy](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/rent-before-buy): what a trial hire tells you that a showroom cannot, what to evaluate while you have the van, and where caravans are hired in Australia.
- [Caravan warranty compared](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/warranty-comparison): how Australian manufacturer warranty terms differ in length and in what they cover, and what to read in the fine print before buying.
- [Caravan weights explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-weights-explained): ATM, tare, ball weight, GVM, GCM and payload in plain English, and which figure usually binds first when matching a van to a car.
- [Used caravan buying guide](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/buying-a-used-caravan): PPSR checks, inspection points, scam avoidance and private-sale finance for second-hand caravans.
- [Where to buy a used caravan](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/where-to-buy-used-caravans): Australian used-caravan marketplaces compared, with prices, buyer protection and scam risk per channel.
- [Caravan finance explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-finance-explained): how caravan loans are structured in Australia, the levers that move a repayment, comparison rates, the application process and a glossary.
- [Caravan finance rates](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-finance-rates): what actually sets a caravan loan interest rate in Australia.
- [Caravan finance with bad credit](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-finance-bad-credit): what lenders assess and what genuinely improves approval odds.
- [Caravan finance pre-approval](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-finance-pre-approval): what pre-approval is, what a lender assesses before granting it, and how having the money sorted before walking into a dealership changes the negotiation.
- [Caravan depreciation](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-depreciation): how much value a caravan loses year by year, with a live-data estimator.
- [Financing a tow vehicle upgrade](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/tow-vehicle-finance): when the caravan you want is rated above what your car can tow, the van purchase becomes a car purchase as well: how the finance for the car and the van fits together, and the costs that arrive with the changeover.
- [Caravan insurance explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-insurance-explained): agreed vs market value, annex and contents sub-limits, and what voids claims.
- [Used caravan prices](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/used-caravan-prices): how used caravan pricing works in Australia: the shape of the value curve, the factors that drive what a used van is worth (condition and water ingress, documented service and reseal history, layout demand, original specification, calendar ageing of tyres and seals, paperwork consistency, and any security registered against the van), a step-by-step method for pricing a specific van from the current new price of its closest equivalent, and where to gather comparable listings.
- [What is a caravan worth](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/what-is-my-caravan-worth): what market value means for a caravan in Australia: the ATO-adopted IVSC definition (a willing buyer and willing seller, after proper marketing, on a stated date), why a dealer sale and a private sale are different legal transactions with different consumer guarantees, how money owing and write-off status can remove a van's value entirely and how a PPSR search surfaces both, and the difference between an insurer's agreed value and market value. The page states no used dollar figure and offers no valuation service.
- [Jayco vs New Age](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/jayco-vs-new-age): head-to-head brand comparison, range by range, on the prices and specifications each maker publishes.
- [Jayco vs Snowy River](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/jayco-vs-snowy-river): head-to-head brand comparison with live range pricing.
- [Best caravans under $80,000](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/best-caravans-under-80k): what an $80,000 budget buys across touring, off-road and family layouts, compared on published figures.
- [Best family caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/best-family-caravans): the checked ranges that sleep four or more, ordered by berths then by price, and what a bunk layout costs in payload.
- [Portable power stations for caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/portable-power-stations): sizing maths in watt-hours, the tradeoff against a generator or installed lithium, and when not to buy one.
- [When do caravans go on sale in Australia](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/when-do-caravans-go-on-sale): the annual rhythm of caravan buying, covering the end-of-financial-year window, run-out pricing on prior build-year stock, the state caravan and camping show calendar, the quieter winter months, and factory order lead times against buying in-stock.
- [Public weighbridges for caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/public-weighbridges): where to get a loaded caravan weighed state by state, covering public weighbridges and mobile per-wheel weighing services, what each typically costs and what to bring.
- [Where can I park my caravan](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/where-can-i-park-my-caravan): street, verge and home storage rules for caravans are set council by council; how those rules are usually built, what some councils publish, and how to check a specific council.
- [Caravan shows in Australia](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-shows-australia): the major caravan and camping shows this season with dates, venues and the organiser's own site, plus what is worth sorting before walking in.
- [What to ask at a caravan show](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-show-checklist): two printable A4 show sheets: the questions to ask at every stand about build, options, warranty, service, tare and ATM as built, payload, tow ball mass and the itemised drive-away price, plus what to ask and get in writing before handing over a deposit at a show.
- [Going to see a caravan (printable sheet)](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/going-to-see-a-caravan): one printable A4 sheet for inspecting a specific van: what to ask on the phone before driving out, how to check the compliance plate tare and ATM against the specs quoted, how to work out remaining payload, where water damage shows itself, which systems to run yourself, and what to have answered in writing before leaving a deposit.
- [Caravan registration costs by state](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-registration-costs): the fee schedule every state and territory transport authority publishes for registering a caravan, which weight each fee is measured against (mostly tare), the full weight-band tables, and the capture date on every figure.
- [Weighbridge ticket explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/weighbridge-ticket): the three-pass weighbridge method for a car and caravan and what each pass measures, how a weighbridge docket's gross, tare and net wording relates to a caravan's plated tare, which reading checks GCM, GVM, ATM, GTM and tow ball mass, and an ordered remedy for a rig that comes in over a limit.
- [What does a caravan cost](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/what-does-a-caravan-cost): the budget-setting view of caravan pricing: the middle half of published starting prices for each caravan category, computed at render from manufacturer published starting prices on checked ranges and excluding ranges priced on application, what moves the price inside a category, the costs added on top of a starting price before a van is towed home, and the standing costs of owning one.
- [Buying a caravan privately vs from a dealer](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/buying-a-caravan-privately-vs-dealer): what changes between a private caravan sale and a purchase from a licensed dealer. A dealer supplies in trade or commerce, so the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees apply (acceptable quality, matching the description, fitness for a disclosed purpose, and clear title) and state motor-dealer schemes can add a statutory warranty or a cooling-off period that differs by state; a one-off sale between two individuals generally falls outside those guarantees. Also covers who is responsible for clearing security registered against the van, the step-by-step process for each kind of sale, and the checks that apply either way.
- [Caravan running costs](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-running-costs): what a caravan costs to own for a year once it is bought, published as a method rather than as an average because every large line is local. Names each cost line and what decides it: registration (set by state and usually measured against weight), insurance, servicing and the interval it runs on, tyres replaced on age as much as on tread, storage, roadside cover, site and park fees, the extra fuel towing adds, and depreciation as the largest line and the only one with no invoice. Carries a step-by-step method for building your own annual figure, and no dollar figure of its own.
- [What voids a caravan warranty](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/what-voids-a-caravan-warranty): what a caravan warranty depends on and what can put a claim at risk, framed as what to check in your own warranty booklet. Covers the three separate covers a caravan carries (the builder's warranty, the appliance makers' own warranties, and Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees, which the ACCC states are automatic, separate to any manufacturer's warranty and capable of applying after it expires); the five mechanics an owner controls, being scheduled services and their records, loading and towing within the van's ratings, modifications and who fitted them, water ingress and the sealant maintenance a booklet puts on the owner, and the owner tasks with intervals; whether cover transfers to a second owner; and what to do if a claim is refused.
- [Living in a caravan full time in Australia](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/full-time-caravan-living-australia): where the legality of full-time caravan living actually sits (a local planning question, not one national rule), keeping mail, registration and licensing current with no fixed address, the cost shape of doing it long term, and what to check with your insurer about permanent-residence use.
- [How much solar does a caravan need](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/how-much-solar-does-a-caravan-need): the sizing method for solar and battery capacity in plain language, what vans of each type (on-road, semi off-road, full off-road, hybrid) typically carry, the panel, controller, battery and inverter as four linked parts, how to read watts, amp-hours and watt-hours on the same scale, and what to check on a spec sheet before buying.
- [Off-grid caravan capability: what actually matters](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/off-grid-caravan-capability): the three figures that together decide how long a caravan can stay off-grid: fresh and grey water capacity, battery and solar capacity, and the payload margin left over to carry both, with typical figures drawn from the checked catalogue.
- [Caravan battery types compared: AGM vs lithium](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-battery-types-compared): AGM and lithium caravan batteries compared on usable capacity, weight and cost in plain terms, including why the rated Ah figure is not the usable figure and how much of each chemistry's rated capacity is realistically usable.
- [Powering a caravan at a free camp](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/powering-a-caravan-at-a-free-camp): the practical day-to-day side of free camp power: what draws the most (the fridge), the daily solar-and-battery rhythm, habits that stretch a setup further, and when to reach for more battery, a generator or a portable power station instead.
- [Does towing capacity include the caravan's weight](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/does-towing-capacity-include-caravan-weight): a direct answer to one question: braked towing capacity is measured against the caravan's full loaded weight (its ATM), not the empty tare figure, so the van's own weight and everything packed in it all count, plus where ball weight and GCM fit around that comparison.
- [Caravan payload explained](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-payload-explained): what payload is (ATM minus tare, both on the compliance plate), the typical payload and the middle-half spread across checked ranges publishing both figures, how the typical figure differs by van type, how the catalogue measures against the commonly quoted 300kg and 400kg industry benchmarks, what uses the allowance up fastest (water at one kilogram per litre, gas, batteries, dealer-fitted accessories), and how to check a real van with the payload calculator or a weighbridge. Every figure computed at render from the checked catalogue.
- [What Australian caravans come with](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/what-australian-caravans-come-with): which features are most often fitted as standard across checked Australian caravan ranges (ensuite, solar, air conditioning and the rest), counted live from the catalogue, with the typical solar wattage, fresh and grey water capacity and battery amp-hours on ranges publishing each figure, and what standard versus optional means for a van's real weight and price.
- [12V vs 24V vs 48V caravan electrical systems](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-system-voltage): what a caravan's system voltage decides and what it does not: the current drawn for a given power (a quarter at 48V compared with 12V, so about a sixteenth of the copper for the same percentage voltage drop), which components are voltage-specific (battery, mains charger, DC-DC charger, solar controller, inverter), why fridges, pumps, lights and fans stay 12V on any system and are fed through a step-down converter, why changing the system voltage later is a rebuild rather than an upgrade, and how to compare batteries across voltages by converting amp-hours to watt-hours. Includes a worked cable example computed on the page.
- [GVM upgrades explained: what changes and what does not](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/gvm-upgrades-explained): what a GVM upgrade is (suspension engineering plus certification at a new maximum loaded mass, by a licensed vehicle engineer or approved signatory), what it changes (the car's GVM and the payload that follows from it) and what it does not change unless the certification separately says so (GCM, the braked towing capacity, the towbar's own rating, the car's towball download limit). Sets out the arithmetic buyers get wrong: the heaviest van you may tow is the lowest of the braked tow rating, GCM minus the loaded car, and what the towball limit allows, so raising GVM inside an unchanged GCM moves payload from the van to the car rather than increasing the combined total. Also covers when an upgrade genuinely does answer the problem (a car over its own GVM once ball weight, gear and passengers are on it), the pre-rego versus post-rego distinction at the concept level, and the questions to get answered in writing before committing. States no state-by-state rule and names no upgrade business; certification questions are routed to a vehicle engineer or signatory and the reader's road authority.
- [Single vs tandem axle caravans](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/single-vs-tandem-axle-caravans): what the second axle actually changes: carrying capacity (running gear carries ratings, so past a point a second axle is what the weight requires rather than a preference), turning and reversing geometry (a single axle turns around a point close to itself while two axles set apart cannot both follow one sharp arc, so a tandem scrubs sideways in a tight turn and holds a straight line more willingly), the maintenance surface (twice the tyres, bearings and brake assemblies, each carrying about half as much at the same loaded weight), and how the two fail differently when a tyre lets go. Also explains why the axle count is not what a tow vehicle responds to: every towing limit is measured against the van's ATM and ball weight, which are unchanged by what is underneath. A decision framework rather than a verdict.
- [What can a mid-size SUV tow](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/what-can-a-mid-size-suv-tow): the towing question scoped to one class of car (RAV4, CX-5, Tucson, Sportage, X-Trail, Outlander, Forester, CR-V, Tiguan, Escape). Sets out the three published limits that cap what such a car may pull, being the braked towing capacity for that exact variant, the towball download limit, and GCM minus the loaded car, and states that all three are measured against a caravan at its ATM rather than its tare. Explains that braked ratings are published per variant, so one nameplate spans a spread of ratings across the versions sold under it, and carries that spread per model computed at render from the tow-vehicle data. Describes what the light end of the catalogue holds (pop-tops, compact single-axle tourers, teardrops and camper trailers) with each van's published ATM, tare and ball weight, the typical payload allowance in that band, and the ball weight share of ATM, all derived at render from checked ranges. Routes the reader to the matching page for their own car and to the tow calculator.
- [How to PPSR check a caravan](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-ppsr-check): Running and reading a PPSR search on a caravan: what it shows, what it does not, the number to search, the cost, and the caravan-only quirks.
- [Caravan Dimensions](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/caravan-dimensions)
- [Types of caravans in Australia](https://caravancompare.com.au/guides/types-of-caravans): every Australian RV type defined in plain words: full-height caravans (and what on-road, semi off-road and full off-road ratings mean), pop-tops, hybrids, camper trailers and fifth wheelers on the towed side; campervans and motorhomes on the driven side; plus the pairs buyers compare (caravan vs motorhome, caravan vs campervan, hybrid vs camper trailer, pop-top vs full-height) and what RV itself stands for.

## Data provenance

Specs are sourced from manufacturers' and dealers' own published material and are never estimated; a price we do not hold is marked POA and a figure we do not hold is left blank. Figures are for comparison only, so always confirm weights and towing legality against the compliance plate and manufacturer documentation before purchase.