Buying a Campervan in Australia: Things to Consider Before You Buy

29 May

Buying a campervan in Australia is one of the most exciting lifestyle decisions you can make. Whether you're planning weekend escapes, extended road trips, or a full lap of Australia, choosing the right van comes down to understanding how you’ll actually use it.

If you’re wondering what to know when buying a campervan, here are some of the most important things to consider before making your decision.

1 . Type of Use:

Weekends vs Extended Touring in Australia

The first thing to consider when buying a campervan in Australia is your real-world travel style.

Are you:

Doing weekend trips from Sydney or Melbourne?
Planning 2–3 week holidays?
Working remotely from the road?
Doing the full lap of Australia?
Free camping in remote regions?

Weekend Trips

If your campervan will mainly be used for short getaways:

Smaller water tanks are sufficient
100Ah lithium battery is often enough
Solar may not be essential
2WD is typically fine
Storage requirements are modest

Lap of Australia / Long-Term Touring

If you're travelling long distances or going remote:

200–300Ah lithium battery
Solar becomes highly valuable
More food storage and fridge space
Consider AWD or a differential E-Locker for accessing sites off the beaten track
External-access storage is important

Many people overbuild for their needs. Buy for how you’ll use it 80–90% of the time — not the most extreme scenario you imagine.

2. Electrical Requirements:

What Size Battery & Is Solar Necessary?

One of the biggest things to know when buying a campervan is how the electrical system works.

Your comfort off-grid depends on:

Battery size
Charging systems (alternator + solar)
Appliance load

What Size Battery Do I Need?

Most modern Australian builds use lithium (LiFePO₄).

Typical setups:

100Ah lithium – Short stays, light use
200Ah lithium – Ideal balance for most touring
300Ah+ lithium – Heavy off-grid use, induction cooking, long stationary stays

If you’re running:

12V fridge
LED lighting
Water pump
Device charging
Occasional inverter use

Then 200Ah lithium is the sweet spot for most Australians buying a campervan.

Do You Need Solar?

Solar is not always essential — but it often significantly increases independence.

Solar is worth it if you:

Free camp regularly
Stay in one location for 2+ days
Travel or live in northern Australia - higher temperatures mean more power consumption from the fridge, and fans running frequently
Work remotely from your van
Run 240V appliances from the inverter such as a blender, toaster, microwave or induction stove
Just want the peace of mind that comes with having your battery always topping itself up when exposed to sun!

As a rule of thumb, our experience has shown a 200W solar panel to fully recharge the Lithium leisure battery each day with the fridge kept nice and cold, fans running, lights on at night and phones charged.

This means that with this kind of electrical use and in typical weather conditions, you could stay put, off-grid, indefinitely - with only the solar panel to replenish your battery use.

Using high power devices through the inverter draws more power than the above items so your battery may not reach 100% by sunset without any additional charging (by driving, or plugging in to a powered site), however the solar panel will still greatly increase your time off-grid and without driving.

If you drive daily and don’t often use the inverter, a 50A DC-DC charger may be enough.

3. Storage:

When buying a campervan in Australia, it’s important to consider what exactly you’re likely to travel with and where it might go.

Ask:

What bulky items will you be travelling with - table and chairs, sufboards, camera or work equipment?
Can you access key items easily and from inside the van if necessary?

For extended touring, large rear drawers/storage space and clever cabinetry design make a huge difference.

A van can look beautiful in photos — but poor storage design becomes frustrating fast.

4. 2WD vs AWD:

What’s Right for me?

Like anything, this comes down to your personal needs and real-world use.

2WD Is Sufficient For:

Highways
National parks
Caravan parks
Most unsealed roads
The majority of the Big Lap

AWD Is Valuable If:

You explore remote tracks
You travel in wet-season conditions
You want extra traction in slippery/steep conditions
You want the option to get out on the sand

New factory fitted AWD vans currently available in Australia include the Ford Transit Custom Trail and VW Transporter 4Motion.

Differential E-Locker:

For many people, adding a Rear Differential E-Locker to a rear wheel drive van (such as we offer for our Toyota Hiace LWB campers) will cover all the off-road needs without having to go full AWD.

We’ve tested the off-road capability of our demo Rover Camper fitted with the E-Locker and have been blown away by the increase in capability both on loose/wet ground and over uneven trails up steep inclines!

5. Build Quality, Warranty & Resale Value

One of the most important things to know when buying a campervan in Australia is that not all builds are equal.

A campervan is constantly subjected to vibration, heat, dust and rough roads.