To understand what this year’s event represents, you need to look back at where it’s come from, not just last year in Warrnambool, but the broader arc of what Caravan of the Year has become.

At its core, this event has always served a simple purpose: to give buyers a clear, independent, expert-led view of the caravans on the market. That hasn’t changed. What has changed, and continues to evolve, is how we deliver on that.

Watch the 2026 Caravan of the Year

Looking back to move forward

Cast your mind back to 2025, held in Warrnambool, that event was one of the most expansive Caravan of the Year programs we’ve delivered. At any given time, we had up to 13 staff on site, with peaks of around 40 guests including entrants, sponsors, media and support crews. Logistically, it was a major undertaking — two caravan parks booked out, long days stretching into late nights, and a constant balancing act between content production, judging, hospitality and the social side that has long been part of the event.

It worked. It delivered strong content, strong engagement and a memorable experience for everyone involved. But it also asked a lot, particularly of the entrants. Multiple days on site, extended commitments away from their businesses, and a significant cost of participation in both time and money. And in a market like 2026, that model needed to be reconsidered.

A deliberate reset

This year’s event at Strath Creek Station represents that reset. The goal wasn’t to diminish Caravan of the Year, but to sharpen it — to strip it back to what matters most and to deliver that with greater efficiency for everyone involved. The most visible change was the scale. Where 2025 saw a large crew and a busy social program, 2026 was intentionally lean. A smaller, more focused team. No formal social schedule. No expectation for entrants to remain on site beyond what was required.

That shift fundamentally changed how the event operated as entrants no longer needed to commit multiple days to the program. Instead, each was allocated a dedicated three-hour window on site, a focused session where they had the full, undivided attention of the judging panel. Within that window, every van was presented, inspected, discussed and towed, all under consistent conditions. It was efficient, yes — but more importantly, it was respectful of the reality manufacturers are operating in right now.

The process, refined

That process is where the most meaningful evolution has occurred. Caravan of the Year has always relied on a multi-judge system, bringing together different perspectives and areas of expertise to form a balanced outcome. That remains unchanged. But it’s important to be clear about one thing — we do not compare caravans directly against each other. Instead, we assess each van against what we expect of it, given its price point, its intended use and the segment of the market it operates in.

That means a van like the Mountain Trail Paragon is judged against what we expect from a high-end, remote touring product. The Kokoda XG1 C216 is assessed against its intended role and buyer. And something like the X-Series Signature is considered through an entirely different lens again.

The buyers are different. The expectations are different. So the judging must reflect that. What we are trying to understand is simple: does this van deliver on what it promises, for the customer it is built for? And in many cases, the more expensive vans are asked to do more — and often, they do.

For 2026, we refined that lens further. The weighting of the judging criteria shifted toward three key areas: value for money, build quality and customer care. Not because the other criteria don’t matter, but because these are the areas buyers are feeling most acutely in the current market.

Value isn’t just about price — it’s about what you get for your money. Build quality speaks to longevity, durability and confidence in the product. And customer care reflects the reality that ownership doesn’t end at purchase — support, warranty and service matter.

Every entrant was provided with this framework in advance. They knew exactly what we were looking for and how we would assess their vans. And in some cases, the response to that was exceptional.

Kokoda and Wonderland, in particular, presented their vans in a way that directly addressed the criteria — helping us understand not just the product, but how it aligns with the expectations placed on it.

The entrants

The 2026 field brought together nine entrants, each representing a different slice of the current caravan market.

From Wonderland, the Solara marked a significant step forward — the brand’s first model built using a fully composite construction. The van took out the Judges’ award- the van we would take home given the opportunity.

Vivid entered for the first time with the Voyager, a locally made, price-driven offering from the Urban Group that ultimately claimed the Best Van Under $100,000 award.

Also from the Urban Group, Platinum (model TBC) positioned itself in the premium off-road space, combining high specification with a value-led proposition.

Kokoda’s XG1 C216 arrived bristling with innovation, including a split air-conditioning system and a return to a captain’s chair layout — replacing the traditional lounge with a more considered, comfort-focused seating arrangement.

Offline’s South Australian-built Solitaire 16 offered a compact hybrid with a twist, featuring a split ensuite that stood out as a genuinely practical design solution.

X-Series’ Signature, new to the market, demonstrated just how quickly a brand can gain traction when value, fit and finish align.

Evenew’s GTX Platinum carried the weight of history. A 60-plus-year-old manufacturer stepping into a new era with its first Huck-riveted aluminium frame — moving away from traditional timber construction while maintaining a strong focus on inclusions at an accessible price point. That approach saw it recognised for Best Value for Money.

Mountain Trail’s Paragon continued a remarkable pattern — a company that seems to enter competitions sparingly, but when it does, delivers highly refined, well-considered products. The Paragon took out Best Build Quality and shared the overall honours.

And from Cub, the updated C16 returned as an evolution of a previous winner, now featuring a split ensuite driven by customer demand and continuing its focus on robust, Australian-made construction.

Together, the field offered a clear cross-section of the market — from compact hybrids to larger, more premium touring vans.

The reality of the results

One of the most interesting outcomes of this year’s event came from the judging itself. With greater emphasis placed on value, build quality and customer care, there was an expectation that more affordable vans might feature more prominently in the final results.

In practice, the outcome was more balanced. Value-driven entrants like the Vivid Voyager stood out strongly within their category, but at the top end, the overall honours remained closely contested between highly refined, well-developed products.

The overall result — a tie between the Kokoda XG1 C216 and the Mountain Trail Paragon — reflects that. Both vans delivered strongly against the expectations placed on them within their respective segments.

Similarly, Evenew’s GTX Platinum taking out Best Value for Money reinforces the idea that value can come from different directions — not just from lower price points, but from delivering more than expected at any given level.

What it tells us is that the system is doing what it should — assessing each van on its merits, within its context. But it also highlights an ongoing challenge: how to continue refining that system to ensure it reflects the full breadth of the market.

A changing field

It’s also worth noting who wasn’t there. We invited everyone. We selected what we believed was the best possible window between major shows and industry commitments to give manufacturers the opportunity to attend. But the reality of 2026 is that time and financial pressures are real.

Queensland, traditionally a strong contributor, was not represented this year. And reigning champions Spinifex, despite being invited, were unable to attend due to those same pressures.

Manufacturers are making hard decisions about where to allocate time, resources and money — and in many cases, that means prioritising direct sales opportunities over events. We understand that. But we also recognise what their absence represents.

The team behind it

With a smaller footprint came a different kind of pressure.

At peak, the 2026 event operated with a team of five — a significant reduction from previous years. For the early part of the week, it was effectively just the three judges — John Ford, Alison Watts and myself — carrying the bulk of the workload. That meant more responsibility on each individual. More time spent in discussion. More weight on every decision. Less margin for error.

Supporting that was a small but highly capable production team: Josh Hanger joined as a freelancer in the days leading into the event and delivered under challenging circumstances, while Cam Inniss brought years of experience and a steady hand shaped by his long history with this event, dating back to its Best Aussie Vans origins.

It wasn’t the largest team we’ve had — but it was one that understood exactly what needed to be done.

What this year represents

Caravan of the Year 2026 may look different on the surface. Smaller. Simpler. More focused. But at its core, it remains what it has always been — a considered, independent assessment of the caravans on the market, judged against what they promise and what we expect of them.

You’ll find the full results, category winners and individual reviews in the pages that follow.

This introduction is simply to provide context — to explain how this year’s event was shaped, how it was delivered, and how we arrived at the conclusions you’re about to read. Because in a changing market, understanding the process matters just as much as the outcome. And for 2026, that process has taken a meaningful step forward.