Best Caravan Electric Brake Controllers in Australia – Critical Equipment For Safe Towing

Is your caravan or campervan over 750kgs?

If that’s the case, Australian Design Rules demand that you get a set of trailer brakes. Even if your caravan isn’t that heavy, it’s still advisable to have separate brakes for your van. It will help to keep you, your passengers, and other road users safe.

However, you also need to operate the brake system from your towing vehicle. This will require a caravan brake controller. There are a couple of different types that are available at different price points so there should be one for every budget.

Hopefully, this guide will help you find the best caravan brake controller for your needs. Let’s take a look now!

Best Caravan Brake Controllers Australia

Tekonsha 9030 Voyager 12v Brake Control 2&4 Wheel

The Tekonsha Voyager is a proportional brake controller with a lot of upsides.

This dash-mounted unit is easy-to-use and to configure. It has an internal sensor that measures the level of deceleration. Then it sends the required amount of power to the caravan brake system.

You can keep an eye on the system by watching the LEDs change from green to red. This indicates the level of braking power and provides reassurance for the driver.

It can handle up to eight brakes or four axles. Meanwhile, it’s suitable for both single and double-axle trailers so every caravan can use it.

Furthermore, the Voyager is deliberately simplistic. Tekonsha wanted to make a simple caravan electric brake controller with no risk of interfering with other electronic systems like cruise control. All you need is the provided U-shape bracket to permanently install it.

Proportional brake controllers often cost more than alternative options. But this isn’t the case with the Voyager. It’s the cheapest caravan brake controller in this guide. That makes this system a no-brainer.

The Voyager is available for as little as $130 or so, with an excellent 5 year limited warranty.

Elecbrakes Brake Controller

If you’re looking for the Rolls-Royce of caravan brake controllers then stop right here. The Elecbrakes Brake Controller is extremely advanced with a lot of positives. It’s one of the most precise systems you’ll find.

This trailer-mounted unit is wired directly into the caravan’s electrical circuit. It draws power from the taillight and brake light circuits for up to two braked axles. The “plug and play” system can be installed in just 10 minutes.

You can use a smartphone app to set brake responses according to the trailer load or even the weather conditions. Elecbrakes provides five preset programs for different scenarios. Then, you can configure the programs to your personal needs.

Different drivers can store their settings in the system because it has multi-user access. This is a very nice detail.

Potential buyers may question the durability of this high-tech system. But rest assured that it’s waterproof and shockproof. Also, the resin casing acts as a shell to protect it from the elements wherever you go.

However, there are two clear flaws with this system.

Firstly, it only works with up to two axles. Compare that to the much cheaper Tekonsha Voyager which has a capacity of up to four axles. Some customers will question this product’s value.

The other standout flaw is the price.

Yes, it’s a premium caravan brake controller but it’s extremely expensive. A price tag of almost $670 may be too much for a lot of people. It has outstanding features but a lot of caravan users simply may not require them.

Hayman Reese 12V Remote Mount Brake Controller

Most portable brake controllers Australia users know of Hayman Reese.

Their customers trust them to deliver reliable and efficient products. While they do have proportional brake controllers available, we’re going to look at one of their time-delay systems.

One of the main advantages of their compact Remote Mount Brake Controller is that it’s easy to fit. Like the Elecbrakes model above, simply plug and play to get started.

It has a capacity of 1-3 axles which gives it an advantage over the more expensive Elecbrakes. Meanwhile, it has some useful electronic features like unique synchronization for different trailers. This means you don’t need to permanently install it on your caravan.

Hayman Reese specially designed their remote mount so that it doesn’t interfere with other systems like airbag deployment or cruise control. The LED turns green when the system is securely connected to the caravan. This provides peace of mind.

Finally, you can adjust the system to a 2-second delay in applying the brakes.

This caravan brake controller doesn’t have a lot of negatives. It costs around $250 with a 3 year warranty.

Baintech Tow Mate with Remote Trailer Brake Controller