By Catherine Best,
July 21, 2025
Almost every new caravan looks the business on the showroom floor. The shine of just-assembled cabinetry, the dazzle of LED lights, the smell of freshly stitched leatherette furniture… But once on the road, some vans lose their sparkle. So, with more than 200 local brands, how do you know which are Australia’s best-built caravans?
The annual Caravan Industry Victoria (CIV) Hall of Fame Industry Awards is a good place to start. This year Crusader Caravans took out the top gong, winning 2025 Manufacturer of the Year for the fourth time in six years.
Other finalists included:
Regent RV
What makes a stand-out manufacturer?
Decided by a panel of industry experts, the CIV awards were judged on criteria including manufacturing processes, materials, operations, sales, marketing and customer support. CIV represents more than 200 caravan and RV brands, with 90 per cent of Australian manufacturers based in Victoria.
Crusader is the only caravan brand to win Manufacturer of the Year and achieve CIV RV Master Manufacturer accreditation. Introduced in 2024, the Master Manufacturer program recognises brands that meet industry standards across five benchmarks. These include quality management, customer service, compliance, business systems and human resources. To date, only three other brands have achieved Master Manufacturer status: Jayco, Snowy River Caravans and Royal Flair.
Crusader has been operating for 22 years, and moved into a new, purpose-built manufacturing plant in Melbourne in 2022. Earlier this year, the brand celebrated a $3.5 million expansion into the lucrative US market.
Founder and CEO Serge Valentino says Crusader has grown from humble beginnings into an industry leader and Australian-made success story.
“Crusader’s team of in-house engineers and designers are driven by a passion for creating exceptional caravanning experiences. Their innovative vision is realised by skilled tradespeople who build each caravan with the same care and pride as if it was their own,” Valentino says.
“This dedication is reflected in our state-of-the-art production facility in Epping, Victoria, which was a standout for the judges. Purpose-built and modelled on world’s best practice manufacturing methods, it’s proudly one of the most advanced facilities in the Australian caravan industry.”
About Crusader Caravans
Crusader manufacturers a large and diverse range of caravans catering to couples, families, black-top tourers and off-road warriors. There are eight styles in the range, incorporating 33 unique models. They start with the compact and affordable CRV Esperance (from $58,501) up to the luxury off-road, off-grid XCountry (from $158,527). All Crusader caravans are built from full-composite, one-piece construction, with a chassis made from 100 per cent Australian steel.
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How can they name Crusader, Caravan Manufacturer of the Year, when they do not seem to take into consideration, superior brands like AOR, Bushtracker etc ?
Do the participants pay, to enter the competition ?
I don’t care how good they think Crusaders are ,I have a Lotus & very happy with it.Let them rant Mike .
I can’t believe this award was given to Crusader. I have a friend who purchased a x country 3 years ago and it has spent more time at the dealer being repaired than in the owners possession. It’s currently on its way back to crusader to have the collapsed floor replaced.
Another friend had a Snowy river caravan which developed cracks radiati g from around the window openings. It was repaired by fitting an “architrave ” around the windows openings
I can’t see how either of these manufacturers could be called a master
manufacturer.
I would say congratulations but having to get all windows reinserted and sealed again all under warranty work might say from brand new.
after water leaked from suppose windows.
in was such a inconvenience, in cost and travel and time.
can’t tell if ah ok yet as had no rain travelling so far.
other wise we are navigating issues as we go along.
please send info on prefer tandem style caravan
do various manufacturers have to pay a fee to be considered for this award and are other manufacturers that wont pay to be considered can never be considered or win ???
How can Jayco be on the list when they are currently being sued by the ACCC for false advertising.
look at any of the Jaycrap pages to see they are rubbish builds
absolute disgrace of a review.
its obvious your finalists are paying for these reviews !
how about running a real review without the issue ridden ridden big boys paying there way through !
to be honest I have an orbit caravan and have am actually surprisingly impressed .
it has handled off road camping better than my jayco ever did (which fell apart )
start doing honest reviews
These are not our finalists or reviews. This is a Caravan Industry Victoria competition.
Jayco is shocking. The number of times we’ve had to get repairs done such as doors coming off hinges, faulty wiring and more.
Note it’s an industry award, not a consumer one.
I have a 4 year old Crusader that has been at repair centres for a total of 8 months over those 4 years. And they need to replace a wall for the 3 rd time from water damage. Don’t know how they can win these awards!!