Motorhome or caravan pros & cons

Whether it’s your first or your fourth time buying a motorhome or caravan, it can be hard to choose between the two vehicles based on their pros and cons. Will a caravan provide you with more space? Will a motorhome provide you with more flexibility? What’s most important to you when travelling or holidaying?

In this article, we’ll break down the key motorhome or caravan pros and cons to consider so that you have a clear idea of which vehicle is best for you and your family.

Should you choose a motorhome or caravan?: pros and cons of each

What is a motorhome?

A motorhome is a driveable vehicle that has self-contained living quarters purpose-built onto a van, truck or bus chassis. It has an engine at the front or rear of the vehicle and the accommodation module is permanently attached to the base vehicle. Wherever your vehicle goes, the accommodation module goes with it.

Most motorhomes include a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining area.

In New Zealand, a motorhome differs from a campervan, which is usually a smaller commercial van that has been equipped or converted to be self-contained.

The pros and cons of a motorhome

Pros

• Easier to park and set up: There’s minimum hassle involved in setting up a motorhome at a campsite. The whole set-up process should only take 10 - 15 minutes. Simply park up, plug in and away you go. No need to worry about attaching or detaching trailers. This is particularly handy in an emergency if you need to quickly pull over somewhere and stay the night (e.g. behind a roadhouse).

• More manoeuvrable: Motorhomes are easier to drive and reverse than caravans because they are shorter in length and don’t have a pivot point (i.e. the tow ball).

• Larger water tanks: Most motorhomes come standard with large fresh and waste water tanks (100L on average), which is not normally the case with caravans. This allows you to enjoy slightly longer showers and longer periods between emptying the waste.

• Easy access to the cab: In most motorhomes, there is no wall between the cab and the living area, so you can move directly between the two without needing to leave the vehicle. This is convenient if it’s raining or cold outside and a handy safety feature should you need to make a quick getaway. This is not possible in a caravan.

• Strong second-hand market: Whilst buying a motorhome and maintaining it can be expensive, they hold their value well and there is a strong second-hand market in Australia. If you want to save money and buy a used motorhome, you can make it like new with our motorhome renovation ideas.

• Dedicated storage compartments: Most motorhomes have specialised storage compartments or garages at the rear of the vehicle or under the flooring. This is great for stowing away large and bulky items (e.g. bikes) and being able to access them from the exterior. Most caravans require you to store bulky items inside the trailer itself.

• No special licence required: In Australia, all you need is a standard licence to drive a motorhome weighing up to 4.5 tonnes.

Cons

• Less flexibility when sightseeing: In a caravan, you can detach the living module from your tow vehicle and go about your sightseeing for the day. This is not possible in a motorhome, meaning that if you want to leave camp then you may have to pack up everything outside. Given the size, it can also take a little longer to find parking for your motorhome once you do arrive at your sightseeing destination.

• Registration and insurance costs: Depending on where you live in Australia, it can be more expensive to register and insure a motorhome than a caravan. For example, in NSW the vehicle tax on private caravans and camper trailers is about 40% less than motorhomes. Plus, motorhomes are legally required to have CTP Green Slip insurance, whereas caravans are not (although some form of insurance is recommended).

• Higher purchase price: On average in Australia, it costs $135,00 to buy a new motorhome or $110,000 to buy a used motorhome (based on the average prices of new and used motorhomes on caravancampingsales.com). That means you could almost buy two new caravans for the average price of one new motorhome.

• Less internal space: In general, motorhomes tend to have slightly smaller interiors than caravans and usually sleep between 2 - 6 people. However, most motorhomes include all the same features as a caravan (a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining area).

• Less off-road capabilities: Most motorhomes won’t be able to access the off-road camping areas that some caravans can.

What is a caravan?

A caravan is a trailer that gets towed behind a road vehicle and provides self-contained living quarters whilst travelling. It can be easily attached and detached from the tow vehicle.

Most caravans include a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area.

In New Zealand, the term caravan might include fifth wheelers, camper trailers, expanders, pop tops and toy haulers.

The pros and cons of a caravan

Pros

• More living space: Caravans tend to be longer than motorhomes and provide a little more room to move around inside. Most caravans can sleep anywhere from 2 - 8 people.

• Freedom to use your tow vehicle: A caravan can be easily detached from your tow vehicle when you want to leave it at camp and go out to do some sightseeing or grab some food.

• Better off-road capabilities: Some caravans are designed with off-road capabilities, making it easier to access hard-to-reach sights or campgrounds that many motorhomes can’t reach (e.g. certain National Parks or beaches).

• More affordable: Caravans are usually more affordable to buy and maintain because you don’t have to cover the cost of the motorhome's engine. On average in Australia, it costs $75,000 to buy a new caravan or $45,000 to buy a used caravan (based on the average prices of new and used caravans on caravancampingsales.com). Comparatively, $75,000 will only get you a 10 - 20-year-old large used motorhome or a 5 - 10-year-old small used motorhome. However, don’t forget that you do have to cover the cost of a tow vehicle. Check out our guide to buying a caravan to learn more.

• Slower depreciation: Caravans generally do not depreciate as quickly as motorhomes do. Compared to motorhomes, caravans tend to be more stationary vehicles and do far fewer miles. As such, the value of a caravan is more dependent on age than mileage. And you can always add value to older models with some caravan renovation ideas.

• No special licence required: In Australia, all you need is a standard licence to drive a caravan weighing up to 4.5 tonnes.

Cons

• More set up: Caravans are slightly more difficult to set up than motorhomes because you have to reverse and un-hitch. That said, the more you do it, the more familiar, fast and simple it becomes!

• Requires greater concentration: Suncorp group says collisions with stationary objects are the second most common cause of caravan insurance claims. Similarly, the Insurance Australia Group claims that about 89% of collisions are the result of the driver losing control of the caravan. It takes focus to drive a caravan because they are longer than motorhomes and have a pivot point. But as above, the more you do it, the easier it gets!

• Less manoeuvrability: Because caravans tend to be longer than motorhomes, they are less manoeuvrable when it comes to reversing and parking. This may limit your ability to access certain places or roads.

• Less garage storage: Caravans tend to have fewer or smaller external storage compartments or garages. People wanting to carry long or bulky objects like bikes or surfboards may need to invest in a rack for the back of their caravan.

• Manual waste removal: Most caravans will require you to manually remove a waste cassette and empty it by pouring it out. On a motorhome, the waste can be emptied easily by connecting a hose from the waste tanks to the dump point.

Motorhome or caravan: which is best for you?

Now that you understand the pros and cons of both motorhomes and caravans, you can decide which vehicle is right for you.

Motorhomes may be best suited to people who prefer to tour and move from campsite to campsite. Whilst they tend to be slightly smaller than caravans, motorhomes are easier to drive and set up.

Caravans are typically best suited to people who prefer to stay at one campsite for several days, such as a holiday park by the beach. They tend to provide more internal space and sleeping berths than motorhomes.

One major benefit that both motorhomes and caravans share is that they can be hired out through Camplify and generate passive income, earning you a return on your investment!

Why Camplify?

Each year, heaps of Aussies earn up to $10,000 by hiring out their motorhome or caravan through Camplify. It provides a quick and easy way to generate long-term passive income and earn a return on their investment.

And the best part is, Camplify takes care of many of the expenses involved in hiring out your van, including:

• Comprehensive hire insurance.

• 24/7 NRMA nationwide breakdown cover for hirers.

• Dedicated customer support.

If you’re interested in joining Camplify as an owner, try our earnings calculator and see how much income you could generate each year by renting out your unused motorhome or caravan!