What Size Battery Do You Need For Your Caravan?

What Size Battery Do You Need For Your Caravan?

With more Australians hitting the road for extended off-grid adventures, choosing the right caravan battery setup is more important than ever. Whether you're running a few lights or powering an air conditioner, knowing what size battery for your caravan you need can make or break your trip.

Let’s break it down in simple terms.

 

Why Battery Power is More Important Than Ever

Modern caravanning isn’t just about a bed and a BBQ. Travellers today expect comfort, convenience, and connection – think air conditioning, fridges, water pumps, TVs, and phone charging. As a result, power usage has gone up, and traditional gas or generator setups are often being swapped out in favour of solar and caravan batteries.

Thanks to advances in battery technology, solar power, and inverters, it’s now easier than ever to power your caravan completely off-grid.

Not sure where to start? Our Battery Buyers Guide and Solar Buyers Guide breaks down everything you need to know – from choosing the right lithium battery to finding the best solar setup for your adventures.

 

Car Battery vs Caravan Battery – What's the Difference?

While it might be tempting to grab a cheap car battery, it’s not the right fit for your caravan setup.

  • Car batteries are designed to deliver short bursts of high power to start engines and then recharge quickly. They aren’t built for deep, continuous discharge.

  • Caravan batteries, also called deep cycle batteries, are made to provide a steady supply of power over longer periods – perfect for running appliances.

The most common types of caravan batteries are:

enerdrive caravan battery

 

What Size Lithium Battery for Caravan Travel?

If you're wondering what size lithium battery for your caravan you need, here’s a simple starting point:

  • Basic 12V setup: 1 x 100–150Ah lithium battery + 200–300W solar. Suitable for lighting, a fridge, and device charging.

  • Mid-level setup: 2 x 100–150Ah lithium batteries + 400–600W solar. Add fans, TV, or water pump.

  • High-draw setup: 200Ah+ lithium with a high-quality inverter and 600W+ solar. Needed for running 240V appliances like an air con or microwave.

Lithium batteries are more expensive up-front, but their ability to deliver more usable power (up to 90% of their rated capacity) and their long lifespan often makes them the better long-term investment.

 

How Many Batteries Do You Need?

The most common factory-installed caravan battery setup is:

  • 2 x 120Ah AGM deep cycle batteries

  • 2 x 150W solar panels

  • 1 x 40A AC charger

This is enough to power typical 12V appliances for most couples or small families, provided there’s good sunlight. However, if you're running low after a few cloudy days or want to power more devices, it’s smart to upgrade either your battery bank or solar capacity.

Tip: It’s always better to go slightly bigger. Running out of battery on day 3 of a remote trip isn't fun – and adding extra capacity later can be harder than planning for it now.

We've detailed our battery size recommendations below, depending on your setup and how you plan to travel.

Battery Size Ah

Weight

Kg

Use

Inverter Size

Minimum Solar Required 

Stay Duration

Lithium

50-100

8-12

Led lights

Device charging

Small fan

Portable Fridge  

Water pump - (short use)

Laptop 

Small Blender

Small Microwave (short use) 

500-1000w  

200w

Weekenders 

100-200

10-20

Led Lights

Device charging

Fan

Tv

Laptop 

Small 12v compressor fridge

Microwave on inverter (short use)

Induction Cooktop (short use)

Starlink 

Water Pump

Diesel and Gas Heater Fans

1000-2000w inverter 

200-500w

Weekenders

Short Stays 

200-300

20-30

Led Lights

Device charging

Fans

Tv

Laptop 

Large 12v compressor fridge

Coffee Machine 

Induction Cooktop

Air Conditioner (small use) 

Washing Machine (cold wash)

Starlink

Water Pump

Diesel and Gas Heater Fans

2000-3000w inverter 

500-1000w

Long Holidays

Permanent Travellers

400+ 

40+

Led Lights 

Device Charging 

Fans 

Tv

Laptop 

Larger 12v Compressor Fridge

Coffee Machine 

Induction Cooktop 

Air Conditioner 

Washing Machine 

Starlink 

Water Pump

Diesel and Gas Heater Fans

2600-3000+ inverter

1000w +

Long Holidays 

Permanent Travellers 

Work and Travellers

AGM 

50-100

20-30

Small Portable Fridge 

Led Lights 

Small Fan

Device Charging - limited

Not recommended

200w

Weekender

100-200

30-45

Led Lights

Small Fan 

Small Portable Fridge 

TV 

Device Charging

Laptop 

Small Pod Coffee Machine 

Small induction cooktop (short use) 

1000w

400w

Weekender 

Short Stays 

200-400

45-80 

Led Lights

Small Fan 

Small Portable or Upright Fridge

TV

Device Charging 

Laptop 

Small Pod Coffee Machine 

Small induction cooktop (short use) 

2000w

800-1000w

Short Stays

Holidays 


 

How To Calculate Your Power Needs

Understanding what size battery for caravan life you need starts with estimating your energy use.

Battery capacity is measured in amp-hours (Ah). A 100Ah battery can, in theory, deliver:

  • 1 amp for 100 hours

  • 5 amps for 20 hours

But with AGM batteries, you should only use about 50% of the total capacity to protect battery life. That means a 100Ah AGM battery gives you 50Ah of usable power. With lithium, you can safely use 80–90%.

 

Common Appliance Power Draw (Daily Average)

 

12V Appliances:

  • LED lights & battery monitor: <0.5A/hr

  • Water pump & tank gauge: <0.5A/hr

  • Fridge (small): 1–3A/hr

  • Fridge (large): 3–5A/hr

  • TV, laptops, speakers: ~0.5A/hr

  • Phone chargers: <0.5A/hr

 

240V Appliances (via inverter or mains):

These need serious power and aren’t suited to basic AGM setups.

  • Air con (e.g. Dometic Harrier): ~60A/hr on 12V

  • Microwave, kettle, hair dryer: 20–50A/hr (in short bursts)

If you want to run 240V appliances off-grid, you’ll need a quality lithium battery setup and an inverter (often 2,000–3,000W).

Calculate how long your 240V appliance will run via inverter with our Inverter Calculator.

 

Recharging Your Caravan Batteries

Caravan batteries can be charged via:

  • Solar panels (free and effective with good weather)

  • AC mains charger (when plugged into powered sites)

  • DC-DC charger (while driving, using your car's alternator)

  • Generators (backup for cloudy days)

Product recommendation: An Enerdrive 40A DC-DC charger is a smart investment for those travelling full-time or off-grid often.

renogy lithium battery

 

Final Tips for Choosing the Right Caravan Battery Setup

  • Choose deep cycle batteries (AGM or lithium) – not car batteries.

  • Start by listing your appliances and their daily run time.

  • Calculate your total daily amp draw, then add 30% as a buffer.

  • Decide on AGM vs Lithium: lithium costs more, but gives you more usable power and faster charging.

  • Plan for rainy days – add extra capacity if you'll be off-grid.

  • Invest in solar – more panels mean quicker recharging.

 

Take a Look At The Options

We stock a wide variety of high-quality caravan batteries to suit different preferences and camping styles. This includes lithium caravan batteries, known for their lightweight design and long lifespan; AGM deep cycle caravan batteries, perfect for frequent discharging and recharging; and gel deep cycle batteries, ideal for superior vibration resistance. Take a look at the options below. 

 

Caravan Lithium Batteries 

 

AGM Deep Cycle Batteries 

enerdrive lithium battery

 

Talk To The Experts

Choosing the right caravan battery setup doesn’t have to be complicated. By understanding your energy needs and matching them with the right battery type and capacity—whether it’s AGM or lithium—you can stay powered up no matter where your journey takes you. From basic 12V appliances to full off-grid 240V setups, there’s a solution for every kind of traveller. If you're still unsure what size battery for caravan travel is best for your setup, or you're considering upgrading to lithium and want to know what size lithium battery for caravan life will keep you comfortable and connected, our team is here to help! Give us a call on 1800 787 278 or email sales@caravanrvcamping.com. We’ll help you build the perfect off-grid setup so you can enjoy the freedom of the open road with confidence.

 


DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.


Comments (4)

Lithium battery

I have a Coroml lifestyle 663. Can I replace the agm battery (that's in the van now) for a lithium battery. The weight difference is 15/20 kgs for a 100 lithium battery. The total agm battery that I have weights about 30/35 kgs
By: Noel on 05 September 2024


www.caravanrvcamping.com.au Response
HI Noel, aside from the weight difference, lithium can also discharge to 80% over AGM that can only discharge to 50% so you can use more of the battery for longer! The only thing you will need to check is your chargers, these need to be lithium compatible. If they aren't you will need to upgrade these as well. I have reached out to you via email as well. Please also feel free to jump on our LIVE Chat or give us a call on 1800 787 278 to chat to one our solution agents.

Lithium battery for caravan

We have one folding solar panel and a blanket too. Taking out the two agm batteries and want to put in a lithium but don’t know whether to put in a 2ah or a 3ah Please advise. Want to be able to go off grid and run toaster and kettle, washing machine. Have 3000 inverter Thankyou Julie
By: Juliann murphy on 18 November 2023


www.caravanrvcamping.com.au Response
Hi Julie, if you have the room then the saying "go big or go home" comes into play. The more you have in battery storage the longer you can be off grid. Keeping in mind you need the solar to be able to re-charge the batteries. There is no point having huge batteries if your solar can fill them back up again

Battery recharge

At what level will 230 ac be able to continually Recharge the battery system on a caravan
By: Leonid petrow on 07 May 2023


www.caravanrvcamping.com.au Response
Hi Leonid, are you able to elaborate more on what your enquiry is about?

Caravan Battery

I have 1 x 120A lithium battery, I'm seeing a lot of 200 and even 240a batteries, is there a limit on what size you can go to or is it just better to buy a second battery
By: victor on 08 December 2022


www.caravanrvcamping.com.au Response
Hi, the amount of batteries you can use together will be determined on the brand of battery and the ability of each BMS of the batteries in question. For a more broader explanation feel free to jump on our live chat or give us a call on 1800 787 278 and we can assist in comparing brands

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