Bird's eye view of the COTY 2025 Showcase

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Caravan of the Year 2025: The grit and the glamour

Written by: Amelia Mansell; Photographer: Supplied

May 5, 2025

Twelve entrants, one overall winner. Caravan of the Year presented by MSA 4X4 Accessories was back for another round of judging Australia’s best and most innovative vans … let’s take a peek behind the scenes at this year’s event.

Welcome to Caravan of the Year (COTY) 2025 — and what an event it was. Kicking off in the final days of February, this year’s COTY shaped up to be one of our most hotly contested competitions yet, with every entry raising the bar even higher and making the job of choosing a winner more difficult than ever.

Over five action-packed days, we put 12 of the best caravans and hybrids Australia has to offer through their paces — and now, it’s time to reveal what our judges had to say and, of course, the results.

But before we do, let’s take a look at what went on behind the scenes at COTY 2025 and, for the newcomers, recap what this event is and why we do it.

A whirlwind week in Warrnambool

To set the scene for the stunning content you’ll see in the magazine and online, this year we headed to the beautiful town of Warrnambool only a short drive from the Great Ocean Road, Vic. We called two of Warrnambool’s caravan parks home during our stay — the NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park and Discovery Parks – Warrnambool — and while (for the most part) the town put its best and sunniest face forward, by the end of our five-day stay it had well and truly lived up to its ‘Windy Warrnambool’ moniker.

Each year the standard of entrants at COTY climbs higher, with new innovations, tech, power and luxury features pushing the industry forward. Every van has something unique to offer and a different buyer in mind, whether it’s for first-time caravanners, family tourers or experienced offroad enthusiasts looking for a van that can go off-grid indefinitely.

The Showcase at Lake Pertobe in Warrnambool, Vic, was one of the busiest we’ve had

This year’s lineup of entrants featured a great mix of styles as well as new names and returning veterans, with 12 vans from 11 manufacturers all vying for the ultimate bragging rights of ‘Caravan of the Year’ for 2025. One of the standouts from this year’s event was that nearly every van entered was accompanied by the owners or family members of the manufacturer — all except Snowy River Caravans (based offshore) which was represented by its dealer principal, and Sunland Caravans, which instead sent the Aussie Destinations Unknown (ADU) team who live and travel with the very Sunland van that was entered into the event.

From those who made the quick trip over from Melbourne to others who came as far as Queensland or made the quick dash over from the Adelaide Caravan Show to ensure they didn’t miss out, it was a big effort for all teams involved.

And while the content you'll see in the reviews has the high-polish COTY is known for, the event itself is a fast-paced whirlwind of activity from dawn ‘til well past dusk, and none of it would be possible without our fantastic team of photographers, videographers, judges and organisers.

Detail photography of the Snowy River Caravans van

Our sponsors are also key in making this event what it is. MSA 4X4 Accessories — one of Australia’s leading brands for outdoor adventuring gear and accessories — returned as COTY’s major and naming sponsor for a fourth year running.

“It was great to be the major sponsor of the event; it is always a pleasure to work with such a professional and fun team,” said Shane Miles, director of MSA 4X4 Accessories. “Everyone who entered again this year has upped the ante — the quality of fit and finish and the new ideas rolling through from each manufacturer is very exciting to see and all of this transfers to the end user with a better experience.”

MSA 4X4 Accessories on display at the public ShowcaseREDARC Electronics was up front and centre as well

REDARC Electronics also returned to COTY for a second year, hosting our wonderful event dinner on the Saturday night where everyone got the chance to relax after the busy public Showcase, chat and enjoy the friendly comradery and good-natured competition this event inspires.

And of course, Ford Australia, which was our event vehicle partner this year and had a great presence at the public Showcase with the F-150 US truck and best-selling Ranger and Everest models on display.

Changing gears from the Grampians

One of the biggest challenges to overcome this year was shifting the entire event from the Grampians to Warrnambool due to the bushfires that raged through the Grampians region and national park this summer.

It was a hard decision to make, with weeks of time spent scouting locations, driving trails, accommodation and so on, not to mention the hope to support communities suffering from the loss of visitors, all lost. But in the end, the safety of our entrants and team as a whole was the priority, and the event was moved to Warrnambool, only a stone’s throw from the Great Ocean Road.

It was no small feat moving an event with approximately 60 people involved, all of whom needed to be housed and fed, only weeks prior to the event, but where there’s a will there’s a way and Warrnambool proved to be a beautiful, if unforgiving in its changeable weather, backdrop to this year’s competition.

Getting the Royal Flair van ready for its detail photography

What is COTY and why do we do it?

Caravan of the Year is the biggest event on our calendar, and its most important function is that it provides experienced and objective reviews of the caravans entered into the competition to help buyers find the best product to suit their requirements. It’s a task that’s easier said than done, and we must give credit to the team of judges, photographers and videographers who put the content together and, of course, the manufacturers who put their vans forward for testing, knowing not everyone can be a winner.

Over a handful of busy days, the entries are thoroughly put to the test, with the panel of judges looking over every inch of the van or hybrid, discussing the ins and outs with the experts who designed them and taking each unit out for a test drive across varied terrain to see how they perform. All the while our team of photographers and videographers capture the fantastic content you’ll see here, in the magazine and on our YouTube channel.

The COTY judges checking out Eden Caravans’ entry

Meet the judges and official COTY Host

This year we welcomed back three of our trusty judges: John Ford, Malcolm Street and Allison Watt. All three are familiar names in this magazine and COTY judging veterans and, as always, it was great to see them in their element looking over each entrant thoroughly and considering the mountain of minute details that make each one unique.

(Left to right) Malcolm Street, Allison Watt, John Ford and Tim van Duyl

“This year we saw some of the best vans yet at our event, making it difficult to choose a winner,” John said. “Entrants had gone the extra mile in presenting their vans in the best light. Attention to detail across the board was pleasingly high. The hours were long, and the pace was fast, but I heard nothing but praise for the photographers and video team who worked from dawn until past dusk.”

Allison was likewise impressed by the stunning presentation of the vans for the competition, and when asked what surprised her at this year’s event she said: “I was blown away by the number of big US trucks that came along as tow vehicles — they definitely outnumbered the regular 4x4 utes that we are accustomed to seeing. I guess that is mainly because some of the vans are getting bigger and heavier — there seems to be a trend in that direction — although we did see a few light and nimble hybrids and some more ‘conventional’ caravans.”

Malcolm also noted the weight of the vans and the flow through to big utes to pull them, and this event was the first time in his caravan towing life that he was required to use his LR truck license. Other highlights for Malcolm included only one contender arriving with a timber framed structure, while all the rest were aluminium or fully composite and several of the vans had layouts that were a bit different than the stock-standard van setup. “The standard of all COTY contenders was very high,” Malcolm said. “It’s becoming more difficult to judge the winner, not only overall but in the various categories as well. Although customer care and warranty matters are still an area where the caravan industry could do better.”

Getting up close and personal with the Kokoda Caravans van

While Tim van Duyl may not have joined the trio of judges this year, he was still along for the ride, this time with the fancy title of ‘COTY Host’, keeping all the photographers, videographers and entrants on a tight schedule to ensure the content created is up to the high standard that COTY is renowned for. And as the face of the event, he introduces every van and hybrid in the video reviews and interviewed the judges panel to dig deep into their thoughts on the 12 impressive entrants.

“Working as COTY Host was a different role to the judging I’ve done over the last six years, this year was frantic, but I knew John, Mal and Allison had the important part under control,” Tim commented.

“This year’s entrants keep on stepping it up and not just with the latest and greatest gadgets but in quality of build and in affordability. Yes, we saw some record high-prices but we also saw vans with low-budgets in mind. Conferring with the judges after the event, like last year, all of us had a personal favourite and it wasn’t always what was scored the highest.

“Looking ahead to 2026, I would love us to get to the Grampians. It was heartbreaking to make the call to move but the persistent bush fires posed a real risk we couldn’t ignore.

“What I loved about Warrnambool, aside from the all-round excellent hospitality from everyone, was the inquisitive and good nature of the public. Rolling into town with close to $2m in vans and crew vehicles drew a lot of attention, but in the right way. Everyone was up for a chat and everyone was impressed. And if you think Warrnambool looks good in our photos and videos, trust us, it’s better in person and during the off season there is so much space and park availability to really enjoy it.”

Getting the Royal Flair van ready for its detail photography

How are the entrants judged?

With caravans becoming increasingly more complicated, this year we expanded our judging framework from nine categories to 10, introducing a new ‘Ease of use’ criteria to the mix.

Each van is assessed across the 10 key areas in the table, selected to cover all the practical ways a caravan can be evaluated. Since every van and hybrid is unique and built with a different traveller in mind, they cannot always be judged by the same standards. So, our judges take each van’s intended to use into account, comparing it against similar COTY entries and other models of a comparable class available on the Australian market.

Build quality	The overall construction of the van — from the chassis and body to the interior finishes. Judges look for standout craftsmanship as well as any potential red flags.
Liveability	How practical the van is for its intended everyday use, including the layout, how much storage it offers and what appliances come standard.
Ease of use	Assesses how straightforward it is to set up and operate the van or hybrid, taking into account the logic of the layout for everyday use, components and accessories, and whether they enhance convenience or create unnecessary complexity.
Innovation	Any fresh ideas or creative thinking in the van’s design — such as a new construction technique, clever layout or a unique design feature. It’s a broad area that covers everything from smart solutions to common problems and improved efficiency to bold design choices that push industry boundaries.
Value for money	The judges consider the overall price of the van or hybrid in relation to what it delivers in terms of features, build quality, durability and overall user experience compared to similar entrants at COTY and on the market.
Self-sufficiency	How self-sufficient the unit is for its intended use, factoring in water storage, power systems, solar, gas capacity plus ensuite and cooking facilities.
Towability	How the van or hybrid handles across different terrains during the tow test, considering its weight and feel when driving and what type of tow vehicle is required.
Suitability for intended touring	The judges consider the unit’s intended target market and how it meets the needs of those prospective buyers. For example, if it’s marketed as an off-grid or offroad model, does it have the build quality and power, water and solar capacity to back that up and deliver on expectations?
Customer care	Assesses the warranty and after-sale care provided by the manufacturer and how these compare to industry standards.
X-Factor	Highlights what sets the van or hybrid apart from its competitors — those standout features that leave a lasting impression on potential buyers. This could be anything from innovative design elements, both inside and out, to unique accessories or features, and how effectively these are implemented into the overall package.

The public Showcase

The public Showcase day is always one of the standouts of COTY each year. It’s a great day where locals and visitors alike can get up close and personal with the latest vans on the market and to speak with the expert teams — many of whom were the owners of the vans this year.

We held this year’s Showcase next to the beautiful Lake Pertobe in Warrnambool, and while the event didn’t officially kick off until 10am we had plenty of intrigued locals wandering in early after their Park Run or coffee jaunt to check out the vans that were getting decked out for the busy day.

There was no slow point at the 2025 COTY Showcase

The Showcase Day is a fun day for the entire COTY team as well. It acts like a mini caravan show, providing potential buyers with a focus group of the latest and most innovative models on the market, and we had locals and visitors from neighbouring towns all keen to check out the units.

With a few Showcases under my belt now, one of the main take-aways I’ve gotten from visitors is that events like this can be much less intimidating than large shows. Rather than having hundreds of models on display, narrowing the field down to a smaller group of high-quality and often quite different styles of models can be easier to consume, and having one-on-one time with the owners or experts who created them helps a lot as well.

The display of Ford’s popular models was a hit during the Showcase

The caravans and hybrids weren’t the only ones on display. Our event sponsors, MSA 4X4 Accessories, REDARC Electronics and our vehicle sponsor Ford Australia, were all in pride of place and never seemed to have a quiet moment.

It was one of the busiest Showcases we’ve had, and if the entrants thought they were in for a cruisy day to relax after their busy days of judging, photography and videography, they were wrong. The public never seemed to take a break for lunch, and the entrants were hard-pressed to finish their own. And there were plenty of interested buyers and even some purchases made on the day.

Visitors at the Showcase checking out the Jawa Off Road Campers hybrid

But, like good party guests, the public abided by the closing time and our entire team was able to make the slow but steady exit to prepare for the event dinner at Dart & Marlin, sponsored by REDARC Electronics. With outdoor drinks and a cosy sit-down dinner, it was a great night for the entire COTY team to unwind, celebrate the successful day and competition.

The best of COTY 2025

The caravanning and RV industry is only getting more advanced as each year passes, and our COTY entrants are evidence of that. Every year we see new and exciting features and construction methods that push the industry further, and we’re keen to finally show off the fantastic contenders for 2025.

This year was a particularly good one, with a great group of entrants who all joined in the good-natured spirit of the event, enjoying the chance to discuss the industry and their shared love of exploring Australia with their vans over dinner each night or in between rounds of photography, driving or judging. There was a great sense of camaraderie, with the less experienced getting tips from old hands to ensure everyone had a great time.

Spinifex Caravans' judging session Spinifex Caravans’ judging session

The competition was stiff, with returning veterans hoping for another chance at the big gong and newcomers who came for good content but left with a glint of competition in their eye, so a big round of applause to the judges who had the hardest task of all. But that’s what COTY is all about. So, let’s check out the results and the full reviews!

COTY 2025 results

With the COTY reviews rolling out now — both the written and video — it’s high time we announced the winners!

Best Overall	Spinifex Caravans Epix Premier 21ft 6in
Best Build Quality	Sunland Caravans LTD ADU Edition 23.6
Most Innovation	Kokoda Caravans Counterstrike Vincere
Most X-Factor	Kokoda Caravans Counterstrike Vincere
Best Value for Money	Majestic Caravans Navigator 19’6
Best Hybrid	Cub Campers F14

A massive congratulations to the team at Spinifex Caravans who took home the bragging rights of being Caravan of the Year yet again, this time with the stunning Epix Premier built for owners Steve and Elise.

A beautiful Showcase location in Warrnambool, Vic Our beautiful Showcase location in Warrnambool, Vic

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CHECK OUT THE COTY 2025 REVIEWS: