A $90,000 caravan used 40 nights a year costs about $269 a night to own. That is before you pay for anywhere to park it. Add the national average powered site rate and the night comes to about $332, against an average caravan park cabin rate of about $213.
None of that means a caravan is a bad buy. It means most of what a van costs has nothing to do with travelling, and that the number of nights you actually use it decides whether it pays its way. Here is the bill, line by line, and a calculator to run your own.
One year with a $90,000 van, itemised
Our example is a $90,000 tandem axle tourer, bought with cash, registered in Victoria and kept at home. We spread each year’s costs across 40 nights of use.
| Cost | Per year | Per night (40 nights) |
|---|---|---|
| Depreciation at 10% | $9,000 | $225.00 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $25.00 |
| Annual service | $700 | $17.50 |
| Registration (VIC) | $70.54 | $1.76 |
| Total to own | $10,770.54 | $269.26 |
| Powered site, national average | $62.27 | |
| Total per night away | $331.53 |
Depreciation is the line that matters. It is 84 per cent of the cost of owning the van in our example, and it happens whether the van leaves the driveway or not. Insurance, servicing and registration together come to less than $45 a night.
Where our numbers come from
Nights used. The Caravan Industry Association of Australia estimated in a 2020 submission that RVs are used for an average of 41 nights a year. It is an industry estimate rather than a fresh survey, and we could not find a newer figure, so we round it to 40.
Depreciation. We could not find a published resale index for caravans, so we use a range. One insurer told Caravan World in an older review that it depreciated vans at 5 per cent a year, which the magazine called the industry standard. The ATO’s effective life table for rental and hire businesses gives caravans and camper trailers a 12-year life, about 16.7 per cent a year on the diminishing value method. We use 10 per cent of the van’s current value as our middle figure. In one case reported by insuranceNEWS, an insurer cut a van’s agreed value from $60,000 to $54,000 at its first renewal, which is 10 per cent in a year.
Insurance. The big comparison sites we checked do not publish an average caravan premium. Jayco, which sells caravan insurance, puts the cost at around $600 to $1,500 or more a year depending on value and cover. We use $1,000 for a $90,000 van. Get your own quotes; the calculator takes your figure.
Servicing. Published prices for a 12-month or 10,000km service on a tandem axle van range from $500 for an undercarriage-only service at Emu Caravan Repairs in Melbourne’s east to $887 for a full 12-month service at a Jayco service centre in Sydney, both plus parts. We use $700. Our guide to wheel bearing servicing explains why skipping it costs more.
Site and cabin rates. The national averages come from the Caravan Industry Association’s industry statistics: $62.27 for a powered site and $212.78 for a cabin in 2025, measured as average daily rates across hundreds of parks.
The $269 night
A $90,000 van used 40 nights a year, with every cost of owning it spread across the nights you actually travel.
Per night, $90,000 van, 40 nights a year
$269
Before you pay for anywhere to park it.
$332
Adding the national average powered site rate of $62.27.
$213
National average cabin rate in 2025.
Where the $269 goes
Work out your own van
$269 a night to own
$332 with an average powered site. You would need about 72 nights a year before it costs less than the average cabin.
Assumptions: depreciation 10% of current value a year (our middle figure; see the article for the range), insurance $1,000, servicing $700 for a tandem axle van, Victorian registration $70.54, van stored at home, bought with cash (the interest the money could otherwise earn is not counted). Nights: Caravan Industry Association estimate of about 41 nights a year, rounded to 40. Site and cabin rates: national average daily rates for 2025 reported by the Caravan Industry Association ($62.27 powered site, $212.78 cabin). Break-even nights = yearly ownership cost divided by the gap between the cabin rate and the powered site rate. Tow vehicle, fuel, tyres and gas are not included.
The 72-night rule
Here is the more useful way to look at it. A cabin costs about $150 a night more than a powered site, on the national averages. A $90,000 van costs about $10,770 a year to own. Divide one by the other and you get the number of nights you need to travel before owning the van beats renting a cabin: about 72 nights a year.
That number moves with depreciation. At 5 per cent a year it drops to about 42 nights. At the ATO’s 16.7 per cent it climbs to about 111. Either way, the average owner’s 40 nights sits at or below the break-even point.
Worth knowing: a cabin and a caravan are not the same holiday. The van goes where cabins do not, from free camps to national parks, and you sleep in your own bed. This is a cost comparison, not a verdict on how to travel. We weigh the other side in caravan versus cabin.
Three vans, three bills
The same sums for three price points, all at 40 nights a year, with insurance and servicing scaled to suit. For what $80,000 to $180,000 buys in a new van, see our caravan price guide.
| Van value | Cost per night to own | Nights a year to beat a cabin |
|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $184 | About 49 |
| $90,000 | $269 | About 72 |
| $150,000 | $437 | About 116 |
The dearer the van, the more each night costs, because depreciation is a percentage of the price. A $150,000 van has to travel close to a third of the year to beat a cabin on cost alone.
What moves the number most
Nights used, by a mile. The same $90,000 van costs very different amounts per night depending on how often it is used:
| Nights a year | Cost per night to own | Including a powered site |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | $539 | $601 |
| 40 | $269 | $332 |
| 60 | $180 | $242 |
| 80 | $135 | $197 |
| 100 | $108 | $170 |
- Depreciation rate. Every percentage point on a $90,000 van is $900 a year, or $22.50 a night at 40 nights.
- Storage. If the van cannot live at home, open storage runs from about $220 to $275 a month in the published prices we found, at Woy Woy Storage Park on the NSW Central Coast and Storage Land in Brisbane (whose bays take vans up to 6m). At $220 a month, that adds $66 a night at 40 nights. Outer-suburban yards can be cheaper: StoreMyVan in Victoria lists outdoor storage from $600 a year.
- Finance. Borrowing adds a lot. In October 2026 RACV advertised caravan loans from 6.99 per cent (comparison rate from 7.57 per cent). As a rough guide, a year’s interest and fees on a full $90,000 balance at the 7.57 per cent comparison rate is about $6,800, or about $170 a night at 40 nights. The real figure falls as you repay the loan.
Watch out: our numbers leave out the tow vehicle. Towing raises fuel use, wears tyres and brakes faster, and some owners buy a bigger vehicle just to tow. Add those costs and the van looks dearer still. Our look at what a 2026 road trip really costs covers the fuel side.
Registration: from $71 to about $670
Registration is a small line in Victoria and a real one elsewhere. Several states charge by tare weight, while Victoria and South Australia charge a flat fee. These are annual figures for a van with a tare of roughly 2,000kg to 2,800kg, from each state’s published fees.
| State | Annual registration | Note |
|---|---|---|
| VIC | $70.54 | Flat fee for a light trailer or caravan |
| SA | $110 | Trailer and caravan fee, GTM 4.5t or less |
| WA | About $165 to $225 | $7.44 per 100kg tare, plus small fees |
| TAS | About $217 | Registration, motor tax and MAIB |
| QLD | About $251 | Calculated from the regulation’s fee units |
| NT | $397.85 | Tare 2,001kg to 3,000kg |
| NSW | About $414 to $670 | Weight tax by tare band, plus $84 registration fee |
Even at the top of that range, registration adds about $17 a night at 40 nights. It is worth knowing, but it will not change whether a van pays its way.
Run your own numbers in ten minutes
The calculator above only needs eight figures, and most owners can find them without guessing.
- Van value. Use what the van would sell for today, not what you paid. Search for the same model and age on the big listing sites and take the middle of the asking prices.
- Depreciation. Compare those asking prices with listings for the same model one or two years older. The gap, as a share of today’s value, is your rate. If you cannot find a match, start at 10 per cent and try 5 and 15 to see the range.
- Nights a year. Count them from last year’s calendar or bookings, not from the plan for next year. Weekends away count; nights parked at home do not.
- Insurance, servicing and registration. Take them straight from your last renewal notice, service invoice and rego bill.
- Storage and finance. Use your monthly storage invoice, and the interest line from your loan statement rather than the full repayment, because repaying the balance is not a cost.
Run it twice: once for the year you just had, and once for the year you would like to have. The gap between the two numbers is usually the most honest answer to whether the van is earning its keep.
How to bring the cost per night down
- Travel more. Going from 40 to 60 nights cuts the $90,000 van’s cost per night by a third.
- Buy a few years old. On a fixed-percentage model, the biggest dollar falls come early. On our 10 per cent assumption, a van now worth $59,000 after four years costs about $192 a night to own at 40 nights, against $269 new.
- Store it at home if you can. Paid storage can add more per night than insurance, servicing and registration combined.
- Mix free and paid nights. Every night in a free camp or a cheap national park site saves the gap to a cabin. Check national park camping fees and whether you qualify to free camp.
- Buy the van you will use. A lighter, cheaper van that leaves the driveway twice as often beats an expensive one that waits for the perfect trip. Our buying with confidence guide covers the checks.
Questions caravan owners ask about running costs
How many nights a year do caravan owners use their van?
The Caravan Industry Association’s estimate is about 41 nights a year, from a 2020 submission. National tourism data counted 57.9 million caravan and camping visitor nights in 2025, but that figure covers all caravan and camping travel, so it cannot be read as nights per van.
How much does a caravan depreciate each year?
We could not find a published resale index. One insurer quoted by Caravan World used 5 per cent a year, and the ATO’s 12-year effective life for hire fleets implies about 16.7 per cent on a diminishing value basis. Condition, layout, brand and demand all move the real figure, so check comparable used listings for your own model.
Is it cheaper to stay in cabins than to own a caravan?
On cost alone, for an average owner, often yes. On our middle assumptions, a $90,000 van needs about 72 nights a year before it beats the national average cabin rate. Below that, cabins win on price, though not on freedom.
Is a cheaper van cheaper per night?
Usually, because depreciation scales with price. On our assumptions a $60,000 van costs about $184 a night to own at 40 nights, against $269 for a $90,000 van, and it needs about 49 nights a year to beat a cabin rather than 72. A cheaper van that suits how you travel is the simplest way to lower the number.
Should I count depreciation if I never plan to sell?
Yes. The value leaves the van whether or not you sell it. If you keep it for 17 years, which the industry association gives as the average lifetime of an RV, you spread the loss over more nights, but it is still part of the cost.
The number that decides it
A caravan is not expensive because of its running costs. It is expensive because it loses value while it waits for you. The fix is not a cheaper insurer or a better rego deal; it is nights on the road. Work out how often you will really travel, put that number in the calculator, and buy the van that makes the sums work at that number, not at the number you hope for.
Images: What’s Up Downunder (holiday park photos); Anushan Bandara, snap wander and Stephan Widua on Unsplash.
