How do I know if my car can tow a caravan?

Compare the loaded caravan with your vehicle's limits, not the empty caravan. Work through these checks in order:

1. Caravan vs its ATM. The loaded caravan must not weigh more than its Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM), the most the caravan manufacturer says it can weigh fully loaded.
2. Caravan vs braked towing capacity. The loaded caravan must not exceed your vehicle's braked towing capacity, or the rated capacity of your towbar and tow coupling if that is lower.
3. Towball mass vs vehicle and towbar limits. The weight the caravan puts on the towball must be within both your vehicle's and your towbar's towball rating. Your vehicle carries that weight, so it counts against the vehicle's GVM and payload.
4. Loaded vehicle vs GVM. The vehicle with passengers, fuel, accessories, gear and the towball mass must not exceed its Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), the maximum laden mass set by the manufacturer.
5. Combined mass vs GCM. The loaded vehicle plus the loaded caravan must not exceed the vehicle's Gross Combination Mass (GCM).

Passing the towing capacity check alone is not enough: Transport WA notes that towing at the full braked towing capacity may not be possible with the vehicle at its GVM without exceeding the GCM. Raising GVM does not automatically raise GCM either; see GVM upgrades explained. The tow-match checker runs the towing capacity, towball and GCM checks for a specific vehicle and caravan.

How do I work out caravan payload?

Caravan payload is the ATM minus the tare mass, where tare is the caravan's empty mass. Water, gas, food, clothing, bikes and any accessories fitted after manufacture all come out of it, and Transport WA says the payload must not be exceeded under any circumstances.

Your tow vehicle has its own payload: its GVM minus its kerb mass. Passengers, accessories, gear in the car and the caravan's towball mass all use it up, which is why a heavy towball can leave little room for anything else. The payload calculator shows how much vehicle payload you have left.

Should I weigh my caravan at a weighbridge?

Yes. Published weights are a starting point, but options, accessories and the way you pack change the real figures. Weigh the loaded rig at a public weighbridge before a big trip; the weighbridge helper explains which readings to ask for and what each one means. Weight is not the only limit, so check length and width in our caravan dimensions guide too.