Motorhomes for Sale in Australia

Motorhome, campervan or bus?

The names overlap, so we sort them by how they are built. A motorhome has a separate living area built onto or into a vehicle, often with a bathroom and a fixed bed. A campervan is a van with a fit-out inside the original body, and our page of campervans for sale lists those. Converted coaches and buses have a page of their own, buses and coaches for sale.

Some builders describe their motorhomes by class, such as B class or C class, and Avan has used both names for its Ovation models ⁶. Those labels are the builders' own, so compare the GVM and the layout rather than the class name.

Motorhome ranges in our make index come from builders such as Avida, Sunliner, Jayco, Windsor and Trakka ⁶. On Caravan Domain the builder is the make, and the seller can also give the base vehicle the motorhome was built on. Our Sunliner motorhomes for sale page lists that maker's ads.

Which licence do you need?

The vehicle's Gross Vehicle Mass, or GVM, decides the licence class. NSW sets out the classes on its licence classes page ¹:

• Class C (car) covers vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes GVM that seat up to 12 adults, including the driver ¹
• Class LR (light rigid) covers rigid vehicles over 4.5 tonnes and up to 8 tonnes GVM ¹
• Class MR (medium rigid) covers rigid vehicles with 2 axles and a GVM over 8 tonnes ¹
• Class HR (heavy rigid) covers rigid vehicles with 3 or more axles and a GVM over 8 tonnes ¹

Each ad on Caravan Domain shows the licence class the seller says the motorhome needs, and the GVM where it is given. If both are given, our listing rules accept only a car licence for a motorhome whose GVM is within the class C limit. Check the GVM on the vehicle's plate and registration papers yourself before you buy.

Upgrading your licence

Getting a heavier class takes time. In NSW you must have held a class C licence, other than a learner licence, for at least 1 year before you can get an LR or MR licence, and for at least 2 years before an HR licence ². You also need to pass the Heavy Vehicle Knowledge Test and an eyesight test, and then either complete the competency based assessment or pass a heavy vehicle driving test, as the NSW heavy vehicle licence page explains ². Other states run their own licensing, so check with the transport authority where you live.

Speed limits for heavier motorhomes

A heavier motorhome is also slower on paper. In NSW the maximum speed limit for a vehicle with a GVM over 4.5 tonnes is 100 km/h, and a lower limit on a sign still applies ³.

GVM, weight and what you carry

GVM is not the weight of the motorhome when it is parked. It is the most the vehicle may weigh fully loaded. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator's guide VSG5, Converting a vehicle into a motorhome, which covers motorhomes with a GVM over 4.5 tonnes, says the limit is the lesser of the GVM or the axle mass limits that apply to the vehicle ⁵. It counts passengers, luggage, food, water and waste water carried on board toward that weight ⁵.

That last point catches people out. Full fresh water and waste tanks can take a motorhome close to its limit before anyone climbs in. Ask the seller for a weighbridge ticket from a trip, or weigh it loaded yourself before you rely on the payload.

Towing a car or trailer behind

Some owners tow a small car or a trailer behind their motorhome. The motorhome's towing capacity and its GCM apply, and in NSW a vehicle with a GVM over 4.5 tonnes towing a single trailer must not exceed 100 km/h whatever the posted limit ⁴. The trailer brake rules on the Transport for NSW towing page step up with the trailer's weight, and you may tow no more than one trailer at a time ⁴. Check the handbook of both vehicles before towing a car on an A-frame or a dolly, and ask your state's transport authority what it requires.

Seats, berths and size

A motorhome should have a seat for everyone it sleeps. The NHVR's VSG5, its guide to converting a vehicle into a motorhome, says a converted motorhome over 4.5 tonnes GVM must have at least one designated seating position for each sleeping berth, and that seatbelts can never be fitted to a non-designated seat ⁵. When an ad says a motorhome sleeps four, check that it has four belted seats for travel.

The same guide lists the size limits for those motorhomes ⁵:

• length 12.5 metres ⁵
• width 2.5 metres ⁵
• height 4.3 metres ⁵

For motorhomes under 4.5 tonnes GVM, VSG5 points to Vehicle Standards Bulletin 14, Section LH, code LH11 instead ⁵. VSG5 also says registration requirements differ slightly between the states and territories, and sends you to your own transport authority for them ⁵.

Checking a used motorhome

Split the inspection in two, and take your time on both halves.

The vehicle

Every motorhome ad on Caravan Domain shows the odometer reading. Ask for the service history and compare it with the base vehicle maker's schedule. Look under the vehicle for oil leaks and rust, check the tyres' date codes as well as their tread, and drive it on a highway and a hill. Ask whether the chassis has had a GVM upgrade and for the paperwork if it has.

The living area

Look for water damage first: stains around windows and roof hatches, soft floor near the door and the shower, and a musty smell. Run the fridge and hot water system on battery and on mains power, test the water pump, and ask whether a licensed gasfitter has checked the LPG system. Test the slide-outs if it has any.

Paperwork

Match the VIN to the registration papers, and run a PPSR search before you pay. Compare the GVM on the plate with the ad and with your licence class.

Selling a motorhome on Caravan Domain

Private ads cost $23 a month for Basic or $35 a month for Premium, and you can cancel at any time. You can upgrade a Basic ad to Premium at any time and pay only the difference for the rest of the month.

Motorhome buyers filter by licence class and odometer, so fill in the GVM and licence class along with the kilometres. Say how many belted seats it has, and list the service history. Sell your motorhome with photos of the cab and the living area. Add one of the plate.